Frequently Asked Questions

Every trip comes with questions.

We've gathered the answers travelers ask most often, from booking a stay to understanding the story behind Sonder today.

Last updated: June 2026

About Sonder

01 / 05
What is Sonder?

Sonder is a curated guide to urban stays. Design-forward apartments and boutique hotels in walkable neighbourhoods, chosen against a quality bar rather than listed wholesale. We don’t operate buildings; our booking partners handle the reservation itself.

02 / 05
How is Sonder different from other travel sites?

Most travel sites start with inventory. Sonder starts with curation. We select for neighbourhood, design, and the details that shape a trip, so you see fewer listings worth more of your attention.

03 / 05
Who owns Sonder today?

Sonder is part of TravelAI. TravelAI acquired the Sonder brand, trademarks, and the sonder.com domain and is rebuilding it as a curated guide to urban stays.

04 / 05
What does the name "Sonder" mean?

It’s a coined word: the realization that every passing stranger is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. We think it’s the right name for a brand built on the idea that your tastes and memories are yours, and worth carrying with you.

05 / 05
What kinds of stays can I find on Sonder?

Two kinds, from day one: space-led stays (apartment-style, from a night to several months) and services-led stays (boutique hotels).

Sonder is a curated guide to urban stays. Design-forward apartments and boutique hotels in walkable neighbourhoods, chosen against a quality bar rather than listed wholesale. We don’t operate buildings; our booking partners handle the reservation itself.

Most travel sites start with inventory. Sonder starts with curation. We select for neighbourhood, design, and the details that shape a trip, so you see fewer listings worth more of your attention.

Sonder is part of TravelAI. TravelAI acquired the Sonder brand, trademarks, and the sonder.com domain and is rebuilding it as a curated guide to urban stays.

It’s a coined word: the realization that every passing stranger is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. We think it’s the right name for a brand built on the idea that your tastes and memories are yours, and worth carrying with you.

Two kinds, from day one: space-led stays (apartment-style, from a night to several months) and services-led stays (boutique hotels).

Bookings & Reservations

01 / 05
How do I book a stay?

When you find a stay you’d like, you’re directed to one of our booking partners to complete the reservation. Booking, payment, and reservation management are handled by the partner fulfilling the stay.

02 / 05
Can I change, cancel, or manage my reservation?

Changes, cancellations, and payment questions are handled by the partner you booked through. Your confirmation email has their contact details and your booking reference.

03 / 05
Are bookings made directly through Sonder?

No. Sonder helps you discover and compare stays; reservations are fulfilled through our partners, who manage booking, payment, and support. You keep the partner’s protections, policies, and service.

04 / 05
Are prices on Sonder accurate?

Prices come directly from our booking partners and reflect their live rates. Because rates and availability change in real time, final pricing is confirmed with the partner at checkout. Sonder doesn’t add fees or markups.

05 / 05
What should I do if I need help with a booking?

For an existing reservation, contact the booking partner that fulfilled it. Their details are in your confirmation email. If you hit a wall with them, write to us and we’ll see what we can do.

When you find a stay you’d like, you’re directed to one of our booking partners to complete the reservation. Booking, payment, and reservation management are handled by the partner fulfilling the stay.

Changes, cancellations, and payment questions are handled by the partner you booked through. Your confirmation email has their contact details and your booking reference.

No. Sonder helps you discover and compare stays; reservations are fulfilled through our partners, who manage booking, payment, and support. You keep the partner’s protections, policies, and service.

Prices come directly from our booking partners and reflect their live rates. Because rates and availability change in real time, final pricing is confirmed with the partner at checkout. Sonder doesn’t add fees or markups.

For an existing reservation, contact the booking partner that fulfilled it. Their details are in your confirmation email. If you hit a wall with them, write to us and we’ll see what we can do.

About the Transition

01 / 04
What happened to the original Sonder company?

The former Sonder operating company wound down in late 2025 and entered a court-supervised liquidation, which is administered separately from us. TravelAI acquired the Sonder brand, trademarks, and the sonder.com domain afterward and is building something new with them.

02 / 04
What happened to reservations, refunds, credits, or gift cards from before the transition?

TravelAI acquired the brand and domain only, not the former company or its obligations. We hold none of its reservations, accounts, credits, vouchers, or gift cards, and there’s no mechanism on our side to look them up or redeem them. Claims against the previous owners of Sonder go through the court-supervised wind-down.

03 / 04
Can I access reservations or account information from the previous Sonder platform?

No. The previous apps, accounts, and platform belonged to the former operating company and weren’t acquired by us, so we can’t access or restore them. The new Sonder lives on the web at sonder.com.

04 / 04
Why do some properties say "Formerly Sonder"?

Some buildings operated under the former Sonder brand before the wind-down and are now run by other operators or have returned to their owners — separately from us. A place you knew as a Sonder may now run under a different brand with no connection to us. Where a property was once a Sonder, we note it.

The former Sonder operating company wound down in late 2025 and entered a court-supervised liquidation, which is administered separately from us. TravelAI acquired the Sonder brand, trademarks, and the sonder.com domain afterward and is building something new with them.

TravelAI acquired the brand and domain only, not the former company or its obligations. We hold none of its reservations, accounts, credits, vouchers, or gift cards, and there’s no mechanism on our side to look them up or redeem them. Claims against the previous owners of Sonder go through the court-supervised wind-down.

No. The previous apps, accounts, and platform belonged to the former operating company and weren’t acquired by us, so we can’t access or restore them. The new Sonder lives on the web at sonder.com.

Some buildings operated under the former Sonder brand before the wind-down and are now run by other operators or have returned to their owners — separately from us. A place you knew as a Sonder may now run under a different brand with no connection to us. Where a property was once a Sonder, we note it.

