Sonder Wellborn

We stayed in the hotel for one night and got up the next morning and left it was so terrible. The thermostat that controls the entire upstairs portion is in the hallway and shared by ALL rooms upstairs. I woke up in the middle of the night with the thermostat set to heat, so that was fun. The toilet is leaking water all over the floor, so when we first got there we found water on the floor and it kept getting worse even though we weren't using it. There are no refrigerators or microwaves in the room despite the pictures showing there were. I called to confirm that the room I was booking had a bathtub, but they didn't have one. When I chatted with them (because there is no front desk) they responded with "we don't have any, try again tomorrow". The pictures are complete lies and make this place look cute and charming. It is a dump! Do not stay here! Half of their issues could be fixed by stating things on their website so we weren't taken by surprise. BUT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL I STAY IN A HOTEL WHERE I SHARE A THERMOSTAT.

There was a RAT in our room and staff refused to help or reimburse us. They said the bathroom window was open but nor I or my friend who was there recall seeing a window open throughout the entire stay. The bathroom windows even have bars on them. Was told they’d update us & after a week of not hearing anything, I reached out to which they confirmed they saw the rat and set out traps but didn’t relay this information back OR try to resolve the situation. They neglected to resolve this issue several times. Came to town for a concert, was excited from the photos, didn’t think it was that bad when we got there but we spent most of our first night at the bar/restaurant that’s NOT affiliated with the hotel. That was probably the best part of what we thought was the hotel. The shower is remodeled but the glass covers about 1/3 of the wall so you’re freezing cold. They do have a kettle with tea and coffee packets, perfect for the rats to snack on. Also noted that there are houseless people at the exit and entrance that do camp out.

Stay at your own risk. Literally. Coming in I thought the building I was in would be staying in was an abandoned home. 1. At the steps, there is a hole in the porch floor not big enough for an adult door but big enough. 2. The door to the building would not open. Using the information provided. There was a work around which you wouldnt be aware of unless u ran into the attendant who happened to be going in right before us. The instructions on enter our room weren’t clear either. Thankfully, the attendant was there. 2. The rooms were cute but not functional at all. The shower is in the sleeping area and has a curtain. Around it which collapsed when I tried to close the curtain it’s quite flimsy but my husband was able to screw it in the stay bit who knows how long that will last. 3. The door situation was annoying to all the guests, but it led to one guest banging aggressively on all the windows from the porch (my room) and it’s seems, she tried to rip the door off. We ended up letting her in, but the lack of care for the building and customers could have led to something more dangerous. 4. There was no heat and no extra bedding to make up for it. I left as early as I could. I tried calling to let them know we left and update them on the issues, but the told me to ago to their website to give feedback. They don’t have e direct phone number for that property. Not sure how that’s possible but ok. So here I am.

I wish I could have read the reviews before booking here. I booked this place for my in-laws traveling 6 hours away. After arriving, there appears to be a bar next to it with loud music which can be heard through the room making it impossible to sleep. Ear buds were placed on the bed as if they were expecting the noise to happen. The AC was set at 76 with no way of adjusting. There were only fans and extra fans that can be found at the lobby… There was no personnel on site and the help desk brought me to an international call center and said they’ll “file a report”. They were no help and could not even transfer my in laws to another room. The only thing they can do is report it. The only convenience about this place is how close it is to Orlando regional were my grandmother is admitted in for a heart surgery. They had no choice but to book at a different hotel to have a decent sleep for the night. Expedia, the booking agency I paid this to tried their best to get this cancelled and a refund offered but Sonder did not even answer their calls as they know they won’t issue a refund. Mind you my in laws did not even stay the night and I booked 2 nights for them. Terrible place and terrible service. For the price you are better off going somewhere cheaper where you can be guaranteed a wink of sleep.

Please do not stay here for you’re own sanity. There is a bar that has music going to 1am despite there own respect your neighbour policy saying be quiet between 10pm and 8am. They provide earplugs as if this an acceptable way to treat their guests. If you have any sense find somewhere else.

Positive: The suite was super cute and had everything we expected. Negative: The noise and light from the bar both got into the room. Window coverings might not go with the aesthetic but they would help make sleeping easier.

