Affinia Dumont — Hotel Review Rating: 4.0 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Michael W.
Updated: August 21, 2009

 Scene

Owned and operated by the Denihan Hospitality Group, which also owns the Benjamin and the James, the Affinia is a small chain of midsize luxury hotels based mostly in New York. And the Dumont is the "fitness and wellness" branch of Affinia's "lifestyle" hotels.

With a lavish day spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a full-time "fitness concierge," and sports-themed art in the lobby, the 241-room Dumont makes it clear where its focus lies. The motto here is "Stay well. Stay relaxed. Stay fit. Or, simply stay."

Yet the trademark of its parent company -- allowing guests to customize their stays based on preferences and moods -- has just as much influence on the Dumont experience. The day before checking in, I visited the Dumont's website to do some customizing of my own. To stay well and fit, I ordered the Dumont's special "fit kit"; to stay relaxed, I ordered some "Affinia Dream Pillows." (And to stay reviewing -- we never stop working for you, dear reader -- I ordered a computer/Internet connectivity kit.) It was the first time I'd ever encountered a hotel where the experience begins before you arrive, and I had a lot of fun with it.

The "luxury" aspect of the Dumont is also immediately apparent. The lobby is classy all the way, with marble floors and walls, red velvet drapes, and a well-dressed, upper-middle-age clientele. On my first trip down the elevator, a 6'10" guy wearing blue and gold sweats walked in. Turned out he played basketball for Notre Dame and was heading over to nearby Madison Square Garden to play in the Big East Tournament. (Maybe his Swedish Memory Pillow didn't work: They got killed that night.) I would have been more surprised had I not already read a TripAdvisor post from a traveler who bumped into the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks during his stay at the Dumont. On the morning I checked out, I asked the woman at the front desk whether they got a lot of celebrities. "I'm not really allowed to say," she responded coyly, "but we do get a lot of groups." I gotcha, lady. Wink wink, nudge nudge, dunk dunk.

Yet despite its luxury status and high-profile guests -- and the rates that go with them -- the Dumont maintains a friendly, low-key vibe. The bell captain's attire, an unholy combination of pimp and pope -- capelet, fedora, aqua trim -- derives from the Denihan Group's Depression-era founder, Benjamin J. "Bud" Denihan, who supposedly greeted everyone he met with a tip of his hat (and whose affinity for his fellow man inspired Affinia's name). Other fun touches -- the notepad on the nightstand says "Doodle-Dee," and rubber duckies are available for purchase -- add to the whimsy.

 Service

This should tell you everything you need to know about the Dumont's service: One of the choices the hotel offers among its customize-your-stay options is which newspaper you'd like delivered to your door in the morning. I chose the New York Times. It wasn't delivered, however, and when I mentioned that to the guy at the front desk and asked if they had any extra copies there, he told me they could go pick one up nearby. No, no, I said. No, no, he responded -- and with that he handed a bellman $2 and sent him to the grocery next door to buy me a copy.

So, yeah, the online customization program seems to have some kinks. I received only three of the five items I had ordered. But no biggie. More important was how they responded to these lapses: with dispatch, apologies, and smiles on their faces.

The service staff seemed reasonably knowledgeable, too. The recommendations they gave me for dinner (the Barking Dog next door), drinks (Patrick Kavanagh's and Third & Long), and breakfast (Murray Hill Diner) weren't particularly imaginative, but the Dumont isn't in the most exciting area to begin with.

In addition to a regular concierge, there is also a full-time "fitness concierge" -- a health/wellness consultant, certified massage therapist, and personal trainer with a name straight out of a romance novel: Raphael St. James. I never met Raphael, but he can apparently recommend the best running routes and nearby yoga centers as well as answer any questions you might have about your well-being.

 Location

Murray Hill has a reputation for being a bit straight-and-narrow, populated by well-heeled 20-somethings working their first jobs by day and drinking heavily at night. My trip to a local bar on a Wednesday night -- where the trivia contest was settled by a chug-off -- did nothing to dispel that. But this is New York, and so the real picture is more complex than that. If you stroll around the neighborhood during the day, you will find that diversity abounds: elderly men walking their dogs, corporate raiders in suits, store owners of all races and nationalities.

And therein lies the advantage of the location: In Murray Hill, you're among locals. If you want to get a sense of a "real" New York neighborhood, as opposed to tourist-swamped areas like Times Square and the Theater District, the Dumont isn't a bad option.

The disadvantage is that you won't be as close to most of the popular tourist haunts. Grand Central Station is 10 short blocks north, and the Empire State Building is just five or 10 minutes by foot. But aside from those, you're looking at a 15- to 30-minute walk or a subway or taxi ride.

If you're willing to try the subway, the 33rd St. stop on the 6-train, which runs up and down the east side of Manhattan, is just two blocks away. A few stops south and you're in the East Village; a few stops north, you're at Museum Mile and 5th Avenue shopping.

