Pod Report -- A Big "Ehhh"

I spent my first night at The Pod Hotel in New York last night. I was expecting something futuristic and so was a bit disappointed to find out that it was the old Pickwick Arms Hotel (a real hot pillow joint when I stayed there when I was just out of college and pinching pennies many years ago). It was trying hard to be cool on a budget -- sort of an Ikea hotel -- with the requisite (and annoying) dimly lit hallways and lounge music pumping throughout the property.

The room was small but no smaller than rooms I've had at the Paramount or Hudson Hotels. It was just fine given that I was only there to sleep. There was plenty of room to hang clothes and the desk was serviceable. There were plenty of outlets for recharging my various appliances.

The bed, however, was only OK. It was a far (and much firmer) stretch from the luxury beds at higher priced hotels and the pillows were spongy and cheap. But with a little help from Tylenol PM, I got a decent night's sleep. That was until my neighbors came home at 3:30 a.m. and I discovered how thin the walls are.

The bathroom is a feat of space conservation. In about the space of two phone booths they get all of the necessary equipment. Those with lots of product won't be happy with the small sink but I'm a low maintenance metrosexual so I was able to manage. It is best to visit here alone as it makes a great spacial difference to keep the bathroom door open. Otherwise it can feel like you are relieving yourself in a space capsule.

My biggest complaint is with the alarm clock. They tried to be hip -- it was an iPod docking station -- but I couldn't figure out how to set it. The time was wrong and there was no clear way to make things right.

The verdict: the Pod Hotel is not bad if you need a budget hotel, are traveling alone, and are OK with no food service, no mini bar, no business center, etc.