A Snug Sleeping Trend In Manhattan Turns Tiny Pods Into Chic Stays Near Food, Shops, And City Buzz
In big cities, capsule hotels (where you sleep in a small pod) have the advantage of being both affordable and convenient, especially for travelers who only need a place to sleep before heading into the city. They're often just big enough to fit a bed, though some luxury capsule hotels around the world offer a little more space, accommodating a side table or even a balcony. For staying in a city like New York, which Mercer ranked as the seventh-most expensive city in the world in 2024, everything from finding the cheapest ways to navigate the city to cutting back on accommodation costs can help you manage your budget. A few capsule hotels have popped up around the city and offer considerable savings compared to what you'd normally splurge on a standard NYC hotel.
Take, for example, Pod 39, one of the more luxurious cabin hotels opened by the Pod Hotels group in NYC, which has been around since 2012. Its pods come with flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, and private bathrooms, plus the building has a rooftop lounge and on-site Italian restaurant — all in the heart of Manhattan, a mere eight-minute walk from Grand Central Station. For the average standard-style hotel room in this area of the city, you can typically expect to pay around $200 or more a night. For Pod 39, a single pod for solo travelers is around $130 per night, as of fall 2025. The price climbs up a bit more for pods that can accommodate two guests, but the rate stays below $200.
Which NYC capsule hotel is the best for you?
Pod 39 is a good option if you want a more spacious pod that's also close to an easy transit hub. The Pod Hotels group owns several other locations around the city, including one right in Times Square, meaning you're just steps away from Broadway theaters, buzzing nightlife, and the neon glow of NYC's most famous intersection. The price of a pod at Pod Times Square is roughly the same as for Pod 39, also with private bathrooms and air conditioning.
Not everyone enjoys staying right in the midst of New York's busiest and most chaotic streets, though. For anyone looking for a more laid-back location, Pod Brooklyn might be a good fit. It's located in Williamsburg, an incredible neighborhood for first-time visitors to NYC, and is about a five-minute walk from the Bedford Ave L train subway station that connects to Manhattan. One street over from the capsule hotel, Bedford Avenue is a gem full of eclectic stores, trendy cafes, and top-rated restaurants like the Michelin-star-awarded Francie.
A newer addition to the capsule hotels constellation of NYC, and one independent from the Pod Hotels group, is Now Now NoHo. It opened in 2025 on the Bowery in what was previously a 1917-built lodging house. Now Now NoHo offers a more stylish look, with striped archways, a face mask-stocked vending machine, and sleep kits in each pod. A solo traveler can rent a room for around $120 a night, with one caveat: Unlike the other capsule hotels listed here, Now Now NoHo only has communal bathrooms.