I have a routine every quarter. I travel into the city for two nights and two days for my business coaching sessions.
I only live an hour away, but my trek gives me space. From the business, From routine, From my own head.
I can see things more clearly when I’m not sitting in my own office surrounded by the same four walls and the same to-do lists.
Plus, I’ve all kinds of friends now who fly in from around the world for these meetings. We have dinner, we catch up, we talk shop and life. Huge fan.
Part of that ritual is staying close to my meeting space. Walkable-close. Five minutes from door to door. Because it makes zero sense to stay downtown only to Uber 20 minutes each way, twice a day.
That defeats the whole purpose of creating time and space. So, enter Sonder.
You know the model: A building – part condo / part hotel. Book it like a hotel. Stay like an Airbnb. More space. A fridge. A microwave.
I love the model.
More like home than a hotel. More polish and certainty than Airbnb. And the best part? My Sonder is a five-minute walk from my sessions.
It even has a Starbucks on the first floor. The perfect solution.
Until this week. And then Sonder… died.
Like, died-died.
Closed the building, shut the doors, took the lights with them. One minute I had a room. The next. Ghost town.
And this wasn’t just Toronto. Sonder shut down buildings around the world.
Overnight, Marriott ended their partnership with Sonder. Guests in multiple cities were literally asked to vacate mid-stay. Suitcases in hallways.
Customer service agents “unable to discuss the situation.”
Sonder support? Total radio silence. My upcoming two-night stay in December? Poof. Gone.
The chances of getting a refund? Somewhere between slim and “bless your heart”.
Now my ideal quarterly retreat is forever changed. Might as well take the train from home next time.
Poor me 🥴
What’s worse? The business model seemed solid.
They captured a wedge of the market that made so much sense: the not-quite-hotels crowd who want more space and comfort and the not-quite-Airbnb crowd who don’t want to roll the dice on someone’s mystery futon.
Hotels are clean but cramped. Airbnbs are roomy but risky. Sonder was the Goldilocks zone.
I hate seeing good ideas go bad. I’m no expert in hospitality or real estate. I will not be armchair-quarterbacking this event.
I am fascinated though. Where did it go wrong? Was it a strategy issue? A scale issue? A clarity issue?
A “we grew faster than our foundation could handle” issue?
There’s something worth unpacking, not just about Sonder, but about how all of us build, grow, and make decisions.
Jeez, we’d better not $%^* it up. And if we are going to experiment, maybe we start small? 😏
New to One Thing Thursdays?
Each week, I share something I’m learning, living, or working out in real time. It’s part storytelling, part reflection. I hope there’s something in it for you too.
Get it straight to your inbox every Thursday! Subscribe to our newsletter
Mary
P.S. We help visionary leaders and organizations achieve more impact through purpose, engagement and storytelling. When you’re ready, here’s how we can help:
- Build the story of your impact through Envision OnPrpose™
- Energize your people’s potential from the inside out with Engage OnPrpose™
- Amplify your industry voice through Influence OnPrpose™
- Develop purpose-driven leaders and storytellers with Influential Leaders Circle™