Great location, good crowd, relaxed atmosphere
First time in New York, where to stay? The Pod Hotel is a good option. Centrally located to all the world famous sights. Everything is in walking distance and the subway is just around the corner. That makes carrying the shopping bags back to the hotel easier. Good restaurants nearby (The Smith for example), great cupcakes (Buttercup bakery) and even a few bars. The service at the hotel was good, from the bell captain to the reception and even the friendly cleaning crew. Plus the roof top terrace is a nice option. Sadly, no bar up there. Food for thought.
The rooms were a lot smaller than they appeared on the usual hotel booking websites. For two people, the room and the bathroom was quite tiny. But then again, when in New York, spend as much time as possible outdoors. One problem is though, everyone else is doing it as well. Most of the rooms on the floor had shared bathrooms/showers per floor. This meant that the other guests returning from their parties made quite a lot of noise when using the facilities. In addition a lot of the high rise buildings near by have massive air condition vents which run all day and night. This hinders the quality of sleep. But then again, you're not in new york to sleep. 
All in all, i can recommend the Pod hotel for anyone visiting New York, centrally located, good staff, clean rooms and good crowd.