Great location, disappointing room
I stayed at the Pod for one night recently after my go-to NY choice (The Jane) was full. I'd looked at it before on several occasions and always thought it might be an interesting change.
It's main plus point is the location: midtown east, a walkable distance from several subway lines, museums, Times Square, Central Park and many other things as a tourist you will want to see. I had to be in Times Square most of the time during my stay and the convenience of being able to walk crosstown (even in 100 degree heat) was great, especially since they got rid of the 1 day transit pass. It's also close to a Duane Reede for all those bits and bobs you always seem to need.
The room itself I was a little disappointed with. I knew it would be small, but had hoped for some sort of interesting decor or nifty space saving tricks to make up for it. Mostly, it felt like a prison cell with a colourful duvet. Furnishings looked worn, the air-conditioning, like someone else mentioned, is covered by a huge metal grate that blocks most of the air, and in my case wouldn't open for you to be able to switch it on. Others must have had this problem as the only solution appeared to be pulling off the covering entirely. Dusty and gross. 
The bathrooms were quite a walk around the corridor and though decorated tastefully, were absolutely tiny, with no hooks or shelves for you to put your clothes on. They also flooded when you used them making getting dressed again kind of difficult. Also the temperature control was a bit off, and in trying to adjust it, the knob fell off in my hand. The shampoo and body wash provided was nice though.
All staff members I interacted with were friendly and helpful, and I liked the decor in reception. The restaurant menu also looked nice but I didn't eat there. It was way too hot when I was there to hang out on the roof terrace (accessible only via a steep staircase on the 14th floor) but it has nice views and is worth checking out just to take some pictures.
My room faced inward so was very quiet away from the traffic, although despite my "do not disturb" sign, housekeeping were noisily hoovering away and chatting loudly in spanish outside my door from 9am.
I know NY hotels are just expensive, period, but I feel that the Pod was a little overpriced for what I got and though I enjoyed my stay based on how helpful the location was for what I needed, if I had to stay longer than a few nights the annoying things would probably start to grate on me. 
For similarly priced stays, try either The Jane or East Village Bed and Coffee.