Sonder

Name

Sonder

Legal name

Sonder Holdings Inc.

Website

https://sonder.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Sonder was a tech-enabled hospitality company operating apartments and boutique hotels across 40+ cities in 10 countries via a mobile-first platform with keyless entry and digital concierge. The company served leisure, business, and extended-stay travelers before filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tech-Enabled Hospitality / Short-Term Rentals

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Vacation Rental & Short‑Term Stay Marketplaces (THALAFAC)

Keywords

• Tech-enabled hospitality
• Short-term rentals
• Apartment-style accommodations
• Mobile check-in platform
• Extended stay lodging

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Short-Term Accommodations (STA/Hotel Reservations): Nightly rental of apartments and boutique hotel rooms to individual travelers and tourists. Guests book through Sonder's platform or third-party channels for stays of varying lengths, with pricing based on nightly rates, location, and property type. Revenue is generated through accommodation fees charged to guests.
2. Extended Stay Reservations: Intermediate and long-term rental arrangements for guests staying weeks or months at Sonder properties. These reservations are governed by Extended Stay Agreements with negotiated terms, often at discounted monthly rates compared to nightly STA bookings.
3. Subscription Memberships: Membership-based reservation program where subscribers pay recurring fees for access to Sonder properties with specific benefits and pricing advantages. Subscription reservations are governed by Membership Agreements.
4. Licensing Agreement with Marriott International: Long-term licensing agreement making Sonder properties available through Marriott's distribution channels, including Marriott Bonvoy. Sonder received key money and ongoing licensing fees from this partnership, with Marriott investing $15 million and adding 9,000+ rooms to its portfolio.
5. Real Estate Lease Arrangements: Sonder signs multi-year fixed leases, mixed leases, or revenue shares as anchor or sole tenant in properties. This master-lease model involves leasing properties from landlords and subleasing to guests, generating revenue spread between lease costs and rental income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sonder operated a tech-enabled hospitality platform providing short-term and extended-stay apartment and boutique hotel accommodations in 40+ cities globally. Guests booked through the Sonder website or mobile app and accessed units via mobile key, with 24/7 digital concierge support, keyless entry, and biometric identity verification. The company generated revenue through nightly accommodation fees, subscription memberships, extended-stay contracts, and B2B corporate/group travel bookings, operating as anchor or sole tenant under master-lease arrangements with property owners.

Product overview

Sonder is a technology-enabled hospitality company operating a unified platform that combines apartments and boutique hotels across 40+ cities in 10 countries. The platform offers three booking models: STA/Hotel Reservations for short-term stays, Extended Stay Reservations for longer-term accommodations, and Subscription Reservations for membership-based access. The proprietary Sonder app powers the guest experience with digital check-in, mobile keys, and 24/7 digital concierge. The business model includes a property partner program (Partner with Sonder) offering lease and revenue-share arrangements to property owners, and a dedicated business/group travel service for corporate bookings. The company previously operated under a Marriott Bonvoy licensing agreement (Sonder by Marriott), which was terminated in November 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sonder Hospitality Platform (Apartments & Boutique Hotels) A technology-enabled hospitality platform offering apartments and boutique hotels in 40+ cities across 10 countries, accessible via a proprietary mobile app with digital check-in, mobile key access, and 24/7 concierge services for individual travelers, business travelers, and group bookings.
• Short-Term Accommodation (STA/Hotel Reservation) Nightly rental of apartments and boutique hotel rooms to individual travelers and tourists, with pricing based on nightly rates, location, and property type, booked through Sonder's platform or third-party channels.
• Extended Stay Reservation Intermediate and long-term accommodation booking at Sonder properties for extended business or personal stays (weeks to months), governed by Extended Stay Agreements with negotiated terms and discounted monthly rates.
• Sonder Subscription Reservation Membership-based booking program where subscribers pay recurring fees for access to Sonder properties with specific benefits and pricing advantages, governed by Membership Agreements.
• Business and Group Travel Corporate travel and group booking services providing dedicated corporate rates for business trips, with minimum 10-room requirements for group bookings suitable for corporate retreats, class reunions, and team events.
• Partner with Sonder (Property Leasing Program) Property owner partnership program where Sonder signs multi-year fixed leases, mixed leases, or revenue share agreements as anchor tenant, offering 100% occupancy, no vacancies, and de-risked cash flow for institutional property owners, hotel owners, private equity funds, REITs, and developers.
• Sonder Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android providing digital check-in, mobile key access, 24/7 chat concierge, and checkout management for Sonder guests across iOS and Android platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1M+ guests served across 40+ cities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Marriott InternationalcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 August 2024Long-term licensing agreement making Sonder properties available through Marriott's distribution channels including Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program. Marriott invested $15 million and expected to add 9,000+ rooms to its portfolio. The partnership included $7.5 million in key money to Sonder tied to a 20-year agreement. The agreement was terminated by Marriott on November 9, 2025, due to Sonder's default, leading to Sonder's Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Airbnb: Largest vacation rental/short-term stay marketplace offering apartments and unique stays globally with a mobile-first booking and host-management platform. Direct competitor to Sonder in the urban apartment-style accommodation category.
• Blueground: Tech-enabled furnished apartment provider for 30+ day stays in major cities globally, combining flexible leasing, design consistency, and a mobile app. Closest direct competitor to Sonder's extended-stay product.
• Kasa: Tech-enabled apartment-style hospitality operator in US cities offering professionally managed units with mobile check-in, keyless entry, and 24/7 support — same operational playbook as Sonder at smaller scale.
• Vacasa: Largest US vacation rental management company combining full-service property management with an online booking marketplace. Comparable professional-management-first approach versus DIY short-term rental hosts.

Broad incumbents

• Marriott International: Global hotel giant that licensed Sonder's inventory through Bonvoy (2024–2025). Comparable in target guest (urban business and leisure travelers), brand-led distribution, and loyalty integration; operates a much larger owned/managed/ franchised portfolio.
• Hilton: Global hotel chain with strong loyalty (Hilton Honors) and a growing extended-stay/apartment-style offering. Comparable target customers, distribution model, and technology investments (digital key, app-first booking).
• Hyatt: Major hotel group with a notable extended-stay portfolio and asset-light strategy pursuing tech-enabled urban accommodations; comparable in targeting business/leisure travelers in gateway cities.
• Booking Holdings: Parent of Booking.com, Priceline, and Agoda — global OTA and metasearch distribution that historically carried Sonder's inventory. Overlap in distribution of short-term accommodation supply and demand aggregation.

Emerging players

• OYO Rooms: SoftBank-backed tech-enabled budget hotel and apartment operator that acquired 10 former Sonder properties out of bankruptcy. Targets similar underserved urban traveler with technology-driven standardized stays.
• Plum Guide: Curated luxury vacation rental platform with strict design and quality vetting in major cities — adjacent overlap in urban, design-led apartment stays with consistent quality.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sonderstays
• Facebookfacebook.com/SonderStays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonder-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors36 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sonder