Excitement Grows for Center City’s First Micro Hotel

Early last month, I blogged about the growing national trend towards pod, or micro hotels. These lodgings, which are distinguished by very small but space-efficient rooms, are more than just a curiosity: they are an innovative way to bring more rooms to cities where hotel space is at a premium, and to make cost-efficient places for visitors to stay. Philadelphia is preparing for its first micro hotel, an outlet of the Pod Hotels chain called Pod Philly. It is due to open in September of next year, says Curbed.

The Center City hotel, located at 19th & Ludlow Streets, will contain 252 rooms, each approximately the size of a single bedroom in a regular house. At around 17o square feet apiece, they will hold either one queen size bed or a set of bunk beds, and a tiny but fully-functional bathroom. The 11-story building is being developed by Modus Hotels.

The micro hotel will be outstanding for more than just its tiny, affordable rooms. It will also feature highly desirable amenities, the likes of which are normally seen in much bigger, posher lodgings. Within the hotel walls there will be a restaurant, coffee shop, workspace, and rooftop bar. Hotel patrons can see the city and come back to the hotel to dine and drink in comfort, all while saving money on the traditionally spendy cost of staying right in the heart of Philadelphia.

According to the Philadelphia Voice: “The micro-hotel trend growing in cities abroad and domestically is contributed in part to limited space. In San Francisco and New York where space is scarce and expensive, micro-hotels have managed to survive and continue to develop.” So Pod Philly could be just the beginning of a trend towards small hotel rooms throughout the City of Brotherly Love. Prices for the Philadelphia micro hotel have not yet been set, but in other major cities the rooms go for $100 – $150 a night.

Photo credit: Pod Philly / Modus Hotels