Have stayed at the Shelburne dozens of times over the past 20 years, but this was my first visit since the total renovation and rebranding. Overall, the updating has improved the look, but reduced the value and the functionality of the rooms. On the plus side, the hotel has become downright stylish, with modern, attractive decor, improved lighting, welcoming public areas, and a vibe that is much hipper and far less like staying at your grandmother's. But, a lot has been sacrificed to trendiness. Whereas the hotel previously had kitchens in all rooms, there is now only a "pantry" in the the deluxe rooms, with just a microwave and minifridge. No more full-size fridge, oven, stovetop, coffemaker, dishes or dishwasher. Likewise dining tables have been removed. TVs are now flatscreen, but not HD. Wireless internet expensive ($13.95/day) and glacially slow. Bathrooms are totally redone with improved lighting and fixtures, but far less counter space, medicine cabinets removed, and three-way mirrors gone (and the trendy soapdish in the shower doesn't hold the trendy soap they provide!) And the only previous bathroom shortcoming did not get resolved....commodes in many of the rooms have so little space that you practically need to remove your left leg in order to achieve a seated position. And finally, the fitness center has moved from the basement to the second floor, but has become smaller and the saunas have been eliminated. All in all, it's still a good hotel in a great location, but the renovation is not necessarily an improvement.

Have just returned from a ten day trip to the US, which ended with five days in NYC staying at Affinia Shelburne - have mixed feelings about this hotel. Firstly, we got an excellent price (40% discount) through Hotels.com. I emailed hotel twice to give them a chance to price match - no response. In the end I called from UK, but they wouldn't do this, so booked through Hotels.com.

The hotel is very nice indeed, although a different part of the public area appears to be being dug up each day! Also, the housekeeping trolleys were kept in the corridors all the time, which spoiled the look, and made it difficult to navigate past with all the luggage when we arrived and left.

The room we had was the quietest we have ever had in NYC and was very comfortable indeed. However, to call it a Studio Suite is a misnomer - it is an ordinary hotel bedroom with only one chair , a bed, a TV and a desk with minibar - most definitely not a suite.

The hotel offered a hot buffet breakfast for $12 for the first three mornings which was excellent, but on the fourth morning it changed to a la carte where a slice of french toast and a coffee would have cost more than this and the 18% gratuity was added automatically to the bill - even though half of the dining room was being (very noisily) dug up at the time we wanted breakfast.

The charges for wi-fi and computer access were, I thought, steep, particularly as I have usually had free internet access in New York hotels previously. The staff (with the exception of a couple of the doormen and the really pleasant chambermaid) were uninterested to the point of rudeness and the front desk staff didn't adjust our bill as they promised to.

When I asked if they had bathrobes as pictured on their website, I was told that the website room photographs were not real room settings, just made up ones! They did however then provide me with robes.

When asking about the rooftop bar, we were told it was on the 14th floor by one member of staff, the 15th floor by another, and finally correctly the 16th floor by the third. When we visited it we were short changed by $10 by the barman and offered no apology - only told by the manager that it was our fault because we didn't get a check (weren't offered one!).

I have stayed in the Affinia Manhattan previously where it is much more noisy, but the room (studio suite) was huge, had kitchen facilities and the staff were very gracious. I have also stayed in the San Carlos which is far superior and the Courtyard Marriott (several times) where the customer service is absolutely excellent. Would I stay there again - no probably not, and definitely not at the full prices.

The overall feeling given by the staff at this hotel was that they were interested in getting every last dollar out of us. Whilst I have no problem in paying for good service and amenities , this hotel did not provide either of these. This is not a 4 star hotel, and the service is certainly not 4 star.

Stayed for 5 nights. Made the reservation through the hotel's website (not expedia, hotels.com or orbitz). They have a very good and modern website that lets you choose different amenities for your stay. Unfortunately, the staff at the hotel doesn't even know that those options in the website exist, so don't expect to find what you asked for when you arrive.
We called the front desk to ask for what we requested (and was willing to pay for) at reservation but not only they had no idea about it, but they were rude and then didn't return the calls. They didn't even try to solve the issue but kept pretending that I was making things up. Then, on top of that, one of the nights we returned to the hotel at 11pm and found that they forgot to clean up the room. I went to complain to the front desk and the manager on duty only reduced my rate by a total of $20 out of $1,500. Ridiculous, but didn't have more energy to discuss. I was on vacations...

The rooms are big and nicely decorated. Very good king mattress. TIP: If it is cold, ask for an additional blanket as soon as you get in because they run out of them quickly.

The best thing in this hotel is their executive office manager Marybel. She was the only one that stepped up and personally solved the main issue that we faced with our reservation and showed real interest in making our stay better. Unfortunately, the people at the front desk and at the phone don't even care. I feel sorry for Marybel as she was really great, but this review is about the general experience with the hotel.

Net, I spent $1,500 and even though the rooms are nice and big, the poor service ended up making my stay unpleasant. Will not stay there again. I will choose a Marriott, Hyatt or one of the other major brands with more professional staff.

Spent 4 nights at the Affinia Shelburne and loved it. Newly rennovated with the Affinia name. The rooms are very spacious (I was in the 1 bdrm suite). The roof top bar is lovely, music in lobby is hip, overall great experience. Be sure to check out My Affinia to select the aminities that are most important to you. I chose my pillow and yoga kit, at no additional cost. Would stay here again in a heart beat!