Standard Room, Shared Bathroom
from $126
Pod 51
3.0 out of 5.0
3.8
out of 5
Average Guest Review
See all 198 reviews
This hotel is most popular for:
Recent guest reviews
The hotel was clean a close to all site seeing locations. I enjoyed the clean room. The rooms are not big but they were well stocked, recently updated and clean!
The Pod 51 is my first choice for lodging in NYC. For solo travelers who don't plan on spending much time in the room, the value is a good one. I did notice this visit that the shared bathrooms were not always as frequently serviced as they have been in previous stays. Also, the air conditioner was very loud, which I don't remember from previous stays. But my room was clean, safe, and quiet.
If you are more than 6' the bed is too smalll and the showers are not always clean
Staff were very friendly and helpful. Room was very clean. Location was great- within walking distance of Times Square and other attractions.
My 6-year-old daughter and I stayed at Pod 51 for 5 nights. The location is great--close to the subway and Grand Central, but not in the crazy of Times Square. The hotel itself is quiet and restful, too. We stayed in one of the pods with 2 bunk beds. The rooms are small, but they are well designed for comfort and convenience. Our room was cleaned every day -- our beds were made up and fresh towels provided. The shared bathrooms were never a problem as they were kept very clean and we seemed to have plenty of access (4 on our floor). We also had a sink and mirror in our room which helped with bedtime and getting ready in the morning.
Original room had water on the carpet and made the room smell but they quickly changed me to another room without any problems.
As a tourist the room met all my needs. I didn't need any more but to rest and cool off a bit. The desk staff was friendly and efficient. I was quite comfy.
It's close enough to everything you want to see and it's very clean and well kept. In my case, I had a bed and a sink to myself and down the hall were private showers and toilets. It's prefect if you know you won't spend much time on your room.
My friend & I stayed for four nights, the hotel is in a great location, within walking distance to Rockefeller Center & Times Square. Close to transit (subway & bus), the rooms are cute pods, ours had the twin bunk bed & though the beds weren't very comfy they were fine. The rooftop is cool make sure you check it out. Overall we had a great experience here & would stay again.
Decided to try something different in midtown. Check-in was easy. People were very nice. Quick trip up the elevator. Since rooms are small, hallways look almost like a line of phone booths. Room was efficiently laid out - tight but everything you needed was there. You need to be organized and use the space efficiently as a result, however. Good shower, lots of hot water. Bed mostly comfortable. Small TV but fine for my purposes. Quite cost-effective for mid-town. Be prepared to walk. While this hotel is on 51st St, it is pretty far over on the east side, almost to 2d Avenue, so if you need to go over to Broadway or 6th Avenue, it is a hike. It is also a hike from Penn Station, not so much from Grand Central. I only had two complaints. First, the security seemed lax. It seemed that anyone could come in the front door and go right up on the elevator to any floor. For a hotel like this, that could be troublesome, and could be easily fixed by having someone attentive right at the elevator to deter outsiders. Second, the sink was aligned on a wall in the main room, but was not very deep front to back, and as a result, water kept splashing on the floor, which was carpeted. That was distasteful when you think about the number of times that must occur, day after day. If you want to spend $50 more a night, you can move up into the hotels with regular size rooms, but this is a pretty decent alternative for those on a budget who don't need to spread out.
Great hotel and it's location is awesome close to everything and subway.
I picked this hotel because it was cheap and in a good part of Manhattan. My expectations weren't super high, but they surprised me. The lobby was clean and while the hallways were quite dark, the room was bright. It was small, but I had enough room to move around an I comfortably could have shared with another person. I did have a room with a private bath and that was much appreciated. The bathroom was clean and a decent size. Overall, I enjoyed my stay and I would stay again.
experience was fine. no complaints though the room was smaller than I thought. It would have been ok for one person, not 2.
It was clean, perfect the only thing is it was cold in our room and the control for the heat didn't work but everything else wete excellent.
During busy waking hours there may be a wait for the "water closet" but no problems at off hours
The shower knob almost fell out of wall socket as I turned the water on. It was surprisingly small - found the halls a bit too dark so I was actually afraid. Had a one day conference in NY and did not realize that members could have stayed free at the meeting hotel. I had already booked Pod51 and when i learned about free stay - i tried to get refund from Pod51 and was unable to.
Very clean. The staff was friendly. We had some problems wiht the heather. The bathroom is so small that your feet have to stay out when you sit on the WC.