Properties & Listings

01 / 04
How are properties selected?

Every property is evaluated against our standards for location, design, quality, and overall fit for the kind of stay we curate. The goal isn’t the most properties — it’s the right ones. We keep the specifics of our selection qualitative.

02 / 04
Does Sonder own or operate the properties listed?

No. Properties are independently owned and operated by hospitality brands, property managers, and accommodation providers. Sonder helps travellers discover and evaluate them.

03 / 04
How accurate are property details and amenities?

Details come from our partners and suppliers and can change over time. For anything your stay depends on — accessibility, pets, parking, check-in — confirm directly with the booking partner before you book; their listing is the authoritative source.

04 / 04
I have a question about a property. Who should I contact?

For property-specific questions (amenities, accessibility, parking, check-in), contact the booking partner or property manager directly.

Every property is evaluated against our standards for location, design, quality, and overall fit for the kind of stay we curate. The goal isn’t the most properties — it’s the right ones. We keep the specifics of our selection qualitative.

No. Properties are independently owned and operated by hospitality brands, property managers, and accommodation providers. Sonder helps travellers discover and evaluate them.

Details come from our partners and suppliers and can change over time. For anything your stay depends on — accessibility, pets, parking, check-in — confirm directly with the booking partner before you book; their listing is the authoritative source.

For property-specific questions (amenities, accessibility, parking, check-in), contact the booking partner or property manager directly.

Property Owners

01 / 04
Why is my property listed on Sonder?

Sonder is a curated selection drawn from our partner platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo). If your property is live on one of those and clears our quality bar, it can be selected to appear on Sonder. The listing relationship stays with the partner platform.

02 / 04
Can I list my property on Sonder directly?

Not today, properties enter Sonder through our partner platforms. A direct "add a listing" path is in development. If your property is live on a partner platform and you think it belongs on Sonder, send us the link at support@sonder.com and we’ll take a look.

03 / 04
What does being on Sonder cost me?

Nothing, and we don’t take a cut of your bookings. Sonder is a curated marketing layer: your listing and bookings stay exactly where they are today, on the platform you already use, and you receive the same payout from them as normal. Listing content flows from your partner-platform listing, so corrections made there flow through to us.

04 / 04
How do I remove my property from Sonder?

Email us at support@sonder.com with the property name and address (or listing link). Removals are handled by a person, not automated. Removal from Sonder.com only affects Sonder.com. Your listings on the booking platforms themselves are untouched.

Sonder is a curated selection drawn from our partner platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo). If your property is live on one of those and clears our quality bar, it can be selected to appear on Sonder. The listing relationship stays with the partner platform.

Not today, properties enter Sonder through our partner platforms. A direct "add a listing" path is in development. If your property is live on a partner platform and you think it belongs on Sonder, send us the link at support@sonder.com and we’ll take a look.

Nothing, and we don’t take a cut of your bookings. Sonder is a curated marketing layer: your listing and bookings stay exactly where they are today, on the platform you already use, and you receive the same payout from them as normal. Listing content flows from your partner-platform listing, so corrections made there flow through to us.

Email us at support@sonder.com with the property name and address (or listing link). Removals are handled by a person, not automated. Removal from Sonder.com only affects Sonder.com. Your listings on the booking platforms themselves are untouched.

Trust & Transparency

01 / 04
Can property owners pay to be featured?

No. No property can buy placement on Sonder. We work with partners across the travel industry, but selection is editorial — traveller experience first.

02 / 04
How does Sonder make money?

Sonder earns revenue through partnerships with booking platforms when travellers discover and book stays through the site. That lets us focus on curation and discovery rather than operating properties.

03 / 04
Are there fake Sonder accounts or emails?

Our only official channels are sonder.com and email from support@travelai.com. We operate no social media accounts at this time, so any account claiming to be Sonder — including older accounts with pre-relaunch content — isn’t us. We’ll never ask for payment, card details, or a fee by email to "release" a refund. If money has changed hands, your bank is the fastest protection.

04 / 04
How can I contact Sonder?

We’re email-first right now. Write to us at support@travelai.com and a real reply comes from that address.

No. No property can buy placement on Sonder. We work with partners across the travel industry, but selection is editorial — traveller experience first.

Sonder earns revenue through partnerships with booking platforms when travellers discover and book stays through the site. That lets us focus on curation and discovery rather than operating properties.

Our only official channels are sonder.com and email from support@travelai.com. We operate no social media accounts at this time, so any account claiming to be Sonder — including older accounts with pre-relaunch content — isn’t us. We’ll never ask for payment, card details, or a fee by email to "release" a refund. If money has changed hands, your bank is the fastest protection.

We’re email-first right now. Write to us at support@travelai.com and a real reply comes from that address.

Tripp

01 / 01
What is Tripp?

Tripp is your travel concierge on Sonder, available now in early access at sonder.com/concierge. To get started, just explain your trip in your own words, or paste in an itinerary from ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool. Tripp takes it from there and comes back with recommendations tailored to you. Along the way, Tripp also saves your travel preferences. You can claim this memory as your own and use it on any site, so your preferences travel with you and you never have to re-explain yourself. Tripp is in early access, so features and recommendations will keep improving as it learns.

Tripp is your travel concierge on Sonder, available now in early access at sonder.com/concierge. To get started, just explain your trip in your own words, or paste in an itinerary from ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool. Tripp takes it from there and comes back with recommendations tailored to you. Along the way, Tripp also saves your travel preferences. You can claim this memory as your own and use it on any site, so your preferences travel with you and you never have to re-explain yourself. Tripp is in early access, so features and recommendations will keep improving as it learns.