Affinia Shelburne Rating: 3.5 Pearls

Gramercy and Murray Hill, Manhattan, New York City

Entrance at the Affinia Shelburne

The property formerly known as the Shelburne Murray completed a renovation by the Affinia chain of urban boutique hotels in 2009, getting its new name in the process. Fittingly located in Manhattan's largely residential, somewhat sleepy Murray Hill neighborhood, the mid-priced Affinia Shelburne is a quiet, low-key, modestly upscale property that appeals to a wide range of travelers, from the young business traveler to tourists in their golden years.

The 268 rooms have been revamped in cheery contrasting colors: light blue lounge chairs sit opposite burnt orange desk chairs, lime green headboards back orange printed pillows. The look and feel is sleek but not slick, contemporary but still warm and comfortable -- and not edgy.

Affinia is into allowing guests to "customize" their stay: Its My Affinia program lets you choose (in advance if you want, via the web) from among six types of pillows and dozens of other supplementary amenities, ranging from cupcakes to a rented guitar, some for free and some for an added fee.

You would never say that the Affinia Shelburne has a scene per se, but the off-the-lobby Rare Bar and Grill has become a destination in its own right, thanks to creative gourmet burgers that run from a no-frills basic to a stuffed Kobe sirloin infused with Roquefort cheese and cipollini onions. And in the summertime months, Rare View lures young 20- and 30-somethings up to the 16th floor with cocktails and scenic views of the Chrysler Building and Empire State.

Friendly front desk attendants

The Affinia group prides itself on its above-and-beyond service, for a room price that's still significantly below exceptional service-oriented, five-star places like the Four Seasons. Requests I had (extra toiletries, Internet password) were handled in minutes -- and the concierge can even arrange grocery shopping (usually Fresh Direct) and secretarial services for customers. But concierge service is not 24 hours a day -- when I called around 6 p.m. to ask about getting a hard-to-get dinner reservation at Babbo, he'd already gone home for the day. (I thought he'd be around till 7.)

Room service here is also not 24 hours -- it stops at 11 p.m. -- but entrees are significantly cheaper than at similarly priced hotels. Mid-priced Rare Bar & Grill handles the room service, and doesn't mark up the $10 to $20 entrees from its downstairs menu.

Along with the My Affinia program, where extra amenities can be ordered ahead of time to complement your stay, the Affinia group has implemented its Airline Travel Relief program. The hotel will provide free toiletries in 3-ounce, TSA-friendly containers to any guests on request. It's a godsend for people like me who pack five red T-shirts but somehow always forget the toothpaste.

View on a Larger Map

The Affinia Shelburne is located in the middle of Murray Hill, a largely residential neighborhood on Manhattan's east side known for its mix of classic 19th-century townhouses and towering high rises that run from 34th to 42nd Streets. It's a bit sleepy, though a migration to the area of young professionals in their 20s and 30s has led to a considerably more bustling nightlife over the years, with Third Avenue now home to a substantial strip of bars and restaurants. The area generally lacks tourist attractions (save for the Empire State Building) but it's conveniently poised between the Midtown business district and all that downtown Manhattan has to offer.

Specifically sited at the corner of 37th Street and Lexington Avenue, the hotel is also just five short blocks from Grand Central Station, a major transit hub where subway lines can quickly shoot you up toward Museum Mile on the Upper East Side, down to Greenwich Village or SoHo, or across to the west side. Taxis fly down Lexington (and up Third Avenue, a block to the east) at all hours of the day and night. And consistent foot traffic will make the entire neighborhood a safe place to wander during the day and even fairly late into the night.

Modestly priced dining is plentiful in the area. Among the highlights: The famous Second Avenue Deli, considered one of the last great Jewish delicatessens in the city, has moved up to 33rd Street and 3rd Avenue from the East Village. Grand Central Station also houses a wide range of good eateries, most notably the classic Oyster Bar beneath the main waiting room.

New York City has three nearby airports: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark (in New Jersey). Getting to town from JFK or LaGuardia is usually more convenient than getting there from Newark, but travel times are heavily dependent on the time of day and traffic conditions. From JFK, a taxi to anywhere in Manhattan costs a flat rate of $45 and takes around an hour in average conditions. From LaGuardia, a metered cab ride to Midtown Manhattan costs about $40 and can take 30 minutes if traffic is light, three times that if it's bad. Rides from Newark cost at least $40 plus tolls and can take more than 90 minutes. It's customary to tip your driver 15 to 25 percent.

Those looking to save some cash can use the privately run shuttle buses that are available at all three airports for about $14 per person. For more information on the shuttles, go to Super Shuttle or New York Airport Service. Public transit is also available 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 stairways.

For mass-transit directions right to the hotel, check out HopStop.com.

The Standard Room

The once-stale interiors of the old Shelburne Murray have been totally revamped with comfortable and sleek (but not slick) contemporary furniture in surprising but tasteful colors. This is a full-suite hotel with 263 rooms: studio suites that run 325-400 square feet and sometimes have kitchenettes; studio deluxe suites (400-450 square feet), each with a living room and full kitchen; and one- and two-bedroom suites (450-950 square feet) with large living rooms with dining areas, separate bedrooms, and full kitchens. Kitchens come with a stove, fridge, and microwave, and are fully stocked with kitchen and dining equipment.

