The Pod Hotels opened the Pod DC, a 245-room microhotel located in the Chinatown/Penn Quarter neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Following the model of BD Hotels’ Pod Hotels in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Pod DC is located across the street from the Gallery Place-Chinatown metro station and the Smithsonian museums, as well as a short walk to the Verizon Center, theaters, restaurants and public transportation.
Owned and operated by Modus Hotels, a Washington D.C. lifestyle hotel group, Pod DC includes curated art and photography that speaks to the city as a whole. The lobby’s “open walls” serve as canvases, highlighting local art and artists sourced by CulturalDC, a nonprofit group that fuels the arts and builds community in the neighborhood. In addition to local art, each hallway leads guests through a photographic journey through D.C.
The food-and-beverage venues at Pod DC include Crimson Diner, which is located on the hotel’s ground level and is a warm and inviting space for guests to enjoy creative southern fare from morning until late night. One level below lays the Crimson Whiskey Bar—a public house that celebrates whiskey’s history in the American South. Guests can perch on one of the leather couches while enjoying authentic moonshine or the selection of whiskies in addition to other spirits. To round out Pod DC’s trioof venues is Crimson View – the hotel’s rooftop offering indoor and outdoor spaces that include views of the D.C. skyline. Pod DC’s F&B partner is Washington’s most prolific restaurant and bar operating team – Ian and Eric Hilton, the duo behind D.C.’s bars and restaurants such as American Ice Company, Chez Billy Sud and Marvin. Crimson was designed by architect/designer Michael Francis of SAINT, Studio for Architecture and Interiors.
With guestrooms courtesy of New York design firm Stonehill & Taylor, Pod DC places an emphasis on efficiency and style with a mix of mid-century and modern elements. Room offerings include double, queen and bunk bed configurations. With features like built-in storage and high-tech amenities that allow guests to stream their own media content, all rooms were designed and scaled to maximize space, while providing travelers everything they need to stay plugged in and engaged. Guestrooms are finished in royal blue with yellow accents and large-scale windows, which provide light and views of the Chinatown/Penn Quarter neighborhood. Select rooms also have views of Chinatown-Friendship Archway. Bathrooms, entered through a sliding glass barn door, have rain showerheads and terrazzo floors, complemented by eco-friendly bath products.
“The expansion of Pod Hotels to D.C. is a symbol of the broad appeal of our micro-hotel concept,” Richard Born of BD Hotels said in a statement. “We expect Pod DC to attract a similar type of traveler to those who visit our New York properties: individuals from all over the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America, ranging in age from 18-85, who are looking for an affordable, stylish hotel that allows them to easily explore a destination and meet others with similar passions in the property’s communal spaces.”
“Modus Hotels is looking to energize the D.C. hospitality scene with the addition of Pod DC,” Aaron Katz, president and CEO of Modus Hotels, said in a statement. “We believe there is a place in the D.C. hotel market for a fun, value-driven hotel – one that places travelers in the center of the city’s happenings, inspires them to search out local adventures and offers them a social experience that is new and fresh to the D.C. scene. We're confident Pod DC will allow travelers to do all that without breaking the bank.”