New York's Pod Hotel Launches Community Blog

New York City's The Pod Hotel announces the creation of an exclusive "Pod Community" with the debut of its POD COMMUNITY BLOG.

The POD COMMUNITY BLOG is a customized message board designed exclusively for those with active reservations at the hotel. It allows guests to interact with one another as well as ask questions or make requests before and/or during their stay at The Pod Hotel.

"The Pod Hotel caters to the socializing sensibilities of the hotel's target audience: 20-to 35-year-old stylish, spendthrift travelers," says General Manager David Bernstein. "As the online social networking trend continues to grow, we designed this unique feature to create a sense of community among our tech-savvy Pod guests and allow them to connect with the hotel in a new way."

Taking the concierge's role to a new level, the blog acts as a resource and guide for guests. Users can log on to learn more about the city and the hotel as well as get the most up-to-date information about the latest happenings around New York City. Additionally, questions that guests post on the site are monitored and answered directly by the concierge on a daily basis.

Guests can also access the "Survival Guide" on the site which is updated daily by the hotel's concierge. The Survival Guide is a comprehensive listing of all of the affordable and fun things to do in New York City, such as free events, cheap eats, BYOB restaurants, happy hours and sample sales. It also provides guests with honest reviews and suggestions including tips for shopping, information about restaurants, galleries, museums, clubs, concerts, gyms and internet cafes. The Survival Guide also provides guests with step-by-step directions from the hotel to their desired destination.

"Guests feel that our custom Survival Guide is one of the biggest perks of staying at The Pod Hotel," says Bryan Raughton, the concierge for The Pod Hotel. "With the new POD COMMUNITY BLOG, guests can now enjoy having access to the Survival Guide prior to their arrival at the hotel so they can plan their itineraries in advance."

Guests can become an active member of the POD COMMUNITY BLOG as soon as an online reservation for The Pod Hotel is made. After a reservation is booked, the guest is sent an e-mail which includes a link to the blog and a unique user ID code. This enables the guest to create a profile for the POD COMMUNITY BLOG and begin communicating with other guests who are staying at the hotel.

The site has four accessible categories - "DRINK WITH ME," "EAT WITH ME," "SHOP WITH ME," and "GO OUT WITH ME" - where guests can post requests and interact with one another. Users log on to the site and request for other guests to join them for a drink, a meal, a shopping spree or a night out on the town in the respective category.