My review isn't entirely negative; however, my expectations were influenced by my experiences at other Sonder properties. The room here was very basic and had an odd configuration, resembling a dorm room. I understand that the space was minimal, and they did the best they could with what they had.
The pictures looked nothing like they do on the Marriott booking site. When you check in you have to do everything digital, upload your id and take a selfie to gain access to your room and the building. I was not interested in doing that because systems get hacked with peoples ids all the time. You won’t get a key card at the front desk and there are no phones in the room. The room was so small I could barely lay my carry on bag down and open it. I went to shower and had to grab something out my bag, the steam from the shower set off the smoke detector which was directly by the bathroom door and was beeping for almost 10 mins. Why would you put a smoke detector right by the bathroom? The room was clean that’s the only positive thing I can say.
Wonderful experience here. Room was super quiet, clean, and small. Very reasonably priced. Staff was quite friendly. Only downside was no fridge in the room but other than that it’s fantastic!
I had not been to the US (or anywhere, basically) in 5 years. First night in New York, on my own. I could not have wished for a better welcome.
The rooms are OK.
The location is (depending on where you want to go) OK.
But the receptionist, Christian, basically the first real person I talked to after a long flight and confusing first NYC-subway ride, was amazing. He made me feel welcome right away. A person I wished to meet in New York and his honest helpfulness and kindness showed me, that I will enjoy my stay in, if not the world's best, then at least the world's most iconic city.
So, I ignored my exhaustion, got high and enjoyed the great bbq-place across the street.
I enjoyed the rest of my stay in NYC at least as much as the brisket that night, if not more.
No frills-hotel in, if not the heart, then at least the chest area of Brooklyn.
Great and welcoming staff.
WARNING: SCAM. Booked this hotel through the Marriott app after my flight cancelled at 1am. Took a 100$ Uber from JFK, just to have the (amazingly wonderful) security guy tell me the check-in doesn't work after a certain hour usually (really?). The way it works is you have to self verify using a 3rd party website and upload your photo and passport before you arrive, then this 3rd party company eventually "sends you" your room number and confirmation code via email. They never sent mine. I sat in the lobby for about an hour on the phone with customer service (not marriott, a 3rd party company) who eventually told me the property was sold out and I was out of luck. 5-6 other parties came in while I was on the phone and all experienced the same issue. Ghost bookings and we all fully paid with confirmation numbers. We all had to find rooms elsewhere which was next to impossible. 0/10 experience, nobody on site to help. The young guy running security was the only positive thing about this place (shoutout to Gill, you were amazing). This place screams scam. Can't believe it's under the Marriott umbrella.
BEDBUGS!!!!! my coworkers and I stayed here for a work trip and our rooms on different floors and we all had bedbugs. There was no one to check the rooms and they wouldn’t switch us rooms and I had to be on the phone with them for over an hour just for them to agree to a refund for the nights we hadn’t stayed yet. They wouldn’t refund us for the one night we already stayed in their infested rooms. There were also hair shavings in one bed and it was just dirty and the service was the worst.
I made a reservation to stay here months in advance, and the day I was supposed to check in, I get an email from the staff asking if my room selection with two beds was “intentional” and telling me they didn’t have a room for me. Hours later while I am at the airport, my reservation is canceled out of the blue.
One star is too many. Horrible experience and I didn’t even get there. Their reservation mismanagement was a huge source of frustration and I had to scramble to find another place to stay, the day of.
If you’re happy with needing a hotel to just sleep in this is perfect. ||The room itself is small.|Everything about is small.||Including the fridge.||INCLUDING THE FRIDGE. |This is important to note, as it is smaller than a beauty fridge, and you’ll only be able to fit two small bottles of water in. |On an angle.|Because of this I would recommend joining the local Park Slope Buy Nothing Facebook group prior to arrival (they took a number of days to approve me) and try and borrow or get a free mini fridge for your room. ||The bathroom area consists of a toilet and shower, the wash basin is outside of the bathroom and in the bedroom.||There is a large storage drawer below the bed which, depending on the size of your luggage may only fit one suitcase.||There is no wardrobe, just a shelf with a long hook which holds five or so hangers for items.||They include ear plugs and a white noise machine. There’s barely any noise from the street though, what you will hear is other hotel guests as they let their doors self close and it’s LOUD. That’s what will be annoying as you try to sleep. ||There’s no maid service either, there’s only a $35USD PAID maid service. Be aware that you can go to reception and ask for fresh towels or bedding and then discard the dirty ones in their refuse rooms.||The location of the hotel is right near the subway, stores and Barclays Centre.||Staff were pretty chill, friendly and helpful.||Would stay again, but with a byo fridge.
