A Day in the Life of a Sonder General Manager
I started my journey with Sonder in May 2017 when I joined as the Montréal General Manager (GM). Sonder is disrupting the hospitality industry by combining the consistency and service of a great hotel with the warmth and comfort of a space that feels more like home. Over the past 15 months, this wild roller coaster has stretched me personally and professionally. Adding to this, I am an American that relocated to Montréal for this role (a topic that could have its own post)! As a GM at Sonder, I am my city’s CEO, which brings with it a myriad of responsibilities that I talk about below. EVERY DAY is different and some weeks or months, I may focus more on a certain area. If you are interested in coming on board, you can visit Sonder to find our open roles.
Profit and loss (P&L) management
First and foremost, I’m responsible for Montréal’s P&L. Sonder has revenue analysts, who price our spaces competitively to provide maximum value for guests. As the city’s CEO, I regularly meet with our revenue analyst, Meng Zhao, to monitor progress, make recommendations, and implement programs like neighborhood photography or unit refreshes that enhance the guest experience and result in more bookings. From a cost side, I have many levers I manage to maximize efficiency while delivering jaw-dropping hospitality for travelers. My senior operations manager and I actively manage costs in housekeeping, linens, consumables (i.e. shampoo/body soap), utilities, labor, etc. — this involves detailed negotiations, which we use to create value for Sonder and our partners. The strategic decisions I make in the areas below are reflected in our results, which help tie the business together.
Policy
Defining a new category of accommodations raises questions around regulations, which often times don’t exist for new types of businesses, are ill-defined, or are unfavorable because regulators don’t fully understand new models. Sonder operates as a deconstructed hotea unique type of modell, which allows our spaces to be located in a diverse set of neighborhoods. This concept not only allows visitors to experience more of a city but also provides significant value to businesses in more areas. Because our concept is new, regulators have been guarded, but open-minded. In Montréal we have met with numerous stakeholders from government to industry associations to create a path forward for this new model of accommodations to flourish. We have received much support and expertise from Melissa Heuer, Sonder’s Public Policy Manager.
Growth/Supply
Sonder cannot grow without more “Sonders.” These spaces form the foundation for our guests’ experiences and so we have a high bar for selecting Sonders that thousands will temporarily call home. Ideally, we look for underutilized real estate or floors of buildings where we can have a presence of at least ~30 units. I work hand in hand with our Head of Real Estate, Léna Glavinovitch, to accomplish this. During the past year, we have added ~100 spaces that have elevated our Montreal real estate portfolio, enhanced our guest experience, and met financial thresholds that will deliver value to Sonder and our real estate partners. We have partnered with investors and institutional owners to make this a reality. While Léna does a lot of the heavy lifting, I help with portfolio strategy, site visits, valuation, and lease negotiations. I have been pleasantly surprised by how open owners are to learning about and partnering with Sonder. Many owners realize Sonder’s significant potential to meet changing consumer needs and want to be part of a rapidly changing industry.
Onboarding
Once we have signed “Sonders,” our amazing onboarding team, led by Anna Stein, takes over. Her team ensures that units are: a) ready to wow our guests, b) issue-free, and c) onboarded within budget and on time. To start, the team creates floor plans, takes pictures, and shoots videos; all this is sent to our our Interior Design team in San Francisco. The Design team transforms the spaces by selecting furniture, lighting, and accessories that will convert a space from an empty apartment to a welcoming, tastefully decorated apartment that will host people from across the world. After this, our Procurement team checks quality and orders the furniture. The waiting game begins. Once orders are complete, our Onboarding team coordinates with our local third-party logistics to deliver and assemble. It’s like Christmas throughout the year! The Onboarding team works their magic and has multiple apartments staged and photographed within two days. The space is now ready for primetime and to welcome our first guests.
Guest Operations
Our Guest Operations team takes over once the Sonders are ready for guests. Until recently, Morgan Herrick led the team but he will soon be joining our SF HQ. Véronique Garon has been brave enough to join us. The Guest Operations team ensures that our guests’ stays are delightful, which starts with a visit to our front desk if a guest desires. If guests need help, we have about 15 on-the-ground hospitality agents (HAs) working around the clock to ensure that the experience is an unforgettable one. HAs are responsible for making sure that nothing is missing or wrong in your Sonder; fulfilling guests requests for things from extra towels to cribs; guest issues; and our warehouse. Although we consistently surpass guests’ expectations, there will always be issues that arise. In those rare events, this team does its best to turn an unpleasant experience into a positive one, whether moving a guest to another unit or offering a complimentary dinner while we resolve the problem. Outside of meeting guest needs, the team works proactively to build a better guest experience by arming our guest experience team (GET) with as much information as possible in case a question arises.
Seven lessons learned as a General Manager
I have learned a ton as a General Manager and thought it would be great to end with some of my top lessons. Unsurprisingly, my top lessons are focused around people management and culture. These two areas become incredibly important as your operations and team grow. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone at Sonder who has helped my team along the way; your commitment and hard work do not go unnoticed!
- Culture trumps all else
- Be comfortable with the uncertainty, which can include failure
- Think creatively, create a plan, and move fast
- Trust your intuition
- Take some time to step back and celebrate your team’s accomplishments
- Deliver positive and constructive feedback immediately
- No task is above you
Join us!
As Sonder grows, we’re always looking for entrepreneurial people interested in running their own “company within a company”. Check out our careers page and if you think you’re a great fit, drop us a line!