Check-in was ok, but I didn't like having to hand over my credit card (of which they took a mechanical imprint, like in the 1990s) for a pre-paid room. The room was ok at first glance, but the bathroom very cramped. Worst aspect: poorly heated with no thermostat or other means of increasing the temp. When I called the front desk, shivering at 1:30am, the person said, flatly, "we have an extra blanket down here." At 1:30am?? I just took a hot shower and put on three layers of cloting and wool socks and got back into bed
Great micro room for a day and night out! Great use of a small space!
I was happy to get a hotel at this location for the price I paid, however you get what you pay for. The room was clean but to compact to be comfortable in. A small concession opened in the lobby the day before I left so I wasn't able to take advantage of it. This seemed to be a good idea, without it the hotel didn't offer anything besides its location. I've never stayed at a hostel but I imagine it to be like this.
Guest reviews for Pod 51
clean and convenient.
Everyone
The hotel was clean a close to all site seeing locations. I enjoyed the clean room. The rooms are not big but they were well stocked, recently updated and clean!
still my first choice for nyc.
Everyone
The Pod 51 is my first choice for lodging in NYC. For solo travelers who don't plan on spending much time in the room, the value is a good one. I did notice this visit that the shared bathrooms were not always as frequently serviced as they have been in previous stays. Also, the air conditioner was very loud, which I don't remember from previous stays. But my room was clean, safe, and quiet.
Everyone
If you are more than 6' the bed is too smalll and the showers are not always clean
great staff, great location.
Everyone
Staff were very friendly and helpful. Room was very clean. Location was great- within walking distance of Times Square and other attractions.
perfect hybrid of hostel and hotel
Families
My 6-year-old daughter and I stayed at Pod 51 for 5 nights. The location is great--close to the subway and Grand Central, but not in the crazy of Times Square. The hotel itself is quiet and restful, too. We stayed in one of the pods with 2 bunk beds. The rooms are small, but they are well designed for comfort and convenience. Our room was cleaned every day -- our beds were made up and fresh towels provided. The shared bathrooms were never a problem as they were kept very clean and we seemed to have plenty of access (4 on our floor). We also had a sink and mirror in our room which helped with bedtime and getting ready in the morning.
nice hotel, close to times square
Everyone
Original room had water on the carpet and made the room smell but they quickly changed me to another room without any problems.
good place for a weary traveler to rest. comfy bed
Everyone
As a tourist the room met all my needs. I didn't need any more but to rest and cool off a bit. The desk staff was friendly and efficient. I was quite comfy.
efficiency
Everyone
It's close enough to everything you want to see and it's very clean and well kept. In my case, I had a bed and a sink to myself and down the hall were private showers and toilets. It's prefect if you know you won't spend much time on your room.
nice functional hotel, great location
Everyone
My friend & I stayed for four nights, the hotel is in a great location, within walking distance to Rockefeller Center & Times Square. Close to transit (subway & bus), the rooms are cute pods, ours had the twin bunk bed & though the beds weren't very comfy they were fine. The rooftop is cool make sure you check it out. Overall we had a great experience here & would stay again.
cost-effective nyc
Everyone
Decided to try something different in midtown. Check-in was easy. People were very nice. Quick trip up the elevator. Since rooms are small, hallways look almost like a line of phone booths. Room was efficiently laid out - tight but everything you needed was there. You need to be organized and use the space efficiently as a result, however. Good shower, lots of hot water. Bed mostly comfortable. Small TV but fine for my purposes. Quite cost-effective for mid-town. Be prepared to walk. While this hotel is on 51st St, it is pretty far over on the east side, almost to 2d Avenue, so if you need to go over to Broadway or 6th Avenue, it is a hike. It is also a hike from Penn Station, not so much from Grand Central. I only had two complaints. First, the security seemed lax. It seemed that anyone could come in the front door and go right up on the elevator to any floor. For a hotel like this, that could be troublesome, and could be easily fixed by having someone attentive right at the elevator to deter outsiders. Second, the sink was aligned on a wall in the main room, but was not very deep front to back, and as a result, water kept splashing on the floor, which was carpeted. That was distasteful when you think about the number of times that must occur, day after day. If you want to spend $50 more a night, you can move up into the hotels with regular size rooms, but this is a pretty decent alternative for those on a budget who don't need to spread out.
