DC's first microhotel is officially under construction. Yesterday, dirt was turned on the 245-room, 11-story hotel in Chinatown. Modus Hotels and Monument Realty's JV will produce the POD DC on the corner of 7th and H streets NW, across the street from the Gallery Place Metro stop. Snapped: Modus chairman Conrad Cafritz, Sarosh Olpadwala, director of real estate in the deputy mayor's office, ANC 2C chair John Tinpe and Modus CEO Aaron Katz were there to celebrate the groundbreaking, as was Mayor Muriel Bowser. Katz says the timing is right for DC's first microhotel.

The concept was imported from New York, where POD brand owner BD Hotels owns or is developing 1,400 rooms in more than two dozen hotels. The rooms in POD DC will be a maximum of 150 SF, but will feature rain showers, smart TVs and free WiFi. The lifestyle hotel will have two stories and 12k SF of food and beverage space, which will act as a gathering place for those staying in the hotel and their friends in town. The hotel is expected to open next year.