When guests stay at the Pod Hotel in Midtown, they will be able to mingle in person as well as in cyberspace.
Recently opened at 230 East 51st Street, the hotel is launching a blog in mid-March where young guests can chat, find local events and make plans to meet up. It will be similar to the Living with Legends blog about the Hotel Chelsea, legends.typepad.com.
The Pod Hotel is geared toward attracting wired, gadget-savvy guests. The space-efficient rooms at the economy hotel come equipped with iPod docking stations, wireless Internet and plasma televisions. Rates start at $89 for a 100-square-foot unit with bunk beds.
“I didn’t want to charge $300 to $400 a night and compete with all the other hotels,” said David Bernstein, general manager of the Pod Hotel. “I’ve always liked the lower end of the market.”
Guests, who Bernstein says include “anyone who thinks they’re 18 to 25 years old,” can stay in rooms with a private bath or share bathrooms with other guests.
The rooms don’t get much larger than 200 square feet, but the Pod Hotel has a concierge, a rooftop deck and an indoor/outdoor cafeacute;. Plans are also in place to open a restaurant next door in a few years.
According to Bernstein, the Pod Hotel has rented approximately 70 percent of its 348 rooms a night since opening in mid-January.
The Pod Hotel is Bernstein’s fifth hotel renovation in Manhattan. He is also responsible for On the Ave Hotel at 222 West 77th Street; Milburn Hotel at 242 West 76th Street; Hotel Thirty Thirty at 30 East 30th Street; and Hotel 57 at 130 East 57th Street.
“This one has been the most fun,” Bernstein said. “I wanted this to not only be inexpensive lodging but a place where guests can have fun.”