As Sonder embarks on another tremendous year of growth, we’re thrilled to announce that Frits van Paasschen, a seasoned global executive and former CEO and President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is joining Sonder’s Board of Directors.
For many months, Frits has served as an informal advisor to Sonder as we’ve applied powerful technology and revolutionary design to pioneer an entirely new category of accommodations. In 2019, Sonder raised a $225M Series D round that valued the company at just north of one billion dollars, we announced an expansion into more traditional hotel formats, and doubled the number of markets where we operate with over 14,000 spaces around the world. We’re excited that Frits will now be helping to guide our growth and innovation in an official capacity, just as he’s done for many other globally recognized brands.
Frits brings more than a decade of experience as a Fortune 500 CEO to Sonder, including nearly eight years at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. At Starwood, Frits oversaw the launch of several new brands and led technological and loyalty innovations across the portfolio of one of the world’s largest hospitality providers. He has served in management positions for global corporations such as Nike and Disney and advised companies including Williams Sonoma, Royal DSM, Convene, and citizenM Hotels. His Amazon best-selling book, “The Disruptors’ Feast” is an instruction manual for companies seeking to navigate today’s rapidly changing global economy — expertise Frits brings to Sonder in spades.
“As a life-long traveler to more than a hundred countries, I’m truly impressed by what the team at Sonder is working to build every day and how it has already helped reshape accommodations,” Frits said. “I’m thrilled to be joining the board of an incredible company that’s delivering amazing experiences to guests around the world — the hospitality industry is ripe for innovation, and Sonder is leading the charge.”
“Frits is one of the world’s most respected leaders in business and hospitality, and I couldn’t be more excited that he’s joining our Board,” said Francis Davidson, Sonder CEO and Co-founder. “I’ve long considered Frits an inspiration and know Sonder will benefit tremendously from the wisdom and experience he brings to the table.”
Frits joins Sonder CEO Francis Davidson; Greenoaks Capital Managing Partner Neil Mehta; Spark Capital General Partner Nabeel Hyatt; Valor Equity Partners’ Vivek Pattipatti; and WestCap Founder Laurence Tosi on the Sonder Board.
Please join us in welcoming Frits to the Sonder team!