This review is not about the location or the room itself, which were fine. It is about how badly Sonder handles problems on-site when they happen and when you try to resolve issues through their customer service line.
During our four-night stay, there was a night where a fire alarm malfunction occurred on our floor. It went off at 10pm, ringing throughout the entire floor, and blared the entire night until the next (late) morning. No one on the floor got any rest, including us.
At the start of the alarm, there was no communication from management, no announcements, and no clear direction. We didn’t know whether to evacuate or stay put. When we went down to the lobby to try to understand what was going on, the only person there was a newly-hired security guard who also had no way to contact management directly to figure out what to do.
The alarm didn't stop until the next morning around 9am. By then, it was as if nothing had happened. No one from Sonder acknowledged the disruption, no one apologized, and no one followed up in-person or through email for next steps to attempt to resolve the issue. The staff on site were clearly unsupported and left to manage a situation they weren’t equipped for.
Since then, I’ve been in back-and-forth calls with customer service for over three days to resolve this issue that occured during our stay.
Once you get through the 15-plus minute hold, customer service promises callbacks and resolutions by the end of the day, but they never follow through. Each time you call, there are minimal notes or records on their end, so you end up starting from scratch. This has been going on for three days and will likely take a week to resolve, even though it should have been handled on-site and on the same day it happened.
If everything goes smoothly, your stay might be fine. But if something goes wrong, if you run into any urgent issues, don’t expect timely help or any sense of urgency from Sonder management. Staff on-site are not equipped (and should not have to) to handle emergencies and cannot get a hold of upper management, leaving guests and support staff to navigate serious issues without proper assistance.
(EDIT: Since this issue, their customer service has continued to be terrible and had required constant back and forth for over two weeks, all to give you some measly (partial) hotel credits for Sonder locations....which we will not be going back to)
The room, as expected, was very small, but the bed was extremely comfortable, the shower was one of the better hotel showers I’ve had, plentiful hot water. Air conditioning system was quiet and efficient. Only negative was proximity to refuse room,very loud when guests threw out their garbage.|This is a very low key and laid back vibe. Staff were friendly and helpful. Convenient location and reasonably priced.|Cautionary note: We are not very large people, so the size of the bedroom and bathroom was not an issue for us, but bigger folks might not be happy.
This hotel is basically an upgraded youth hostel. My room on the fourth floor had bugs in the sink and the door didn't close properly so you could look out into the hallway. The room is soooo small for the price it is absurd. When I called customer service they told me they would look into the room I had and get back to me and they never did. The location is great if you want to be near Park Slope.
Hotel location is good. The subway is right around the corner. There were a few good eating spots. The area was busy but it’s Brooklyn, what would you expect. If you have a car I suggest you get a parking garage street parking is scarce. The staff was nice and the lobby was just ok. You get to the room and you walk and it’s kind of culture shock if you are used to big hotel rooms. This is tiny and I mean tiny, we had a queen room if I’m correct and the bed is literally under the window sill, the sink is in the room, you get a chair and a table super small and the tv was the size of a computer monitor. The bed was like a platform bed with stairs in the front not sure why! The bathroom is probably the worst for me, it’s literally a toilet and half of half of a shower. If you are tall and you went to close the door to use the bathroom! Think again not happening. Also you will be washing half your body at a time that’s how small the shower is, there is some kind of a post right in the center of the shower sticking out and therefore you have to do half your body at a time. No mini fridge no microwave. Nothing grand it’s basic, we left a lot so we were not stuck in the rooms and fyi you will HEAR everything from your neighbors and I mean EVERRRRYTHING… for the price we paid i expected more. But they made it look kind of international I guess lol
Overall, the room is very small. When you look at the photos, it looks very well lit and wide as it’s been shot with a wide lens. In reality, it’s like a dorm. The place is noisy and very cold in terms of personality. The staff were great and helpful. Ice machine was broken. It feels like an Airbnb and totally different than another Sonder I stayed in Nashville where they offered a whole house.
The bathroom sink was very close to the top counter, you can’t really wash your face. Theres no space. The shower was great, lots hot water and great stream. There is no cleaning, only if you pay for it.
It reminded me when I was a student living in tiny rooms. I would not go again. I as considering to cut my stay short but continued with it.
Not my type of accommodation. For the same price you can find a hotel nearby.