Do NOT stay at this hotel. The aesthetic is cool and the vibes are nice but that is about as far as the positives go. The check in process, customer service, and overall experience was absolutely horrible. There are no physical people or a front desk and they provide you a standard paragraph via email for your check in instructions. We arrived at 1am and didn’t find our room until 2 in the morning. The instructions told us to go to the Wellborn building and our unit would be on the second floor. We walked the entire property 3 times but could not find our room number anywhere (our room was 105 but the only numbers on the building were in the 300s). We called their offshore support team for help and they just read the exact same instructions via email back to me. I told the guy I followed the instructions to a T but still couldn’t find my room. He ignored me and kept reading the instructions asking me if I followed them. He even read the last part: “do not exit out the back door as it auto locks” ….TF?! I can’t even find the front door let alone the back door! Finally I tried chatting with them and the chat support gave me a complete different set of directions - turns out our room was in a totally different building on the first floor. Once we got into the room the back door was open and would not fit into the doorframe. I told the support agent how unacceptable this was and that we did not feel safe staying in the room on the first floor with an open back door. After much discussion he finally offered to issue me a refund for the first night but when I checked they only refunded me 1/3 of the total stay for 2 nights. Total scam and poor customer service. I would never stay here again and encourage anyone thinking about staying here to book a Marriott instead. At least you’ll enjoy a peace of mind on your vacation and find your room easily.

This is my first time being catfished by an Airbnb. With misleading photos, the reality of the unit is FAR different from what is advertised. I would understand slight changes to the room’s design or layout, however there are major differences that make this a case of false advertising. Upon walking in, I was startled by what I saw. It was so different from the listing that showed a quaint suite with a built-in kitchenette. The first thing I noticed was the mini fridge on the floor and a cart with a coffee maker. It was a laughably tragic sight. The floor beneath the mini fridge was a grungy decaying carpet with stains scattered throughout like a Pollock painting. Needless to say I kept my shoes and socks on the entire stay. I will give credit to them – the bathroom was recently redone and closer to the advertising photos. And the location was walkable to downtown. The worst part was the gaslighting from Customer Service. First, they called me “Kate,” not even changing the name in their templated denial of wrongdoing. Then they hit me with “Please note that the photos on our website are intended to represent the general look and feel of the space but may vary in terms of final design, layout, and furnishings.” I laughed in shock. The place I entered was nothing even remotely close to what is shown online. Then the customer service rep requested I prove to them with screenshots that their listing was misleading, which was easily provable. Then they blamed Airbnb for showing the kitchenette photo claiming it wasn’t on their website. Again with screenshots I could disprove that. The kitchenette is advertised for the Queen Suite+ across all platforms. It was the third callout about their false advertising that prompted them to finally admit that it was misrepresented online. Did we get a refund? Luckily we booked through Airbnb so we got a partial one through Airbnb. If it was up to Sonder we would’ve been SOL. Oh and there’s no bedroom door so don’t share with people you need privacy from.

The Sonder Wellborn has some great perks - the location close to downtown is walkable to all of the great spots. The restaurant and bar itself is elite - excellent food and drinks at your doorstep. The check-in process is easy and the room is spacious. The pullout bed situation however is not great. It's clear they have never cleaned the cover over the pullout bed. When I unfolded the bed and started to put my sheets on the bed cover, it was stained with makeup and who knows what else but not limited to dirt and hair too. The "bed" itself is awful - so uncomfortable and paper thin and the metal frame is extremely unstable. I hope they can make some changes or not advertise that a suite can comfortably sleep 4 people.

A bunch of my friends get together every year for a big event at the Orlando Science Center and this was my second year attending the event, so I wanted to book at the hotel where everyone else was staying. The room we booked has a huge bathroom with a massive shower and big, 2 seater tub with jets. Funny that the sink is pedestal style and I was wishing for more counter top. Two walls in this bathroom are lined with mirrors- so it seems even bigger. The tub looked as though it had had better days- I didn't try it. The shower had a steamer knob and I was so excited, briefly- until I realized it doesn't work. The kicker was that our room is backed against a tiny room that houses the dishwasher for the main house restaurant and bar- aka, it was noisy. Really noisy. And the upstair guests seemed to be pacing? I could here the floor/ceiling creek across the room back and forth for hours. That part seemed very odd, luckily it was only the first night, but the dishwashing went on till the early morning hours. Should we all stay here next year, I know not to book room 314. Funny, two of my friends had this same room last year and forgot about the noise until I mentioned it and oooohhhh, yeah. Now- they obviously know it's loud, because they leave ear plugs on the night stands and have a white noise machine too. I can't sleep with earplugs in- so that was useless to me. The room also sports a little kitchenette, with appliances, dishes, silverware- but the counter had no outlets for the coffee maker and such. There was an outlet near the counter that had the mini fridge plugged, just seemed like they forgot to install outlets when they put in the counter. Other than the tub looking sketchy, the room was clean. I did open one towel after showering to discover it so worn it had massive holes- that one went on the floor and I opened another one that was fine. Maybe next year I can update my review in a happier fashion ;)

