Unlike previous reviewer's I refuse to state the obvious about room size. My husband and I stayed here for 3 nights at the beginning of Feb in a double room, this was our first time in NY and things couldn't be more perfect. POD 39 met all our expectations, the hotel is clean, friendly and in a superb location. The bar was great not only for a couple of drinks and the end of a tiring day but also for the coffee and bagels/pastries in a morning. We were on the 16th floor at the rear of the hotel and could just peek a view of the east river, the room was quiet with a really comfy bed and a fantastic shower, what more do you need?? I would not hesitate in recommending this hotel and we will definitely return.

This was my second stay at Pod 39. My last, August 2013, was decent; this time was horrible.

Pod 39's attraction is location and value; the latter is owed to tiny rooms and no frills. It's the place to stay when you just need a bed... You're in NYC, after all, who wants to stay in their room?

My first stay was fine. My son and I were travelling light (so no worries about where to store a big suitcase in the miniscule room) and my son got a kick out off the bunk beds. It was immaculately clean and convenient to Grand Central. The annoying things, which I could overlook because of the price were: only cold water tap at the bathroom basin (i.e., no hot water at the sink). This makes it chilly to wash hands and unpleasant to shave. So shave in the shower, right? Would do, but the rainshower head directly over you and the lack of anti-fog mirror in the shower made that impossible. I guess hipsters don't shave?

This time around, we arrived late at night due to flight delays (thanks, AA) and were greeted by an inept front desk employee who had trouble finding my reservation and then couldn't arrange a later checkout. He said I would have to call the front desk at 8 am to request a late checkout when the 'next shift' started. Keep in mind this is about 2 am and I had a sleepy 6-year old in tow.

We got to our room on the fourth floor and found that the heat had been turned off. It was 57 degrees in the room. I turned on the heater, and it rattled loudly for hours, but only ever got the room to 62 degrees.

I set my alarm and called the Desk in the morning to ask for a late checkout. They told me they "can't do that". To the management: "can't" is a four letter word in the hospitality industry; at least train your staff to say you are fully booked the next night and you have to turn over the room for the next guest; I will know it's BS, but I can't argue it... Just a tip for not ticking off your guests.

We stepped out for breakfast and arrived back precisely at noon (check out time) only to find we had already been locked out... So had to have our key reactivated to retrieve our luggage (annoying).

At check out, nodody asked how our stay was.

The bathroom had mildew in the corners. There was dirt on the carpet. In this particular room, a fire alarm unit with bright green flashing lights was positioned directly over the head of the top bunk... Bright flashes made it hard to fall asleep.

They called me a private car (airport limo) to get to JFK. I asked if the driver would take credit cards. They said, "yes of course". As soon as I stepped in the cab, the driver informed me "cash only", so I had to stop at an ATM before proceeding to the airport.

Overall, I'd say spend an extra 20 dollars and stay at a more traditional hotel. I won't stay at Pod 39 again.

A friend and I stayed one night at this hotel. We were sceptical at first but quickly fell in love with our mini pod room. Although not big (when your out most of the day it doesn't matter the size), it was great for 2 friends as there were bunk beds so we each had our own bed. The room got warm quite quickly, perfect for when you're coming in from the cold. The shower had great water pressure and temperature and good amenities. We were able to walk everywhere including Times Square, Central Park, shopping areas, and it was nice and close to Grand Central Station which also has shuttle buses that connect you to JFK, LaGuardia and Newark Airports. The staff were friendly and able to leave our bags as we arrived early and leaving later than checkout. The restaurant/bar attached to the hotel had a great vibe and served late. In the end it was great value for money in NYC, good location.