OverviewLocated about a 5-minute walk from Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan's Murray Hill neighbourhood, the Affinia Shelburne Hotel is suitable for business or vacation travellers who prefer a centrally located boutique-style hotel with on-site dining, meeting space and easy access to public transit.
Each of this smoke-free hotel's air-conditioned guest rooms and suites offers cable TV, a coffeemaker, a desk and a hair dryer. Rooms with a separate bedroom, a living area with a sofabed, a dining area and a kitchenette are also available, as are wheelchair-accessible rooms. In-room Wi-Fi is an additional $14.95 per day.
The hotel also offers a rooftop bar and lounge, a fitness centre, massage services, guest laundry, a business centre, meeting space, free nightly wine tastings and valet-only parking for $65 per day. Pets are permitted for $25 per pet, per stay. On-site dining is offered at Rare Bar and Grill, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.
The Empire State Building is about a 9-minute drive away, while Times Square and Manhattan Mall can both be found 13 minutes away via public transit. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is roughly a 25-minute drive from the hotel. (All distances and travel time estimates: Google Maps)
Verified with a front desk agent: Wi-Fi $14.95/day, valet-only parking $65/day, pets $25/pet/stay, wheelchair accessible. (Call Date: November 2, 2013)
The GoodThe majority of the reviews sourced for this analysis were positive, with much praise going to the hotel's location, staff and rooms.
Many guests praised the hotel's location, describing it as central, and close to restaurants, shopping, Grand Central Station, MOMA and the Empire State Building. One patron noted, "We've been to NYC a few times, and location was spot on, walking distance to most of the sights in midtown".
The hotel's staff were the source of numerous compliments by reviewers, who characterized them as accommodating, professional and helpful with directions, suggestions and show tickets. One guest remarked, "The staff bent over backwards.. we arrived at 6.30 am and our room was already ready!!!!.. a late check out.. no problem!!! and they didn't even charge us.. thats customer service!!".
Several lodgers were pleased with their accommodations at the hotel. They described their rooms as clean, spacious, beautiful, modern, quiet and well equipped, with comfortable beds and pillows and great views of the Chrysler Building. A few travellers had complaints about their rooms, however (see below).
The Bad
While the majority of reviews consulted for this analysis were positive, there were a few common complaints about the added costs and the rooms.
A few lodgers were disappointed with the added costs they incurred during their stay. They found the parking and Wi-Fi fees to be very expensive, and felt free Wi-Fi should have been included in the room rates.
Although the majority of reviewers praised their clean and spacious rooms, a few patrons had complaints. They reported noise transfer from guests in adjacent rooms and in rooms near the hotel's rooftop bar, as well as no cutlery or plates in rooms with a kitchenette.
TripAdvisor.com guest reviews ranked the hotel #87 of 439 Manhattan hotels with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 2,353 reviews.
Expedia.ca guest reviews rated the hotel 4.4 out of 5 with a 95% recommendation rate from 1,681 reviews.
Booking.com guest reviews rated the hotel 8.4 out of 10 from 651 reviews.
The author called the hotel on November 2, 2013 to verify some information.
