I stayed in a Pod room with a private bath. At first, I was shocked at how small the room was. The entire room was about 7x14, which is about half the size of my master bathroom at home.
As the week went on, it kind of grew on me. Despite the size, the room was quite functional. The couch doubled as a bed, with a flat screen TV on the wall at the foot of the bed/couch. The sink was small, but that left room to set toiletries next to it.
The public areas of the hotel were very hot, like there was no air conditioning. By the time I made it down the short hall, down the elevator, and to the front door each day, I was sweating profusely. The A/C in the room was fine, although it didn't cool the room evenly. It was cold where the air was blowing (by the bed) and slightly warm at the opposite end of the room (the bathroom).
It was conveniently located a block and a half from two different subway stops (51st and Lexington and 53rd and 3rd Avenue), and I found that to be a wonderful way to get around town. $24 for a 1-week pass is unbeatable compared to cabs, rental cars, parking, etc. It was quick and I felt safe as well.
The Internet connection was a bit hit and miss. Usually, it was about 150k, which is several times faster than dialup. Once, it was about 2k, which was miserably slow. Another time, it was about 800k. It's about what I would expect for "free".
The construction wasn't a problem. I never heard a thing. The elevator did stop on one floor that was under construction and I saw the work being done briefly. The hot water was shut off for two hours one day, with about 24 hours advance notice. They seemed to do a good job keeping the construction isolated from the guests.
The Pod room I was in looked freshly refurbished. The tile work in the bathroom was very nice. Everything was clean and new, except one of the back pillows on the bed/couch had a rust stain on it. Housekeeping did an adequate but not exceptional job.
One concierge was helpful in suggesting which subway to take, but another suggested that they arrange transportation because the subway wasn't safe (or was it because they get a kickback?).
I would stay there again if I couldn't find a really good deal on a nicer hotel, but I wouldn't go out of my way to stay there again.
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