Wellborn Hotel Downtown, Sonder

This hotel and the entire company “Sonder” that hosts it is deplorable. To begin with, the check in process is lengthy, disorganized, and very disorienting. Phone calls with three condescending and incompetent staff members led to more frustration. The worst part was the room- After an hour of trying to check in, wandering around the property looking for one single employee or someone to help, we got to our room. Room 300 was COVERED on all surfaces in bugs, bodily fluids, blood, and short dark curly little hairs that appeared to be pubic in nature. Unfortunately, you CANNOT contact anyone about this during or after your stay. The lack of staff is ridiculous. Our room was already used by another patron and never cleaned. We had no way of getting fresh linens, getting the room cleaned. To top it off, all of the tech in the room was broken, the floors and surfaces were dusty and visibly dirty. There were ants on every surface and flies buzzing around. The corners of each portion of the room were stacked up with dirt and rust. The shoddy craftsmanship was apparent from the moment you enter the room. Every light switch was crooked. Every fixture was crooked. This place looked and felt post apocalyptic. And there is nobody there to assist with any of this during your stay. I wouldn’t recommend this nasty renovated motel-6 to even my worst enemies. This was the most ridiculous and overpriced room in the most disgusting “hotel” I’ve ever stayed. Do not book here.

What a scam. I didn’t even get to stay at this hotel, and truthfully it was a blessing in disguise. Wish I would’ve read these reviews before booking. Anyways! Didn’t even get to stay. The hotel cancelled my reservation that I made a month in advance. I used a booking agency through my job, and this Hotel is listed on their very reputable website. Booked on May 27th for two night stay… Was charged over $300. APPARENTLY there’s an additional fee for $250+ that they couldn’t “authorize” on the card on file for a deposit/damages/whatever and I get that. You gotta protect your rooms. But they had my card information. They had all my information. Name, email, confirmation number, when we booked, when we were checking in/checking out. But they cancelled my reservation. My non-refundable reservation. They claimed they made SEVERAL attempts to email me but when I asked what email they sent these attempts to, they wouldn’t provide me that information. They told me to contact who I booked through. Which I did. I never received any emails. In my inbox, or spam or anywhere. What a joke. But if it gets me out of staying in a room with rats I’ll count this as a blessing.

I recently stayed at The Wellborn after my husband’s surgery was unexpectedly delayed, and what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. I was just looking for a place to crash after a long, stressful day and ended up with so much more than expected. I booked what I thought was a standard hotel room and got a full condo! The bed was incredibly cozy—exactly what I needed to rest and recharge. The real cherry on top was their ability to accommodate an early check-in so I could grab a quick nap before heading back to the hospital. Thank you, Wellborn, for turning a tough day into a peaceful one. Highly recommend!

I didn't bother reading reviews on this hotel before booking because I attended a work function here and was set on staying sometime. I'm honestly shocked at the low reviews. This is an AirBnB style stay. Sonder is a kitsch apartment hotel company. This is NOT a traditional hotel. Limited and tight quarters parking - don't bring more than one car if you can help it. Self-catering. They will hold a security deposit as well as your stay fee. Our space was clean and well stocked. Pardon the mess in the photos. Fabulous location near major tolls, I4, highly walkable to the Dr. Phillips Center and downtown businesses. Lovely location for a wedding or work function. Hotel is a 1940s build art deco apartment style hotel. The front building is a late 1800s cracker house original to the location, and the main restaurant building in the back is a 1910s cracker house that was moved here for its current use. It's absolutely Old Florida. 15/10 on Old Florida Vibes. One of the best parts of staying here is smelling the food cooking. The bar/restaurant is not cheap but it is really good and it's a major appeal of staying here. I reached out to Sonder to ask about late checkout (not available for us) and the customer service rep was super helpful.

We checked in today, unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations. My best friend and I were looking forward to a relaxing and fun getaway, but upon arrival, we quickly realized that the hotel looked nothing like the pictures advertised online. First and foremost, the shower was incredibly tiny. Also, there was a severe lack of counter space in the room, which would make it difficult to unpack and settle in. To top it off, the coffee pot was located on a glass porch with 2 chairs, and it was uncomfortably warm because there were no ac vents. Also the location wasn't the best. After assessing the situation, we decided to book another hotel and left shortly after seeing the room. This experience was disappointing, and I have requested a refund since the pictures online are misleading. Overall, I cannot recommend this hotel based on my experience.

Music in the courtyard is so loud you can not escape it. I wish I would have read the reviews before booking. Not a place to rest and relax. If you’re here to party it’s your spot. The music is so loud it almost seems intentional to irritate anyone staying in the hotel and Friday and Saturday they go until 1:00am. As I write this I can’t wait until 1:00am to see if they cut the music off. It is even raining out so no one is in the courtyard and all must be in the bar. You would think that if everyone is in the bar they would turn off the loud music in the court yard. But Nooooooo why try and be courteous!?!? What a joke. So thankful we only booked for one night. It’s a shame because the hotel is a historic house with a beautiful courtyard.

My husband and I stayed here to attend 2 shows at The Dr. Phillips Center. The location was perfect as we were able to just walk over and not have to worry about parking. The suite was so nice, clean, spacious and the kitchen had a microwave, small fridge, coffee pot as well as coffees and teas. When we needed extra items such as towels and coffee, all it took was a chat on the app and they quickly and efficiently took care of us. Thanks for a great experience, Sonder Wellbourn!

Wanted to book somewhere “different” for a change as opposed to Hilton or Holiday Inn. Big mistake. The room is nothing like the pictures online. The first thing i noticed were a few bugs flying around the room and on the wall. It did not take long to notice that the desk-like structure that was built into the wall was not properly sealed underneath, allowing for extra insect tenants to stay for free. After some exploring i noticed many minor issues with the room. Putting the lackluster and run-down appearance aside, my biggest gripe is the lack of amenities. If you need fresh towels, trashes changes, etc you have to pay $45. Sonder’s explanation for this being that they’re “budget friendly” so this is not an included service, to “keep the prices low”. But i paid $100 a night to stay here. Not to mention the no refund policy. Lastly, a bit unrelated to Sonder themselves, our upstairs neighbors were extremely loud. Loud music, jumping, laughing/yelling, and banging around could be heard for hours. Wasn’t a big deal to me but for some i know this could be frustrating. I feel as though this would not be tolerated at a regular hotel. Between the lack of traditional amenities, no available staff, and unnecessary fees i would consider this place a shitty airbnb. Not a hotel. If you’re looking for a relaxing, RELIABLE stay just book any mainstream hotel. Aside from decent outdoor decorations, this place is not worth it. I’ll be enjoying my free towels at Hilton next time i visit the area.

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.