Sonder Arlo Apartments Downtown — Hotel in Ottawa

Booking was from May 20 to May 22 but I ended up leaving this place on May 21st.

Good: Clean and well equipped rooms.

Bad: On May 20 at around 8pm, I heard a loud explosion from the heating/AC unit and then the unit stopped responding to all button inputs from the thermostat. The thermostat displayed "ERR4". I went down to the front desk to tell someone but there was no one there. I started a chat and told them and asked to be moved to another room. I was told that another room was indeed available but that it had to be approved by someone higher up beforehand. The person on chat was not very helpful and had a little bit of an attitude.

I left the room to do an errand. When I got back, there was a Caucasian woman at the front desk. I told her about my issue and she told me she had personally gone and fixed it. I went to my room and the issue was not fixed. The thermostat still displayed "ERR4". I went back down to tell the lady this and when I did, she got very rude and defensive with me as if I was calling her a liar. I was being very polite as I always am with service staff.

She rudely yelled and told me that she fixed it herself and that the buttons on the thermostat were "pressable". She starts showing me pictures of the thermostat she took inside the room, insinuating that I am wasting her time complaining about this. This woman simply could not comprehend that the buttons were not having any effect on the temperature of the room, and it was a really hot day on May 20th. She was acting as if I had committed some grave sin by reporting this issue to her and letting her know that it wasn't fixed. I went back up to my room because it was clear that this woman was not going to help me and that I had no other options.

I came back down one more time to ask if I could change rooms, the woman said no other room was available (even though the chat said there was). I then asked if I could at least have a fan to cool the room. She looked at me like I was an idiot and said "WELL WHY DON'T YOU OPEN A WINDOW OR SOMETHING HOW ABOUT THAT?" This was in front of other hotel guests.

Everyone knows hotel room windows cannot be opened, so I asked her if that was even possible. She shrugged her shoulders. I then left the lobby and went back to my room determined not to stay here another night no matter what. I was literally nice as hell to that woman and for her to show me so much attitude and sass for no reason was bewildering. Like why are you getting mad at me for reporting a critical issue? Not being able to regulate the temperature of the room is a huge deal. Not to mention that the explosion was very loud and the person on the chat nor the front desk lady seemed to care.

She showed up at my room an hour later and seemed nicer this time and she handed me a heater for my troubles. The problem is that the room is too hot and I can't cool it down, how would a heater help me? She assured me it was a cooler as well, but when I tried it, it was clear that it was just a heater.

Someone from maintenance came into the room the next morning and fixed the issue but by then the damage had been done and I had already made the decision to check out early and write this review. I let the people at the front desk know I was checking out early and they didn't seem to care but they did make sure to let me know that I won't be getting any refund for checking out early. Whoever was working the night of May 20th needs to be trained on how to...

Paid for three nights, left after two - May 2024

I have seen a lot of reviews of Sonder locations that complain about the things that make the Sonder brand so great (i.e., self-check ins). So I'd like to preface this review by stating that I have stayed at MANY Sonders, and have had great experiences so far. However, the Sonder Arlo was GOD AWFUL - to the point that, even though I'd paid for 3 nights, I left after 2.

I arrived at around 9pm, many hours after the check-in opening. So, you'd think my room would be nice and clean. But the VERY FIRST thing I did once I got inside my room was sweep it top to bottom - there was hair, food crumbs, and dust EVERYWHERE, especially on the carpet around the bed. The second I took off my shoes and went into the kitchen area I stepped on a bunch of dried (uncooked) pasta. I doubt the cleaner vacuumed at all.

After I swept, I did a once-over on the room, and out of the four pillows on the bed, only one was clean. Others had makeup and other weird dried substances on them. I left those in the closet.

Then, in the bathroom, the sink was full of water. Which was odd given I had not yet used the bathroom. Turns out the sink was clogged. I ended up brushing my teeth and washing my hands in the kitchen because the bathroom sink simply would not drain.

On top of that my room was beside the garbage chute. The staff emptied it daily with a ruckus that can only be described as "not considering the nearby room", and the occupant above me walked around for an hour with heels on at 11pm (though, to staff credit they did inform the occupant).

There was not ONE aspect of my stay at Sonder Arlo that I enjoyed. Not one single second of it. I did not sleep well, knowing the sheets likely weren't clean given the state of the pillows, and the knowledge that they had not cleaned my room with any care, and then the noise of the surrounding rooms was all just too much. The TV also didn't work. Cherry on the cake!

I made arrangements to stay at another hotel for the rest of my business trip and I left first thing in the morning. I then notified Sonder Arlo that I had left, and even though I was not seeking a refund of any kind, I would not be returning. No one asked me why or apologized. The representative just said "Thank you, I will notify our team." And that was it.

I think that says everything it needs to say about the care the Arlo takes in their customer service.

I travel to Ottawa monthly for work. I am also from Ottawa originally. So, believe me, if you're trying to stay at Sonder in Ottawa, I would HIGHLY suggest the Sonder Rideau or Sonder O'Connor (both nearby locations) before Sonder Arlo. Almost any other hotel in the city would be better.

Awful,...

The Sonder Arlo has an amazing location right in downtown Ottawa. You can easily walk to Parliament Hill and pretty much anywhere else downtown. The neighborhood is safe and it's really great for exploring the city without needing a car. What I loved the most was the price. The rates were very reasonable compared to other downtown options, especially considering the size of the apartment and the location.

Check-in works through a self-serve system where you get a code 24 hours before you arrive. This code gets you into both the building and your apartment. They also have this app you can use as a key by holding your phone near the door lock, but it takes forever and usually needs multiple tries. The building's exterior keypad is pretty frustrating because it's worn out. I often had to enter my code multiple times because it would miss digits, and then you have to start all over again. I wasn't the only one with this problem, saw plenty of other guests struggling with it too.

The apartment itself is really spacious and has everything you need. The kitchen is fully stocked with all the basics like pots, pans, dishes, utensils, coffee maker, microwave, dishwasher, and a full-size fridge. The bed was nice and comfortable, but I personally found the pillows way too soft. The TV placement was awful, positioned to the left of the bed requiring you to turn your head sideways to watch while lying down. There's a clean balcony with a table and chairs which was nice for morning coffee. The bathroom has a good tub, but the shower pressure was really weak.

They provide earplugs in the apartment, which tells you something! You can clearly hear street noise, buses, and people yelling outside at night. Parking is also a pain since there's nothing on-site. You can find free street parking on weekends, but I wasn't willing to risk it. I ended up using the underground parking at their sister building on Laurier Avenue West, which costs $28 for 24 hours. It's pricey but you can go in and out as much as you want.

Overall, I had a good experience at Sonder Arlo despite these few issues. The staff are around and helpful when you need them. If you want to stay right in downtown Ottawa with apartment amenities and don't mind some minor inconveniences, this place is a solid choice. The reasonable rates make it an even better value for a...