Sonder Essex On The Park

We recently stayed at this rental in Chicago’s South Loop and had a great experience overall. If you’re visiting the city with a group—whether friends, family, or colleagues—this spot is a solid choice, especially if you’re looking for a place with multiple bedrooms and a shared living space to relax in together. Each person having their own room made the stay feel spacious and comfortable, and the layout is ideal for groups who want a bit more privacy than a traditional hotel can offer. The location in the South Loop is excellent—close to public transportation, restaurants, and local attractions, but still feels quiet and safe. We appreciated that there was a security guard present in the building from afternoon to evening hours, which added an extra layer of peace of mind during our stay. While the unit itself isn’t five-star luxury, it had everything we needed. The essentials were clean, the beds were comfortable, and there were plenty of amenities to make the stay enjoyable. That said, a deeper clean in some areas would take it to the next level—but for the price and convenience, we felt it offered great value. Think of this more like a well-appointed Airbnb rather than a full-service hotel—there’s no concierge or daily housekeeping, but if you’re an independent traveler or a group looking for a home base in the city, this is a great option. We had a ton of fun and would definitely recommend it to others looking to stay in Chicago’s South Loop.

Save your money and book elsewhere please. Our water stopped working for almost 10 hours (11p-8:30a) when we needed to shower and use the bathroom. Was put on hold for an hour to look for alternatives but to no avail, there were no other units we could use. Were told we would be offered compensation through email but never received communication back. Asked for the corporate number but it was not given and was told our concerns would be forwarded to their team before escalating. The bedsheets were not clean and smelled like body odor in certain spots. No air ventilation in the bathrooms so expect your bathrooms and belongings to stay moist unless you leave bathroom doors open after every shower. Awkward layout with the large circular sized table blocking the stove/oven, so be prepared to rearrange the living space if you have any plans to cook or utilize the kitchen. All communal bathrooms in the shared line spaces were all out of service as well.

DO NOT STAY AT A SONDER HOTEL!!!! I don’t know why I’m surprised that in my 4th time at a sonder anything would have gotten any better!!!! Once again the place is run like an absolute nightmare. - To begin with you can’t even get into the building because the touch screen key pad is broke! Got on the phone with support and was told “no worries…” except you can’t get into the damn building! I was then placed on hold for almost an hour! - Once in the room, the place is a mess… walls have so many scuffs and marks on them. - There wasn’t even a bottle of soap in the shower, which is tiny as all hell… - Much like every single other Sonder I have stayed, there is only 1 working elevator out of all the elevators!!!! - There is also no chest of drawers or anywhere to put clothes other than hanging in the closet. How are you supposed to unpack!?!? - Every single dish in my cabinet had food plastered to it! - My AC units (all 3 in the apartment) stopped working and being an unstaffed hotel, there was no way to get them fixed when it’s supposed to 100* outside! STAY SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!