The area is also quite safe -- upscale and quiet, yet well lit and trafficked enough that you'll never be alone.

 Rooms

I had a studio suite, the most basic room type, and it was large (between 425 and 450 square feet), especially by New York standards. (Junior suites are similarly sized; one-bedroom suites are quite a bit bigger.) But then, the rooms here have to be big in order to make full use of your "fit kit."

Most rooms at the Dumont boast a fully stocked kitchen, though mine was really more of a kitchenette -- large enough for one person at a time to cook or wash or make coffee (Affinia's own organic Allegro brand, which was pretty good). It included a fridge, a stove, a sink, and cabinets, plus pots, pans, silverware, etc. -- basically, everything you need unless you plan to move in.

The rooms also sport an impressive array of features, from an ergonomic chair and sizable desk to a portable keyboard and iPod docking station. Terry cloth robes, "Affinia Dream Pillows," and various kits are also available for free by request. (For more on the special features, see Features, below.)

My bathroom was modestly sized but as classy and comfortable as the rest of the room, with granite countertops, plush towels, and excellent water pressure. The highlight, at least for me, was the rosemary-mint-scented Avena shampoo and conditioner, which left my (small amount of) hair smelling minty fresh.

For all the room's charms, there were a few negatives. The mattress, by Sleepmaster, was decent but sagged a bit. The kick pedal on the trash can in the kitchen was broken, and I had trouble mastering the thermostat -- the room was always a little too warm or a little too cold. The TV, an old Zenith, was neither wide-screen nor flat-screen. ("The only non-HD TV I saw out of 4 American hotels on this trip," as one guest wrote. "I was aghast.")

 Features

One of the Affinia's hallmarks is that your experience begins before you even arrive. Through the hotel's website, you can customize your stay by requesting certain amenities ahead of time, which, while not entirely necessary (you can always just ask at the front desk when you arrive), is entirely fun.

All sorts of "kits" are available for your customizing pleasure, some (Ibanez guitar) more gratuitous than others (nail polish remover, universal laptop charger). I ordered a few of the complimentary items: terry cloth bathrobes, a computer/Internet connectivity kit, a fitness kit, and two "Affinia Dream Pillows" -- the Swedish Memory Pillow ("ABBA-cadabra!" says the website) and the Magnetic Therapy Pillow, which wasn't particularly therapeutic and didn't seem very magnetic.

The Dumont's gym and spa are both state-of-the-art, as you might expect of a hotel whose focus is fitness and wellness. The gym features stellar, up-to-date LifeFitness equipment, including cardio machines (three ellipticals, three treadmills, two bikes) with personal TVs, eight weight machines, and a set of free weights.

The Oasis Day Spa offers massages, skin care, and body treatments. I didn't splurge on any of those, but I did take a tour of the inner sanctum. Not surprisingly, I found plenty of candles, much darkness, and a healthy dose of soothing, Asian-sounding spa music.

The only feature I wasn't pleased with was the in-room Internet, not because the wired connection wasn't strong -- it was -- but because it cost an additional $13.95 per day. Given that the rooms often cost upward of $300, I felt like I was being nickel-and-dimed for an amenity that, in this day and age, is more like a necessity.

 Family

The Deumont doesn't explicitly discourage bringing kids along, of course, but the fact that children under 18 aren't allowed in the fitness center -- at a fitness hotel -- says something. And those rubber duckies available for purchase? The website advertises, "Get in touch with your inner child," not "Let your actual child go nuts."

Cribs are free and can fit in any size room. Rollaways, available for $30, can fit only in junior suites and one-bedrooms.

 Cleanliness

If you can find a stain or stray strand of hair during your stay, please comment here and send us a picture.

 Food

The Dumont doesn't have its own restaurant, but it is loosely affiliated with the American-style bistro right next door, the Barking Dog. When I asked the front-desk staff where to go for dinner, it was, not surprisingly, the first place on their list; ditto for breakfast the next morning. I followed their recommendation for dinner and found the food tasty but nothing special for New York City. If you're a dog person, though, you'll love the dog-themed decor. The damage came to $30 for an entree and a beer.

I ate breakfast at the Murray Hill Diner, another front-desk recommendation, which is less than a block away. It's fast, reasonable, and palatable. For someplace with a little more personality, try Penelope, three blocks north. One local I know swears by it.

Finally, there is the little stretch on Lexington Avenue between 27th and 30th streets known as Little India ("Curry Hill," to locals). For an absurdly detailed map of what's available there, check out this map. Interactivity galore!

 Bottom Line

With a world-class gym and spa, plus dozens of customized amenities, the all-suites Dumont is a phenomenal option if you're looking for an urban spa getaway. More than that, it's an excellent high-end choice in general as long as you don't mind being a bit of a hike away from NYC's main tourist haunts.