Affinia Fifty — Hotel Review Rating: 3.5 Pearls

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Oyster Hotel Review

Reporter: Kate M.
Updated: December 18, 2009

 Scene

The Affinia Fifty's mission is to create "Your own private club in Manhattan." (other New York Affinias focus on spa and fitness, "tranquility and relaxation," and "access to everything N.Y.C. has to offer.") The hotel has a fairly non-descript entrance along hotel-heavy East 50th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues in Midtown East, an area filled with corporate skyscrapers. All doormen wear iconic fedoras (also incorporated into the company's logo), which are an homage to the Affinia chain's hat-tipping founder, Benjamin J. “Bud” Denihan, Sr.

The low-ceilinged lobby doesn't exactly feel like a private club, what with lines of people at the front desk and luggage carts parked in front of the small elevator. But the second-floor club lounge has a fairly sociable atmosphere, created by ample sofas, two fireplaces, free coffee and tea, and plenty of board games. Anyone who spends even one night at the hotel is granted lifetime access to the lounge (though I didn't receive a membership card or anything). Complimentary wine and cheese are served here from Monday-Thursday, and a $14.75 continental breakfast buffet ($6.95 for kids under 12) is served seven days a week.

The hotel is quite popular with families because most of its rooms (which are in fact suites) come with kitchenettes and sleep four or more people. Aside from the kid-friendly books and games in the club lounge, the Affinia chain also offers a popular "Jet-Set Kids" promotion.

The hotel is on the site of a former apartment building, which helps account for its small lobby, narrow hallways, and painfully slow, tiny elevator. Management said there are no immediate plans to renovate the tired interior.

 Service

Perhaps the Affinia chain's most noteworthy feature is My Affinia Concierge, a program it launched in 2008 that allows guests to request special items and state room preferences online. Prior to my visit, I tried to create an online profile of personal preferences at My Affinia Concierge, only to learn I needed to log in more than 24 hours before my visit. I asked about these preferences at check-in, and was directed to a kiosk to request specialized pillows, complimentary contact lens solution (a unique and hugely helpful feature), and an in-room fitness kit that includes a yoga mat, a few workout DVDs, and even ankle weights. These items weren't in my room on arrival, but when I called the front desk they were brought up in about 20 minutes (and another housekeeper delivered an extra pillow in five minutes).

I arrived right at check-in time, 3 p.m., and was helped promptly by a friendly front desk clerk (though a line soon materialized behind me that may have made for longer waits). No bellhops were around to offer help with my bags. When I left the next morning, the scene was much more chaotic, and I had to wait in line for about 10 minutes before I could check out.

The concierge desk is at the front of the club lounge. When I asked about wireless Internet availability, I got a rather curious response. "We charge $13.95/day, but you can probably pick it up for free. You didn't hear it from me, though," he said. Annoyingly, I couldn't pick it up for free after all. When I left my room around 7 p.m. in hopes of soliciting restaurant recommendations, I discovered that the concierge was gone for the night (it appeared he'd left at 6 p.m.). Fortunately, two friendly clerks behind the front desk were eager to give me lots of suggestions and printed out maps and subway directions for me. But be forewarned, this does not seem like a hotel where the concierge bends over backwards for you, unlike what I experienced at Bryant Park Hotel and the nearby W New York.

With that being said, the Affinia is by no means understaffed, and its online concierge program is great so long as it works properly. My colleague who stayed at Affinia Dumont even had his pre-requeseted items waiting for him when he arrived at his room. I also received turndown service, and even found that my bathroom was tidied in the evening (and replenished with extra Aveda toiletries.

 Location

Affinia 50 is located on -- you guessed it! -- East 50th Street in Midtown East, between Lexington and Third Avenues. It's around the corner from the 51st Street station on the 6 line, and a few blocks down from the E and V lines at 53rd and Lexington. The entire block of 50th Street is nothing but hotels, including the San Carlos, the Kimberly, the Benjamin and W New York. Lexington Avenue is lined with skyscraper office buildings, and filled with zooming yellow taxicabs. Third Avenue, which a side of the Affinia faces, is more a mix of stores, restaurants, and small apartments. The area is safe, if fairly quiet, at night, but gets more lively and residential on Second Avenue.

 Airport Transportation

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, La Guardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Flying into JFK or LaGuardia is typically easiest and the least time-consuming. From JFK, it's a (one-hour) $45 flat-rate taxi ride to anywhere in Manhattan. From LaGuardia, it's about a (30-minute) $40 metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 (plus tolls), and can take more than 90 minutes. Don't forget to tip your driver 15-25 percent.

To save some cash, try the group shuttles that are available at all three airports for about $14/person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. You can also take public transit from any of the airports for as little as $7 per person, but travel can take up to two hours and involve a lot of lugging bags up and down stairs. For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

 Rooms

Standard guest rooms come with a comfortable king-size bed and enough extra space to use an "in-room fitness kit" (or a roll-away cot). Ranging from 280- to 350-square-feet, these rooms are quite large for a Midtown hotel, but they're looking a little outdated. The TVs are boxy old tube sets and there's only a CD player, rather than an iPod dock. They can fit a large "executive" desk and have plenty of light, thanks to seven lamps. Wi-Fi or hard-wired Internet is avaiable, but it costs an extra $13.95 for 24 hours.

