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A mainstay of cheap sleeps in Manhattan is getting a hip makeover while remaining affordable.

The Pickwick Arms in Midtown East is now the Pod Hotel, with 347 guestrooms going for as little as $75 per night. That's less than what the nearby Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East ($259) and even the Vanderbilt YMCA ($83) wanted for a Jan. 29 stay. (These rates, checked online, may no longer be available.)

Amenities include free WiFi, iPod docking stations, LCD-screen TVs, a restaurant and, soon, a rooftop lounge and a garden.

The downside? Guestrooms, many with shared baths and bunk beds, are as tiny as 90 square feet. Rates are higher than at Hostelling International New York City, which was asking $25 per night for a dorm bed for Jan. 29. (You would also be dozens of blocks away, on West 103rd.)

The Pod, run by BD Hotels, which owns the Mercer, the Chambers and other New York hotels, is aimed at ages 20 to 35, its owners say. But anyone seeking style on a shoestring is welcome. (800) 742-5945, http://www.thepodhotel.com.

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