The comfy Affinia bed, with a Sealy Posturepedic mattress, is topped with six down pillows and soft, cozy throws for curling up under. The My Affinia program lets guests choose an additional pillow from a selection of six, which includes natural buckwheat, hypo-allergenic, down, magnetic therapy, Swedish memory, and sound (with its own iPod-connected stereo buried in the filling).

All the rooms are outfitted with a "spa-like" bathroom, a detail I didn’t pay much heed to until I saw it myself. Careful thought (and money) went into the rich black granite countertops, the marble-tiled bathtub, and the tasteful lighting that gives the room a candle-lit glow. Add in Affinia’s selection of Aveda toiletries, and this feels like the massage room of a New York spa.

The 37-inch LCD flat-screen TV offered no free-movie channels, but pay-per-view movies and web browsing were available for an additional cost. (Wi-Fi is available in the rooms for a pricey but not unusual $13.95/day.)

My only complaint -- one that was echoed in more than one TripAdvisor review -- was that I could not control the thermostat and my room got uncomfortably warm. I asked for help, and after trying a little, the staff member ended up cracking the window.

Rooftop Garden and Bar

Affinia Shelburne's big sell: a rare rooftop bar with views of the Chrysler Building -- called, well, Rare View. From April to October, the restaurant's rooftop bar summons New Yorkers up to the Shelburne’s 16th floor with mango margaritas, strawberry mojitos, and scenic views of the Chrysler Building and Empire State.

The lobby offers a small business center with computers, printers, fax machines, high-speed Internet, and secretarial service. An additional sitting area includes a library of bestsellers for guests to choose from.

The free fitness center offers 24-hour access to Life Fitness machines, many of which boast individual TVs attached to the equipment.

The Affinia group prides itself on going the extra mile with its My Affinia program. Guests can create a profile for themselves online and order up a variety of supplementary treats (cupcakes, rented guitar, rubber duckie, blow-dryer diffuser) to greet them at their room. Some amenities come with a small charge and others, like the Affinia Experience Kit (which includes a picnic blanket for the park and an iPod city guide) and the six-pillow selection, are free.

I requested the Magnetic Therapy pillow, which claims to relieve insomnia, improve skin tone, and soothe muscles. I can't say it was particularly effective, but it was a pleasantly firmer alternative to the down pillows that already come in every room.

Spa services, from hot-stone massages to purifying facials, can be performed in any guest’s hotel room from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at additional cost (and after hours, for an extra $25).

Although it used to be free, the hotel now charges $25 per stay for keeping a pet in the room -- but there's no weight limit and pets of all kinds (and they mean all kinds) are welcome. This is actually where animal trainer Jack Hanna's entire menagerie stays when he goes on Letterman.

Guests must sign a standard waiver to pay for any damage their pet incurs. Guests will be furnished with food, water bowls, doggie sidewalk bags or cat litter pans, and a list of pet-friendly restaurants and resources. The “Happytails Travel Dog Spa Amenity,” available for an extra $15.50, includes skin moisturizer, odor remover, mosquito repellent, and a bad-breath zapper. There is no end to what the concierge can arrange for your pet, from customary grooming and dog-walking services to gourmet birthday cakes to a pet taxi -- even a pet psychic for your troubled parakeet.

The basics are certainly covered: Rollaways are $30 a night, and cribs and high chairs are available at no cost. The suites are huge -- from 350 to as big as 950 square feet -- and the larger ones feature separate dining and kitchen areas. And the neighborhood has an abundance of family-friendly restaurants, including the burger joint Rare Bar and Grill off the lobby.

At the time of booking, parents can request a quiet room and extra amenities for their family -- from necessities like cribs and high chairs to accessories like a rubber duckie, cupcakes, and the Walking Tour Experience Kit. Or they can invest in the entire My Family package, which comes with a children's backpack filled with a Frommer’s guide book for kids, playing cards, a digital camera, and a sticker scrapbook. Kids also have free access to a chest of board games, family DVDs, craft kits, and books.

Cleanliness is simply not an issue here.

Famous Burgers at Rare Bar and Grill

The restaurant in the Affinia Shelburne, Rare Bar and Grill, has developed a reputation for flipping one of the better burgers in the city. And the prices are far better than at most hotel restaurants: the basic Rare Classic burger, for example, is $9.

Despite its name, Rare is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week. Come for the weekend jazz brunch's free Bloody Marys and unconventional brunch entrees like kobe beef omelets ($12.50). The weekday buffet, with the usual pancakes in chafing dishes, is skippable.

Strong neighborhood competition includes Duke’s, which offers Southern rib-sticking dishes like chicken-fried steak and big BBQ platters; the famous Second Avenue Deli, one of the last great Jewish delicatessens in the city, at 33rd Street and Third Avenue; and the classic Grand Central Oyster Bar.

And for stocking the kitchenette, there’s a D' Agostino's grocery on 35th Street and Third Avenue.