The Micro Hotel Trend Arrives in the City of Brotherly Love With Pod Philly
Pod Philly ups the cool factor in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.
Philadelphia is in the midst of a much-anticipated hotel boom, with nearly 500 rooms opening in 2019 and over 1,700 projected in 2020, from brands that include the Four Seasons, the W, and the Canopy by Hilton. One of the latest to open this past September is Pod Philly, the city’s first micro hotel.
Located in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in Center City, Pod Philly is the most recent project from Modus Hotels, in partnership with Parkway Corporation. Modus, a development and management firm based in Washington, D.C., owns and operates a portfolio of nine hotels in four cities, including the Pod D.C. (The firm franchises the Pod concept from BD Hotels, which runs four Pod hotels in Manhattan and Brooklyn.)
Modus already had a footprint in Philadelphia, running the Windsor Suites near Logan Square, and, approximately four years ago, saw the vibrant city as a fit for a Pod. “The influx of youth into cities was happening in Boston, New York, Washington, and Philadelphia at about that time,” says Aaron Katz, president and CEO of Modus. “That influx is what’s made hoteling fun and interesting and creative and different.”
While searching for the perfect location for the hotel, Katz also noticed something missing from Rittenhouse Square: “There were all these places that are relatively unapproachable in terms of how they serve people. I thought, this is just begging for a place where people can create a community—much in the way that the Ace Hotel in New York does—where locals hang out, have a coffee, and work.”
Most of the property’s 252 rooms measure about 175 square feet, while 18 larger studio rooms offer a little more space. Designed by Stonehill Taylor—the NYC-based firm also responsible for designing properties like the Ace Hotel New York and the TWA Hotel at New York–JFK Airport—every square inch is thoughtfully utilized. Bedside tables double as desks, under-bed cubbies store suitcases, plenty of wall hooks keep bags and clothing organized, and custom-made benches add more hidden storage.
Floor-to-ceiling windows lend an openness to each room and provide panoramic views of the city. An on-site fitness center is stocked with a Peloton bike plus treadmills and weights, and each floor has a Brita water station so guests can refill their own water bottles. (Fun fact: It’s also the first hotel with bunk beds in Philadelphia.)
In an effort to balance out the small (ahem, “efficient”) rooms, one core characteristic of a micro hotel is an emphasis on welcoming, shared spaces with plenty of character. To create this, Modus partnered with Philadelphia-based Defined Hospitality, the restaurant group responsible for award-winning spots like Lebanese café Suraya and Pizzeria Beddia in the Fishtown neighborhood.
Led by Greg Root, Al Lucas, and chef Nick Kennedy, Defined delivered that with three food and beverage concepts inside Pod Philly: El Café, an all-day coffee bar selling horchata iced lattes, pastries by James Beard Award–nominated pastry chef James Matty, and breakfast tacos on handmade corn tortillas; Condesa, a contemporary Mexican restaurant with the same tortillas, made with stone-ground masa; and El Techo, the 11th-floor taqueria with tequila- and mezcal-based cocktails and a retractable glass roof.
“They understand hospitality,” says Katz. “They understand making people feel special, how to create an atmosphere. They just get all the pieces that are the ethos of our company—how you create unique experiences for people while they’re traveling.” Creating unique experiences for guests and travelers is a central tenet of Modus and of micro hotels in general. “It’s really about getting people interested in the public spaces and getting out of their rooms. You travel to a neighborhood or to a location, not to a hotel.”
Commenting on the first hotel-based endeavor for Defined Hospitality, partner Al Lucas agrees that the timing was right for a Pod in Philadelphia. And, after recently spending the night himself, the seasoned business traveler and longtime Philly-area resident touts the merits of a micro hotel.
“The room was a springboard to launching out into the city,” Lucas says. “We’ve seen our city grow over the last several years, and we’re now ripe for a hotel like this. It’s becoming more interesting, from neighborhood to neighborhood and corner to corner, than it’s ever been.”
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