The Pod Hotel New York, New York

A friend and I were visiting New York in May 2011 and we wanted somewhere that was central to stay but that would also not completely blow our budget so that it didn't take valuable resources away from shopping! After taking the time to review several hotels that fell within our budget, we settled on the New York Pod Hotel which is essentially an exclusive hostel. I loved the idea of the Pod as accommodation in Manhattan is just so expensive and as we were planning to spend most of the day and night out enjoying the city, we didn't want to spend a fortune on a hotel room with facilities that ... more

So I was recently staying in the Pod Hotel for 5 nights and had a pretty mixed, but ultimately pleasant experience. I'm glad I stayed there, but I may have done things a little differently in hindsight. So the hotel is located in Midtown, on the east side. There are two close by subway stops - 51st/Lexington (which is nearest) and 53rd. Generally this is a useful position to be in, but perhaps not so much so as being on the west side which just seems to be a lot easier to hop on/off. On a previous trip to New York we stayed West 40-something and we were travelling all over the city and didn't ... more

I have to start this review with my disbelief that this fantastic hotel hasn't yet been rated. Originally called the Pickwick Arms but recently rebranded The Pod Hotel this 2 1/2 star hotel in Manhattan (lower upper east side, or upper Mid-town), East 51st Stree off Park Avenue, its only a few street away from the Waldorf but it feels a whole lot different. I stayed in this hotel in 2006, I flew into NYC on the Aniversary of 9/11 and it was an eerie experience. Once I'd disembarked from the bus at Grand Central Terminus I walked to the hotel, a few blocks to the north giving me time to amaze ... more