Recommend staying at any other hotel. Rooms are very small, decor is best described as "broken entry level Ikea," the app which grants room and hotel access was barely usable, front door was broken (preventing guests from entering without an attendant letting them in manually), walls are thin, and amenities are nonexistent. Unable to sit on the toilet without sitting sideways due to size of bathroom. Neighborhood is fun, but that is the only perk and other nearby hotels are much nicer.
While basic and simple, the Sonder makes a good attempt at making it feel a little more upscale with lovely bedding and a nice shower. The sink was awkwardly placed outside the bathroom, so that one has to work to not spit on the floor when brushing teeth. The closet space is a shallow, but this was totally fine for a single person on a quick trip. It was also the least costly of hotels I had researched in the area I wanted. The highlight was Krishna at the Front desk who made me feel very welcome. Great location in Brooklyn.
The staff is friendly and accommodating. The room was larger than I expected and the bed was very comfortable. My room did not face the street so was quiet and I got a good night’s sleep. The location is convenient to the R train and close to good restaurants and Atlantic terminal.
What the room lacked for in size, the service definitely made up for - especially from Angela and Christian!
Many hotels can provide great service but one thing they always tend to miss is the personality. Angela and Christian definitely made us feel welcome and at home, sorta like catching up with childhood friends we haven’t seen in years. Top notch - would recommend this spot just for them!
Aside from that, location and cleanliness is definitely there. Safety is also 10/10 knowing you have to key into the room/hotel past a certain time. Would come back for sure!
The room was pretty small, but maybe they all are in NYC. So small, that I could put my suitcase anywhere but in the trundle under the bed. Christian at the desk was a rockstar. Great guy! Rinky Dink fridge that fit 3 soda cans.... and no where to set the espresso machine or fridge when it was plugged in. I didn't spend much time there regardless and when I did, it was in the lobby. Odd style of hotel. but it worked for what I needed.
For a budget hotel it's not great, but this was the only option we could find in NYC in our budget. ||We stayed in the queen room which was *tiny* so if you're more than 1 person and staying for longer than 1 or 2 nights its not really ideal but for the price I suppose you can't really complain.||The biggest downside is the soundproofing, you can hear *everything* from the surrounding rooms and the hallway (I could hear next door cough and sneeze - that's how paper thin these walls are). The banging of the hallway doors was super disruptive and woke me up loads so even with my loop sleep earplugs I didn't sleep well. ||The room was also not designed well, there were so many small annoying things about it that if they had user tested the room they surely would have found out? There's a sink in the bedroom and the tap is so far forward that it splashes water on the floor. There's also no hook to put a towel for when you dry your hands, nor a hook on the back of the door for coats. The shower is *tiny* and the shower curtain didn't meet the floor so when we showered the entire bathroom was flooded with an inch of water which it took about 4 soaking wet towels to mop up and after it started to smell bad. The TV didn't work and the mini fridge is so small you can't even fit a standard size bottle of water in there so it's pointless. Just really bad design. ||On the plus side, the staff were lovely and the subway is literally a 1min walk!
Kind of a bare bones cross between a hotel and an Airbnb. The bed was comfortable enough. Like most hotels in the city, the room is small. As someone who likes to sleep in on weekends, my biggest complaint is that housekeeping was vacuuming before checkout and that they knocked on our door even though we paid $20 extra for late checkout. I know they have a lot of rooms to clean, but I wish they'd wait a little longer and that Sonders management would communicate with housekeeping about late checkout.
This is a really basic hotel ! There are no frills AT ALL! But it was not reasonably priced. We were “upgraded” to a balcony room but the rooms have no pictures or decorations in them so you literally feel like you are sleeping in a warehouse. |On a plus side the view of NYC was brilliant and it is super close to the Grand Union Metro. |Most of the staff were amazing except one who was rude!!
Great experience with Sonder!|We booked the smallest room but it was more than enough for us. Clean bathroom, comfortable bed and nice view!|The neighbourhood is very nice and the subway is not far, which is great to explore the city.|We had a lovely time here and we would recommend it!
great home away from home! my 4th stay here and it gets better every time. Angela is awesome, she helped me find a room that fit my needs for my extended stay. Christian is amazing too! He is so personable and has helped me out during all of my stays. the entire staff is phenomenal :)
I stayed here with my partner with the understanding that we’ll barely be in the room, and it was ideal. Easy access to the subway and easy check in/out. Special SO goes to Christian at the reception who was so welcoming and nice to chat to!
Convenient location in an upcoming part of Brooklyn. Safe area with many options for shopping and dining, although not fancy mostly. Check-in is pretty late but they'll provide options to accommodate for an earlier check-in. You can use their lockers to store your luggage in the meantime and that's completely free.
