In 2012, to earn extra money, Francis Davidson, a student at
McGill University, began subletting his own apartment and managing apartments of out-of-town students in the summers. In 2014, Davidson and Lucas Pellan founded Flatbook, later renamed Sonder, and brought the company to FounderFuel, a
startup accelerator in Montreal.
Denver,
Miami,
New York City, and
Philadelphia. In March 2020, Sonder laid off 400 employees, one-third of its staff, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Later that year, the company rehired some people who had been laid off. In January 2021, the company announced a planned expansion in Quebec, including hiring 700 employees there over the next five years. Sanjay Banker was named president of Sonder, in addition to his role of CFO, and Satyen Pandya was named CTO. In April 2021, Sonder reopened the Flatiron Hotel in Manhattan in April 2021, after signing a lease for the property in 2019. In January 2022, the company became a
public company via a merger with a
special-purpose acquisition company. Also in January 2022, the company signed agreements to operate three properties in Washington, D.C. In June 2022, it was announced that the company would eliminate 21% of corporate roles and seven percent of frontline roles. Among those laid off was the company's
CTO. In August 2024,
Marriott International announced a long-term licensing agreement with Sonder, adding 10,500 rooms to Marriott's portfolio and allowing customers to earn or redeem Marriott Bonvoy points starting in late 2024. The agreement was terminated on November 9, 2025, with Marriott citing a default by Sonder. In June 2025, co-founder Francis Davidson resigned as CEO. He was replaced by interim co-CEOs Janice Sears and Daniel Cornwell to oversee the company's restructuring. The next day, on November 10, 2025, Sonder abruptly shut down its operations. The company stated it is expected to quickly wind down its operations and file for
Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, which it did on November 13, 2025. ==Controversies==