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Sonder (company)
Sonder Holdings Inc. was a company that managed short-term rentals, such as apartment hotels, in North America, Europe, and Dubai. It was founded in Montreal, Canada in 2014 and after 2016 was based in San Francisco, California.
Sonder managed over 9,000 units in over 40 cities and served over 1 million guests. Although it competed with Airbnb, Sonder leased and managed its own rentals. It targeted travelers who prefer larger accommodations than a hotel room but wanted a more predictable experience than renting from an amateur host. Guests used a mobile app to check in and get customer support. The company outsourced maintenance and housekeeping services. Guests could request this service via its app.
Following loss of business from the COVID-19 pandemic and an unsuccessful partnership with Marriott International, Sonder filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025.
In 2012, to earn extra money, Francis Davidson, a student at McGill University, began subletting his own apartment and managing apartments of out-of-town students in the summers.
In 2014, Davidson and Lucas Pellan founded Flatbook, later renamed Sonder, and brought the company to FounderFuel, a startup accelerator in Montreal.
In 2019, Sonder announced projects in Dallas, Denver, Miami, New York City, and Philadelphia.
In March 2020, Sonder laid off 400 employees, one-third of its staff, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, the company rehired some people who had been laid off. By June 2020, the company had raised over $550 million and was valued at $1.3 billion.
In January 2021, the company announced a planned expansion in Quebec, including hiring 700 employees there over the next five years. Sanjay Banker was named president of Sonder, in addition to his role of CFO, and Satyen Pandya was named CTO. In April 2021, Sonder reopened the Flatiron Hotel in Manhattan in April 2021, after signing a lease for the property in 2019.
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Sonder (company)
Sonder Holdings Inc. was a company that managed short-term rentals, such as apartment hotels, in North America, Europe, and Dubai. It was founded in Montreal, Canada in 2014 and after 2016 was based in San Francisco, California.
Sonder managed over 9,000 units in over 40 cities and served over 1 million guests. Although it competed with Airbnb, Sonder leased and managed its own rentals. It targeted travelers who prefer larger accommodations than a hotel room but wanted a more predictable experience than renting from an amateur host. Guests used a mobile app to check in and get customer support. The company outsourced maintenance and housekeeping services. Guests could request this service via its app.
Following loss of business from the COVID-19 pandemic and an unsuccessful partnership with Marriott International, Sonder filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in November 2025.
In 2012, to earn extra money, Francis Davidson, a student at McGill University, began subletting his own apartment and managing apartments of out-of-town students in the summers.
In 2014, Davidson and Lucas Pellan founded Flatbook, later renamed Sonder, and brought the company to FounderFuel, a startup accelerator in Montreal.
In 2019, Sonder announced projects in Dallas, Denver, Miami, New York City, and Philadelphia.
In March 2020, Sonder laid off 400 employees, one-third of its staff, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, the company rehired some people who had been laid off. By June 2020, the company had raised over $550 million and was valued at $1.3 billion.
In January 2021, the company announced a planned expansion in Quebec, including hiring 700 employees there over the next five years. Sanjay Banker was named president of Sonder, in addition to his role of CFO, and Satyen Pandya was named CTO. In April 2021, Sonder reopened the Flatiron Hotel in Manhattan in April 2021, after signing a lease for the property in 2019.