The staff is very friendly and accommodating, Chris had a contagious fun energy and David was very eager to provide recommendations. Can't remember the other names but everyone was great.
Bed was comfortable and linens were nice and looked new.
Overall, wonderful value.
Room: tiny, but clean. Under the bed storage was useful and helps keep the room tidy. Bathroom was very small too but worked fine with hot water and toilet flushed properly. Overall good value for New York.
Location is terrific with subway on the corner and some major commercial districts within walking distance. The area felt safe for us at all times. Across the street is an excellent coffee shop and there is many good restaurants near by. This place let us live like a local feeling like we were part of the neighborhood rather than a traditional hotel.
The price we paid was lower than most other alternatives. The down side is that the rooms and bathrooms are extremely small. We personally like small spaces and we were out most of the time so it was ok with us. But I would not pay higher prices for such a small place.
The main inconvenience for us was the sink and lack of a real counter space. I think some other rooms had it better. Our mirror was off center from the sink and there were just some tiny shelves to put toiletries as you get ready.
The staff was super friendly and the bed comfortably firm.
I booked a room on the top floor with a balcony, and suffice to say, it was FAR below expectations. The photos show a room with wood paneling, a chair and a couch. Once we checked in we realized that not only was the chair missing, half the wood paneling from the photos was no longer there - surrounding the sliding door to the balcony. The balcony door didn't close properly and let air and water in, and the balcony was separated from the next door room by some hastily-assembled pallet wood. Despite the fact that we knew we were booking a "pod-style" room that would essentially be for sleeping only, it was incredibly cold and REEKED like mildew and stagnant rain water. Though I don't know for sure, it seems like this could be a reason that half the wood paneling from the room was removed - due to significant water damage. It was suggested that we "turn the heat off" to help the smell go away - needless to say, in the winter, that's not an option and points to a more pervasive problem that is already known, yet not addressed.
We were told that since it had rained the day before, sometimes the upper floors smell bad, and that's normal. This explanation was not satisfactory as the smell did not go away at all during the ~2 hours we were there. It was suggested that we move to a smaller room, but given that both my wife and I have respiratory issues we opted to leave the Sonder completely and get what little money would could returned to us.
For the cost of the Sonder The Industrialist, I would recommend the CitizenM across the river on Bowery, as it is almost the same "micro-hotel" style and is significantly nicer.
tl;dr: Do not stay here. The building is in disrepair and what you see in a photo is not what you'll get. There are better options nearby for the same price.
Read some of the other reviews and I agree with most of them. My experience was pleasant and 5-star warranted, but that's coming from someone who's a no-frills gal who was glad to have a clean private room with a private bathroom while travelling in NYC.
To be improved: bathroom design flaws - sink faucet aimed poorly at the corner of the sink so washing face and hands aren't without excessive splatter. Mold in shower. Doors / walls to the hallway are super thin so you can hear everyone leaving their rooms - this will wake you up.
I loved: friendly and helpful front desk staff, location is excellent, clean, great music in lobby (R&B!!), soap and shampoo toiletries in the bathroom were nice.
Don't expect a fancy, boutique hotel. Think more like fancy adult dorm/hostel.
I'll def return! Thanks, Sonder.
Didn’t really look at many reviews before booking a twin room at The Industrialist and glad I didn’t, as it would have put me off. I don’t understand the bad reviews at all!
Had a great stay here with my 16 year old daughter. Clean room and very comfortable beds. Room was small but cosy and had everything we needed. Location was perfect for getting into Manhattan on the subway or by bus. Great deli’s, pizza places and bagel shop nearby.
Christian on the front desk was so lovely, very friendly and helpful and had some great recommendations for places to go. Will be staying here again!
As long as you go in with the expectation that this is a place to sleep without any extra bells and whistles, you’ll be great. This was the only option I could find in NYC within budget for my 4-night stay and we didn’t mind it at all. The front desk staff were friendly and it was easy to get new towels when we needed them. The bed was comfortable.
The biggest downsides were that the bathroom wasn’t super clean (visible mold in the shower) or well-designed (the shower and sink were both splashing water onto the bathroom floor). Would maybe recommend bringing shower shoes and a hanging toiletries caddy as there’s very little storage space in the bathroom. We could also hear every noise in the neighboring rooms and the hallway.
But we had very little noise from the street and it’s right by a subway station which definitely made it more convenient to get around. There’s also luggage storage in the lobby that you can use before check in/after check out. I would definitely stay at a Sonder property again to keep hotel costs down.
Dec 16, 2024
Nearest Junkyards to The Industrialist Hotel Gowanus Brooklyn, Sonder
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