More Traveller Reviews of Pod Hotel
A complete joke
from A TripAdvisor Member
Honestly, I'm not one to complain when one shouldn't but the Pickwick Hotel has got you laughing to the bank (for them that is)!! I stayed at this hotel for one night and it was the worst room I have ever stayed at. This hotel makes the MOTEL 6 literally look like a palace. I paid $105 for a one night stay which was fine to pay considering that most hotels in NY easily cost $200 a night. I stayed in room 635 which is basically the size of a box. There is no chair, no small table, the windows don't lock, no shampoo, the carpet is dirty, the TV is an almost non-functioning black and white TV and you can see the pluming pipes in the ceiling!! In addition, I booked a single room and when I got to the hotel I was given a room with bunk beds?!? Like I need someone to sleep above me!! When I complained saying that I have an e-mail confirmation number clearly showing that I have a single room confirmed, they had the nerves to suggest that I should consider myself lucky to not be charged more money because the "bunk bed room" cost $10 more and that the hotel was sold-out. The restrooms/baths are shared and were extremely small. The only good thing about this place is the location which is excellent and within walking distance of all the major attractions in NY. You're a lot better off spending few more $ on a hotel where you can at least sit on a chair while watching TV.
Not bad, not great
from A TripAdvisor Member
For people looking for budget accomodation in New York, you could do far worse than staying at the Pickwick Arms. This hotel is something of a cross between a hotel and a hostel, with 2 communal toilets and showers on each floor. The main reasons to stay here are. 1. Price - For New York it is relatively cheap 2. Location - Centred in Midtown Manhattan, it is well served by public transport and nice shops and within 10-15 mins of the central tourist attractions (Times Square, Rockafeller Centre etc) In New York the average standard of hotel is not as good as other major cities due to space and cost. If you want to stay somewhere nice you really have to splash the cash. This place is perfect for young travellers who dont have too high expectations of their accomodation and want to treat their hotel/hostel simply as a base. The rooms are all small but adequate. They are cleaned on a daily basis and all come with cable TV. Beware when booking that they call a double room a room with a bunk bed. I went with my girlfriend and they tried to make us pay extra to get a room with a double bed, despite it clearly saying that it was a double room. In general the hotel staff were pretty useless and unhelpful, but dont let that affect your choice of hotel in this instance. The location and price allowed us to spend more time enjoying the town and spending money on fun things to do. As general advice.... 1. Do not use the hotel recommended taxi service, they over charge and go the long way round to avoid paying the toll. 2. Do not use the hotel phone - even with a calling card 3. Keep your valuables and passport well hidden within your room Would I go back here? Probably if I was operating on a budget. It doesnt compare with the best hotels in the world, but it is certainly better than most hostels and I think it is a pretty good place to see New York from
Good value (better than expected!)
from A TripAdvisor Member
The Pickwick Arms Hotel will be familiar to people who have stayed in 2-3 star hotels in Europe. The rooms and bathrooms are small but clean, air conditioned, the 'phones and TVs work and the water's hot. The hotel - built, I believe, in the 1930s as a hostel - has a wide variety of restaurants nearby and is close to the subway (as well as both the police and fire department). There's even a small park with a waterfall across the street. We'd stay there again, even wondered if we should 'invite' others by writing a review just in case we found it full next time!
Great value, great location, but don't expect luxury
from Gillyrose
My daughter and I stayed three nights here in late April. Our room with two bunk beds was very small, but we knew that before we booked and as our intention was to see as much of New York as possible, we really only needed somewhere to sleep. Our room was clean, as were the shared bathroom facilities; an extra pillow was supplied immediately; the maid service was courteous and very efficient. The front desk was helpful, as was the bell-captain. The location is excellent - we did a lot of walking and the subway station is only 2 blocks away. We felt very safe walking back from Times Square after 11pm. This hotel is excellent value for travellers who want to spend their time seeing and doing, but if you want to spend time in your hotel room you will find space here minimal. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who simply wants a place to sleep without any frills, in a great location and at a bargain basement price.
good location but very rude
from andycarmichael888
First impressions do mean a lot, the lady on check in was so rude its unbelievable. After this hurdle, heading to the room it looked ok, but very very small, dont expect to walk around the room for a stretch! The shower room is also tiny and i hurt myself many times either in the shower or getting off the toilet. Our worst night was when a 'male prostitute' knocked on our door, he was quickly turned away. I would say stay here if you cant find anything else, location wise it doesnt matter as travelling around manhatten is easy anyway. I suggest stay in Long island or new jersey and travel into manhatten, you will get more for money and a nice place to sleep and eat breakfast. This hotel is ok, but staff are very rude, room was tiny also.
OK but be careful...
from A TripAdvisor Member
This hotel is an ok hotel but you have to be careful which room or floor you are going to stay.Avoid the rooms with bunk beds..The fist time i was in that hotel i had a small but clean room in 9th floor which was really nice.This time we got a terrible room with bunk beds in the second floor, really small. The room was cold and the heat worked like 4 hours per day!!!!!!!.We paid for that room 120 dollars per night which we believe that is overpriced..Anyway the best thing about this hotel is that is clean and in a great great location...
Good for a short stay
from ktjnemo
Stayed one night in an economy room with bunk beds and shared bathroom. This is a sleeping "compartment" only. A grown man would have difficulty moving around in here. Don't plan to bring more than one suitcase unless you keep it in the hallway. Room had a sink/mirror, tv. Toilet and shower "closet" down the hall. Had to choose between warm water and water pressure. The restaurant within the hotel was closed. On the up side: Everything was clean. Staff was fine. They recommended a breakfast/lunch restaurant around the corner. Check-out time wasn't until 1:00! Excellent uptown location. $99 +tax on Easter weekend. Good for a brief stay (atleast in this type of room)
Make sure you use this hotel!!
from A TripAdvisor Member
Shared bathroom, so what. Your in New York, your going to be out and about most of the time anyway. All the staff were more than friendly, even the guy on the front desk. If your looking for a reasonable hotel in the best location, you just found the right one. The area is friendly, it's close to the subway on 51st and you MUST VISIT a bar called Mica 2 doors down - now that's a fantastic bar with fantastic staff. Summary: Use this hotel, I'm confident you will be more than pleased when your heading back to the airport.
Shared bathroom OK!
from Rubystokes
I stayed in one of the shared bathroom rooms for two nights. I was very nervous about this, but it turned out to be 100% fine. I never saw another person use the bathroom and it seemed to be cleaned serveral times a day. It was close to my room, so I didn't have to walk far in the middle of the night. I didn't take a shower there, but there was always one open and clean. The room was "cozy," but I didn't care about the size. It had a great view and I could stare out the window and pretend it was my apartment. The lobby and staff were inviting. I look forward to staying there again.
Items taken from room
from A TripAdvisor Member
All was going well until spare cash carefully hidden in layers of clothing in a suitcase within a suitcase was taken during a four hour time period. Almost as bad as the missing cash (and a ring of more sentimental than real value) was the complete indifference of the hotel staff. Hard not to get the impression that they'd heard it before. Unless you are the kind of traveller that carries everything on them or always uses the hotel safe, don't stay here.
1 reader found this review helpful
Me and my sister had a fabulous time in New York and really enjoyed our stay at the pod hotel It was clean and very easy to get to tourist interest places top tip though - we gave ourselves 3 hours to travel back to Newark airport by air shuttle bus and thought that would... more