The bathrooms are spacious, if unexciting, with a nice vanity area by the sink and a standard shower that seemed to have about 16 faucets. The toiletries are from Aveda, and the Rosemary Mint scent is a personal favorite.

The hotel prides itself on its six-choice pillow menu. I ordered the hypoallergenic and Swedish memory foam pillows, which were promptly delivered to my room. Other options include goose down (standard in the room), Buckwheat, Sound (with built-in iPod speakers) and Magnetic.

All rooms come with a high-quality mini-bar that even includes small bottles of Beaujolais wine.

A word for the wise: Second floor rooms are convenient in that they're close to the fitness center and club lounge, but they also get a lot of noise from the nearby club lounge. Furthermore, because the elevators are especially small and often over-crowded, getting off at second floor can be a hassle. On three separate occasions I waited for an elevator for more than five minutes.

Most of the hotel is composed of studio (350- to 450-square feet), one-bedroom (550-650) suites, all of which come with kitchens and can sleep at least four people (many have two queen beds, and some have a queen bed and pull-out sofa). Studio suites run from $279-$320/night (juniors average $300-$340), a fantastic deal considering the space and splitting the cost among 3-4 people. Again, the kitchens and other amenities aren't exactly cutting-edge, but the space is a rare commodity in New York City, particularly at that price and in the convenient location.

 Features

The hotel markets itself to guests as "Your own private club in Manhattan," and so on the second floor, overlooking the small lobby, is a stylish club lounge featuring comfy couches, complimentary tea and coffee, an Internet room, two flat-screen TVs, board games, and a New York-themed library. The lounge is also home to a popular, free wine and cheese party Monday-Thursday from 6-7 p.m. Incidentially, any guest is considered a "lifelong member" of the club lounge, meaning I now have a place to snag free coffee whenever I'm in Midtown East.

The 24-hour fitness center, accessed with a room key, is around the corner from the club lounge on the second floor. It's a pretty average workout room, with nothing special like personal video screens, but it does feature plenty of quality Life Fitness cardio equipment as well as a few weight machines, free weights, and exercise balls. Because the hotel also offers complimentary fitness kits that include yoga mats, blocks and straps, as well as ankle weights and Billy Blanks workout DVDs, guests can also work out in the comfort of their own room.

In addition to the workout kit, guests can also request a complimentary spa kit with emery boards and nail polish, or amenities like a golf putter, a universal phone charger, a guided walking tour, or cupcakes (all for an extra cost). A variety of in-room spa treatments are also available daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

 Family

Families love the Affinia 50, given its safe, convenient location, large rooms (most of which sleep at least four people with sofa beds and can attach to other rooms), and laid-back lounge with plenty of board games. I even noticed a display for a special promotion that the hotel does with the American Girl doll store. Affinia also runs a popular "Jet-Set Kids" promotion where young guests receive a kids' New York City guidebook, N.Y.C. stickers and a scrapbook, and even a digital camera.

 Pets

The "Jet-Set Pets" program provides things like dog walks, a guide to N.Y.C. dog runs, snacks, and even a number for a pet psychic. Unlike some pet-friendly hotels in Manhattan, like Westins or W Hotels, the Affinia doesn't charge an extra daily fee for pets, nor are guests required to pay a deposit up front. They just have to sign a waiver agreeing to pay $50 or more for cleaning charges, if necessary. Given its spacious rooms, and that Peter Detmold Dog Run is just three blocks East at Beekman Place, the Affina is one of the most pet-friendly hotels in the city.

 Cleanliness

My guest-room, as well as public areas like the lobby and club lounge were all quite clean. Given the lounge's popularity, I was particularly impressed with the great condition of the furniture. At night when my room received turndown service, the bathroom was also tidied and stocked with extra towels and toiletries.

I was less inspired by the elevators, which weren't necessarily dirty but were clearly old and were very slow, therefore prompting me to use the stairs, where bags of trash were stored on multiple landings. I also found the hallways to be rather dated and appear worn, as if they hadn't been refurbished since the hotel changed over from being an apartment. The hallway outside my room reeked of cologne, and the scent carried into my room.

 Food

Affinia 50 does not have its own restaurant or bar, perhaps because the building used to be an apartment complex. However, the hotel does have room service for guests from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., courtesy of Mint, an Indian fusion restaurant that is actually in the San Carlos Hotel across the street.

The hotel also provides a continental breakfast buffet in the club lounge for $14.75/person ($6.95 for kids), but most of the guests I spoke with said they preferred trying one of the neighborhood's countless diners or other cheaper options along Third Avenue.

 Bottom Line

A convenient Midtown East location, specialty pillow options, and freebies like in-room fitness kit, contact lens solution, and a free wine reception make this Affina a solid value (though there's no restaurant on site). Large rooms (most of which sleep 4+ people with the pull-out sofa) make the Affina an especially good (and affordable) choice for families.