No. 284 Back Bay Hotel, Sonder

Absolutely disappointing stay! For the price I paid, I expected much better. The room was tiny with small windows that let in freezing air — by the next morning, we both had sore throats from the draft. The towels were dirty, the only “toiletry” provided was a tiny piece of soap instead of proper shower gel, and parking was a complete nightmare. To make things worse, at 8 a.m. we were woken up by the housekeeper vacuuming right outside our door. I’ve stayed in other hotels from this franchise before and always had a good experience, but this one was a total disappointment

The room was ok however we were disappointed with the kitchen amenities. The TV didn't work so we contacted them the next morning via their app to be told that it works fine but takes few minutes to start and unfortunately nobody could take a look at it today...what a load of nonsense.......there is no signal. I suspect they were aware of this before we checked in and are taking no responsibility. I wouldn't recommend this place as the only communication with customer service is via their app, and it is very poor.

Good: Great location Gorgeous architecture Lovely patio outback where you can eat food/ hangout Otherwise, at least in our room (34), we were pretty crowded for a group of 4. The pull out bed was pretty uncomfortable. We tried to adjust temperature, and while it worked the first day, we used the chat app to request assistance to reset air to no response. There is no housekeeping. No bodywash. You had to get your own towels and refill your own toilet paper. Towels were accumulating in the room and it felt messy. Bedroom extremely small. But if you want to be in a gorgeous area, this is the place.

The digital check in and access was much smoother than I expected and it was helpful to use the lockers in the entrance hall before the room was available. The shared kitchen and seating areas downstairs are a nice touch and well-decorated. Our room was ready before check in, but we were only able to access it if we paid extra (which we just could not justify). For international travellers staying for several nights I think a complimentary early check in (where available) would go a very long way. The room had everything we needed and would have had a nice view of the beautiful Back Bay neighbourhood if the window wasn’t so incredibly dirty (from the outside: the room was clean on the inside). The bathroom door handle was broken so I reported this via the app immediately. The fridge in our room was incredibly noisy the first night but we asked for it to be turned off/fixed and the next two nights were better. The lift was right next to our room and it’s quite noisy, as were some of the other guests that used it. As there is no 24h reception there’s no one to really monitor the noise level in the shared areas. All staff we came into contact with were friendly and you can’t fault the location of this accommodation. With some more attention to detail it could be a much better experience. As is, I would give three stars in terms of value for money.

Great location in Back Bay, one short block from Newbury Street. Has more of a local neighborhood feel. If you like old historic buildings, this is for you! (Bed and bathrooms are modern.) Close to shopping. Close to metro to downtown.