The Pod Hotel - NYC Budget Lodging

You want a hotel room in Manhattan, close to the Rockefeller Center, Central Park, the United Nations and St. Patrick's Cathedral, for less than $150? You need to get a pod. Not literally, but in a manner of speaking - A room at the Pod Hotel, New York, on 230 E 51st St. The hotel labels itself as 'hip, convenient accommodations for the stylish and spendthrifty traveler' and offers rooms for $149 plus. Photo courtesy & copyrights - The Pod Hotel.

Your choice of Pod includes a Queen, Double, single or a bunk. All the pods offer LCD television, iPod docking stations, dimmer controls, free wi-fi internet, closets and in-room safes. The Queen and Double rooms offer private glass encased bathrooms and showers while the single rooms and bunks have shared baths. The bathrooms all have stainless-steel sinks, granite floors, rainhead showers, wall-mounted jets and streaming music. The bunk pod has two bunk beds with tiny LCD televisions for each bunk.



Its a well known fact that any hotel in Manhattan offering rooms below $200 is bound to be crap. But then, in this case, you might have to make an exception because the rooms are quite tiny, even by New York standards, and the amenities offered bare minimum. If that makes it crap, well... Nothing I can do to change your view, but what I look for in a hotel room is cleanliness, comfort and location.

I mean, what the heck are you going to do if you had an additional 200 sq ft? Dance in it? All you need is a bed, television, internet and a bathroom. If you have this, the rest is just window dressing. Well, the Pod has these things, and its cool and nerdy and comfortable, and has swanky bathrooms. And its cheap. And located slam-bang next to most of the cool things to do in New York everything you might want to visit as a tourist in the Big Apple. Nuf Said.



Info: 230 E 51st St. NYC, NY 10022; (800) 742-5945; www.thepodhotel.com/

Nickelodeon Family Suites 4-D Experience

Seems the Nick Hotel doesn't think there are enough things to do in Orlando, Fla., because the Orlando Sentinel says that Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn has announced the grand opening of its 4-D Experience, a 73-seat theater where hotel guests can see 3-D movies with sensory effects. The theater will show six short films -- including a SpongeBob SquarePants movie -- that include effects such as scents, bubbles and vibrations. Each will end with virtual "sliming," a Nickelodeon signature.

A 4-D experience sounds and feels like just the ticket and added motivation needed to stay inside the resort and never say anything else in Orlando... But for the record, if the hotel seems more attractive than the rest of Orlando, that's not just because of a new theater which will make you think you've lost your marbles. The Nick has fun activities by the bucketload, and even more fun guest suites.

Here's a few of the highlights - Two massive interactive pool complexes with multiple slides, climbing nets, and water jets; Nickelodeon-themed KidSuites®, 777 suites, netted basketball court; mini golf course; shaded kids play area with slides and squirt games, and an arcade with a 3000 sq ft game room. Average nightly rates from $246 onwards..

Info: 14500 Continental Gateway Orlando FL 32821; 407-387-5437; www.nickhotel.com/