This room at The Pod Hotel is tiny even by my standards but offers ample common space to live large.

While Airbnb can offer the "local" experience, hotels can offer something it can't—large common areas filled with other outgoing guests. By shrinking the individual room, where people don't spend much time anyway, The Pod Hotel has more room for a lobby, restaurant, courtyard, and roof deck that you actually want to hang out in. That combined with being budget friendly, this 4-star hotel has a lot to offer.

The bedroom

The room is clean with huge windows and a spacious bed. The entry has a full-length mirror which gives an illusion of more space. There’s a cheeky magnetic do not disturb sign on the door that says “sleeping (tightly)”. Metal blinds give a slightly cold, industrial look but do a great job of blocking light when you want to sleep. A curtain pulls across the room to have some privacy from the bathroom.

The bed was incredibly comfortable and had adjustable reading lights conveniently mounted over head. The footless bedside table doubled as a mini closet with a shelf and coat hangers above.

I requested an iron and ironing board and they delivered a huge standard ironing board which I turned away because there was no where to put it. I would have preferred a designated ironing board room somewhere in the building instead.

The bathroom

The bathroom is where things get interesting. It’s so tiny, there isn’t even room for the entire toilet paper roll. The shower head is so close to the toilet, that you must put the toilet cover down if you don’t want the seat to get soaked—and even then it will need a little wipe down before use. I did conveniently prop my foot on it to shave me legs.

I find a thrill in the novelty of how small spaces are designed—a MacGyver challenge if you will. That said, a few details were overlooked:

• The shower door didn't quite close all the way due to a faulty latch. Poor tile work also meant it didn’t open all the way. The smaller the space, the more noticeable annoyances like this become.

• Towels weren’t near the shower which meant I got the floor soaked tiptoeing into the “bedroom” where they were stored above the nightstand.

• Individual shampoo and body wash containers are bad for the environment and are easily knocked over in such tight quarters. They should do refillable wall-mounted dispensers.

Indoor common spaces

Right off the lobby is a restaurant and courtyard. A lofted seating area overlooked it all which made for an energetic atmosphere. In the evening, the restaurant was packed with guests and locals of all ages playing games and eating dinner. They even had bicycles you could borrow!

Outdoor common spaces

The outdoor spaces were the best part for me. Between the expansive roof deck and courtyards, all with dynamic furniture, there were great textures and dimensions to explore. I’m an early bird and had them all to myself!

Overall it was a fun, comfortable experience and I love seeing hotels innovating and making the most of small spaces.

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