We selected the Affinia Manhattan for one night after searching TripAdvisor for the best reviews of hotels in the area of Penn Station. It is not the cheapest place to stay (we paid $US349 plus tax for one night, making it a $400 stay or more than $AUD500), but if you want anything more than a broom cupboard in New York, then you have to fork out the cash. As we were travelling with a ten year old, we liked the idea of a suite hotel.
Location: The Affinia Manhattan is in one of the most convenient places you can imagine - just across the road from Penn Station (with access to the subway and New Jersey Transit etc), a few minutes walk from the Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway, Macy's, Fifth Avenue and so on. Plenty of places to eat near the hotel and a very cheap 99c store is in the same street. We had a plane to catch to La Guardia the day of our departure and we walked our very heavy 5 suitcases the short distance from the hotel to the 34th St Subway to get a subway/bus connection which took us all the way to the airport for the princely sum of $2 each. Best deal in town!
Hotel itself: We walked in off the street to book a room the day before our arrival and this was no problem. The foyer/lobby area is brightly lit and welcoming and the staff couldn't be more helpful (Kyle at reception was particularly nice). We were able to check in early (around 12 noon) and our room was available straight away. The room itself had two (small but clean and just fine) bathrooms, a reasonably sized lounge area with sofabed, a kitchen, and a reasonably sized bedroom with one of the most comfortable beds - and pillows - we had encountered in our 8-week travels. Staff were uniformly pleasant and helpful - there was a slight problem in that the sofabed was not made up as we requested while we were out for the day, but one call and housekeeping were there in a flash to make it up. My daughter wanted different pillows from the ones supplied in the room and some were ready in a jiffy. We had a slight emergency which meant we needed to change our flights and rental car bookings for the following day, and the concierge in particular was incredibly helpful in getting things sorted out for us. We were able to get a later check out time with no trouble. Also - we received an online survey to complete, and did so, mentioning the bed not being made up (comparatively trivial, really!). We received, within a day or two, a personal email response from the management apologising for this, and saying they hoped they could make it up to us next time. A very nice touch.
Not too many negatives about this stay, but things you should note:
- the kitchen fridge made a lot of noise, which I combatted by turning down the temperature level.
- there was traffic noise, even 22 levels up, so watch out on lower floors - still, this is New York, so what do you expect?
- the TV in the main bedroom was to one side rather than in front of the bed - made it rather difficult to see from an uncomfortable viewing position.
- the kitchen was superfluous for a one night stay - plenty of places to eat nearby, particularly the delis on 6th Avenue. Hotel restaurant looked nice but was way too expensive so we didn't eat there.
- we didn't need to use it as it wasn't hot, but the airconditioner was one of the old box type ones stuck in the window which I think would have made a lot of noise if used.
- the Internet access in the lobby is quite expensive, so an internet cafe would be a better option.
All in all, for two rooms, two bathrooms and such a convenient location, the Affinia Manhattan was reasonable value. The excellence of the staff was a great bonus feature. New York is an amazing place to visit and this stay topped it off nicely.
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