This property has a lot of potential but also has some true deal breakers that will keep me from returning. The positive: the rooms are spacious and the bedding is very comfortable. Things are generally well appointed and it just looks cute. The negative: oof, where do I start? There is a super cute lounge on-site (but not owned/run by Sonder). They have great drinks and bites, and a gorgeous courtyard. Stunning. It gets loud on weekend nights; Sonder provides a sound machine and earplugs to help mask the noise, which works well. On the other side of the hotel, though, is a gorgeous wedding venue. God help you if you are there on a night when there is a live DJ. Untenable. The bed is shaking. Earplugs and sound machines have nothing on it. As there appears to be no management staff onsite, nobody is going to stick up for the guests at the Sonder. That is unfortunate because it is such a lovely space. Oh: parking is a a beast. A beast. Not always, but definitely on event nights. (Also, the shower is problematic in its design: water ends up everywhere outside the shower; and clearly the lack of storage in the bathroom indicates that it was designed by a person who has little need for any kind of product on the hair or face).

This property is a stunning oasis downtown Orlando. Here is what I love about it: It is housed in the oldest home in Orlando, built in 1883. There are two other buildings on this property, one being an art-deco style hotel built in the 1940s and the other housing the bar and restaurant. We stayed in the Norment-Parry House, the city's oldest documented residence, which once belonged to Judge Richard B. Norment of Baltimore. I was here for a Professional Ghost Tour Guide conference so of course our hostess chose this location since it is storied to be haunted. (My room was undoubtedly freezing and had a strange energy about it, so I wholeheartedly believe there are presence(s) spending their afterlives here.) At any rate, the renovations were remarkable. My room was gorgeous. The bathroom was huge and I had a nice enclosed patio that overlooked the foliage outside. My complaints: 1) the shower was so tiny. There was plenty of room to have extended the stall a bit in that huge bathroom 2) It is a bit noisy, especially if there is a wedding going on outside on the property. To be fair they do provide a white noise machine, which helped quite a bit (and ear plugs, which I did not use). 3) The Sonder brand was designed by a very techie group of people. Everything is controlled by the app on your phone. My phone unlocked my door and if there is a problem, you send the staff an instant message through the app. While I appreciate these conveniences, it is also reassuring to have an actual person onsite at the hotel. 4) No fridge in your room- you have to label your stuff and leave it in the lobby fridge. Not a problem if the entire house was just our group, but there were some other people in there who had decided to extend their stays, so it wasn't just us. 5) A homeless lady wandered in behind me and sat in the lobby. While she was harmless, having an employee there would control non-guest enteries and exits. There are not public restrooms in the lobby, so there really isn't a need to loiter there. 6) I got to the hotel at 2:45. I ran into the housekeeper and she said she would be done cleaning my room in five minutes. Awesome. So I came back at 2:55 after she was finished. My access code apparently allowed me access into the building but not my room. So I chatted with the Sonder staff and the person on the chat said I could either pay $25 for an early check-in or check in at 4:00. No flexibility there. Good grief. The room is cleaned, ready to go, and just sitting empty for an hour and I can't get in? Come on, guys..... Other than that, great place. Just fine-tune your concept a bit.

Edit to add that I was refunded for my room with no hot water and offered another room for my third night. Unfortunately, the new room did not really have hot water either but the coolness was slightly more tolerable than the cold water in my first room. So in conclusion I do honestly really like the atmosphere at this hotel. The courtyard is gorgeous and for the space you get and the location the rates are a good deal. It is unfortunate they are having plumbing issues and I really hope they can work it out because this place is so nice otherwise. Consider staying here but maybe call ahead and see if the repair work is complete. Previous Review-:NO HOT WATER. I've stayed here twice and enjoyed my other stays. This time there is no hot water in my room which is pretty unacceptable without major compensation. They offered me just 30 dollars the first night, then 60 the second, but that still means I have to stay in a room with no hot water. Selling someone a room without a basic amenity is just not right.

I wish all hotels were like this - beautiful, spacious, convenient, and centrally located to Lake Eola and downtown Orlando. Can't be beat for a family of 4.