After reading the reviews for the Pod Hotel here, I booked a stay at The Pod at the end of May over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. I was really impressed with the quality of the service and room. The hotel is nicely located near to a subway station which made it cheap and easy to get there from JFK. The room was cleaned every day it was always to an excellent standard. I had a room on floor 3, it has a wash basin, mirror, desk, phone and space for hanging clothes. It was small but perfectly proportioned as all I needed it for was sleeping. There are no indicators in the room to tell when the bathroom was free but this wasn't an issue as there were alway free and spotlessly clean bathrooms available. The roof garden was an excellent discovery on the 14th floor but it is difficult to find (Use the B stairs on 14th). The look of the hotel is cool and contemporary, the piped music in the common areas of the hotel wasn't intrusive and added to the "cool" vibe the hotel. I would highly recommend the Pod Hotel to anyone looking for a cool and trendy place to stay in NYC. Ideal for back-packing friends or couples.

Room is overpriced for what you get.

Many reviewers have complained about the size of the room. My room was directly across from the elevator with 2 double beds and had plenty of space.

Furnishing were stark. There is no space to store clothes. Sink reminded me of an airplane sink. It was very shallow and the water splashed out of it, soaking everything that was on the minimal counter space.

Bed was adequate, but not particularly comfortable. Room was relatively quiet, especially for being across from the elevators. I had no trouble sleeping.

Service was not good. There was no soap or other toiletries in the room when I arrived. They did deliver them after I called. I discovered the following morning that the hair dryer was missing. It took 6 phone calls and they finally delivered one 10 hours later. Front desk clerk was abrupt and gave the impression he didn't care.

They also charged me to send a fax that they never sent.

I'm sure for the price there are other hotels that give their guests the impression they're happy to have them in the hotel.

We decided to stay at the Pod hotel for three nights after reading the reviews on this site. As we only booked our flight 6 weeks before departure, finding a reasonably priced hotel was quite difficult. Although the people from the booking agency advised us on the Pod hotel, we wrongly thought this must be an overpriced, über- hyped, NY tourist trap. The first 4 nights we booked at an Upper West Side B&B that had a late cancellation as it normally always was fully booked months ahead! After these first nights were booked our luck and hotel options ran out and we decided to take a chance and booked the remaining 3 nights at the Pod. During these evenings of internet searches we actually concluded that the 205$ for a double standard with private bath in this area was actually very reasonable.
The area is strongly business orientated during weekdays and thus becomes quiet after working hours. Pubs and restaurants were easy to find around the corner on 2nd avenue.My girlfriend and I are real city slickers and used the 2 nearest subway stations (1 and 2 blocks away) frequently. So getting to the major places was no problem at all. The room itself is indeed tiny but practical in every inch and has an 'upmarket' Ikea feel to it with the sliding shower door, birch wood furniture, closet space under the bed, a stainless steel airliner like sink,a very nice "rain"-shower and even an (imitation?) Charles & Ray Eames 'Wire Chair'. Although the ideal customer would be the thirty-something urban single or couple that have their own apartment stuffed with Ikea or design like things, we saw everything from a UN-convention visitor to a family with kids and their grand parents! These last will be in for a big surprise when they see their room!
I presume nobody stays longer then needed in their room when you’re visiting NYC as a tourist, so the lack of space to walk around was no issue. During our stay the weather was hot (+30 Celsius) and humid but the noisy hidden airco did the job. Clearly noise insulation wasn't the main concern during renovation! The noise, originating mainly from the hallway, could remind you of a hostel. Excessive door slamming because of the shared bath rooms was sometimes annoying ! The trendy lobby and check-in area plus free wireless internet were added bonuses to an overall positive vibe we already had. The hidden gem, during our stay and in the hot weather, was the roof terrace with the skyscraper view. It was a little resting place between an afternoon of shopping and a night on the town. I think some young locals even use it as a personal study or quick getaway from the noisy and busy streets. All personnel were friendly and helpful and checking in and out was quick and painless! Next time we go to NYC we’ll definitely stay at the Pod and we will recommend to any of our friends

We stayed at the Pod in May and found it to be fantastic. The hotel itself is very funky, and the rooms ideal for a short trip to NY - they're clean, smart & come with LCD TVs and a great shower. We had ensuite, but our friend had a room with a shared bathroom and also found it good. The hotel has a really cool rooftop terrace, great for drinking a few beers as the sun goes down. The Pod is in a great little sidestreet, walking distance to 5th Ave shops and has good bars and restaurants right next door - particularly the French bistro literally next door and with a kitchen open to 4am for arrivals on a late flight - and a great diner for breakfast just round the corner. Overall, just can't argue, especially for the price! They even look after your bags with no grumbling.