The Affinia Shelburne has the ugliest, depressing lobby I have ever seen in a hotel. It is very dark, impersonal, and has about as much charm as a bus terminal. Everything is dark--dark reds, dark muddy browns, dark lighting, dirty carpeting and tiles--the building must have originally been an apartment building. If a guest wants to use their public restrooms they are located down a very steep flight of stairs in the basement.
As for the accommodations, the first room that was assigned to us was extremely small--just a bed, a desk, and a desk chair. It overlooked a bunch of dirty rooftops. We asked for another room and got one that was slightly larger--it had an easy chair and a little more space. We had a view of an apartment building on the other side of Lexington Avenue.
Other negatives: Even though my husband called the hotel and asked if they had robes and was told "yes," when we got there they said they no longer supplied them. Strangely, on their web site the page that lists "amenities" shows two robes hanging in a closet. They, did, however, "find" one for us. The next thing was a problem with the sliding door on our bathroom--it would not move. Someone had to come up from maintenance and give it a whack before it would budge. Towels are few and small.
Positives: Good lighting in the bathroom and bedroom. Nice sheets and a pillow menu. Good TV reception and channel choices. The location is four blocks south of Grand Central, but there are much nicer hotels within that same area.
All in all for $315 a night it was a disappointment. We've stayed in much nicer hotels in NYC for the same or less money.
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