Continuing those efforts, The Pod's global brand strategy and design firm 321 Worldwide more recently launched a closed social network named PodCulture for the hotel's clients.

"This younger, style-savvy generation wants to be able to engage with a brand like ours beyond just booking a stay," said David Bernstein, general manager at The Pod Hotel. "PodCulture has become an integral component of our guest experience."

Designed with the help of network developers Progressive Element, PodCulture is available only to guests who have already booked one of the hotel's 347 rooms, which run between $99 and $200.

On the site they can network with other guests weeks before their stay, coordinating meet-ups through common and pre-conceived experiences like "Drink with Me," "Eat with Me," "Shop with Me," and "Go Out with Me."

"Our work completely reinvents the guest experience before, during and after a hotel stay," said Alona Elkayam, founder and president of the New York-based 321 Worldwide. "This makes for a total adventure for the hotel's visitors who are from everywhere, from California to Amsterdam."

Interior design and public relation fees aside, the hotel's rebranding effort cost roughly $150,000, which included about $20,000 for the social networking component, according to Elkayam.

Since launching the social network and related brand initiatives, traffic to the Pod Hotel has increased exponentially. What's more, since the hotel's branding overhaul in 2006, revenue has increased by 400%, along with increased client retention rates, according to spokesperson for the hotel.

According to Gartner analyst Andrew Frank, the business of building brand loyalty and client retention through social networks is still quite unscientific.

Larger brands like Carnival Cruise Lines have created enough traction to seemingly justify their social networking efforts, but the measurement is still vague, and the audiences are still transient," he said.

"Clients and agencies do seem to be getting smarter about expectations, and the fact that social campaigns can take a lot of work to be successful." Frank added.

Other features of the overall brand experience initiative created by 321 include personalized survival Guides to help with activity planning during guests' stay in the city, including: personalized maps, guides and concierge services to help guests navigate the city; daily forecasts of events, places, and things to do; and customized itineraries for guests to tour pockets of the city.

PodCulture might represent the future of social media efforts to a degree not yet fully recognized by the industry, said Frank. "The site they've created is made up of a very targeted audience, which we're seeing is very important to the success of social networking efforts."

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