Be warned.
This hotel, located in East Midtown (on E. 51st Street), NYC, is indeed cute and very modern when you walk in (see lobby photo below), but be wary, as half of this ‘hotel’ is treated like a hostel, but for the same price. Deceitful, to say the least. No where online when booking this hotel did it mention that our room had NO en-suite bathroom. Pictures of the bathroom were even included with pictures of the room when booking… To pay close to $300 + very high NYC tax per night for this?! I was, needless to say, shocked & very upset when I walked into basically a hole in the wall, with bunk-beds, a sink, and a safe. Unfortunately, it was a busy weekend in NYC and the only thing they had available were bunk-beds, which I thought would be a fun idea. How I was wrong.
Not only did this room have no en-suite bathroom, but it was actually smaller than an overnight train in Europe and not as put together. At least overnight European trains’ rooms have a bathroom and are safe to sleep in. There were loads of safety hazards in our bunk-bed room. When trying to climb the ladder to the top bunk, as it had more head-space, the ladder actually slipped off and I fell against the wall with it – at least the wall was not far away and I slammed right into it. Not stable at all. And even worse, when I rolled too far when up there one night, the safety roll-bar was not secure either. It slipped down, then off, and my boyfriend – thank God – was standing below and caught me before I could hit the ground. Why is it even there if not to protect you from falling from so high up?
(Trust me, the room above is even smaller than it looks – it’s just missing the small sink and the tiny closet.)
If you’re curious to where the bathrooms are, it is an interesting set-up. There are four toilets with showers spread-out on each of these ‘hostel’ floors (one bathroom for each hallway within each floor). And in your room, above the door, there are four light indicators to tell you whether a specific toilet (each numbered) is locked/busy or not, but don’t forget your key if you have to go, as you need it to get in to each one of these toilets. And if they are all busy, then you will have to go down to the lobby or restaurant toilets; however, these do not have showers.
The main, positive aspect I took from this hotel was one thing: acknowledgment of the wonderful staff. They were always pleasant and courteous. Also, every time I needed something or just basic information, they were always there to assist and provide exactly what I needed, except for a replacement room with a bathroom (but that was not their fault). This also goes for the bar and restaurant staff. Always greeted with a smile and service was impeccable. At least they hold their staff to high standards.
Worth going if you go to the true ‘hotel’ portion of this hotel, as the hotel and restaurant itself are nice, are in a fairly safe neighbourhood, close to good quality restaurants (and touristy ones, if you prefer them), walking distance to Central Park, and taxis are very easy to obtain, but just make sure to confirm you have a en-suite bathroom before paying so you don’t get stuck in the hostel portion of this hotel.
For more information, visit:
Pod Hotel NYC – http://www.thepodhotel.com/about-pod-hotels
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