Sonder CEO on the Generational Divide in Hospitality
Photo Caption: Sonder founder and CEO Francis Davidson thinks traditional hospitality brands are downplaying the needs of a new generation of guests.
Skift Take
Sonder doesn't need to put Hilton or Airbnb out of business to be a winner. But it has to has to cope with the market's displeasure with unprofitable companies, and to prove that its guest experience will deliver on its promises, starting with millennials and Gen Zers.
Sonder, the hybrid hotel and short-term rental company that went public on Nasdaq last week, is playing the long game in that it is betting that the generational shift in guest profiles will eventually turn to its advantage.
Francis Davidson founded the company that would become Sonder at age 19 in Montreal in 2012 before relocating to San Francisco. He acknowledged in an interview a day after the company's stock started trading that the crux of the debate between the reigning big hotel chains and tech-oriented hospitality startups is whether the guest of the future will gravitate toward luxury high-touch service or mobile, experience-oriented efficiencies.
Perhaps there will be ample room for both types of services, and Sonder hopes to grab its share.
Davidson dismissed the notion that the company's stock debut was disappointing, noting the volatility in the market, and the fact that in SPAC mergers, unlike initial public offerings, companies price th
