Heartbreak hotel: Hotel stays get social

New York – A new concept in hotels aims to help break the ice between hotel guests, making their stay a useful networking experience. The Pod Hotel in New York, which already attracts a coterie of young and hip visitors with its iPod docking stations in rooms and free wifi access throughout, has now added a social-networking dimension to its offering.

The hotel has launched PodCulture, an online forum on which prospective guests may socialise with one another before their stay. The forum allows guests to learn about one another’s trips, effectively letting guests get to know each other even before they arrive.

Targeting the increasing number of young creatives and freelancers who travel on business, the Pod Hotel makes the process of networking simple and smooth, helping many of these often lone travellers make new, important connections.