My spouse and I stayed at the Doubletree Chelsea for one night in late
November 2014. (Note that there are several Doubletree properties in New York City: this one in Chelsea, and others in the Financial District, Midtown,
Midtown East, and Times Square.) We reserved our room online using the
Hilton website, and we remitted HHonors points for a free award stay. We
reserved a standard room with a view, from which we could see the
Empire State Building.
This property is located in the Midtown
West/Chelsea area of Manhattan, on West 29th Street between 7th and 6th
Avenues. Many shops (not high-end, though) and restaurants are nearby,
as is the Fashion Institute of Technology. The hotel holds 236 rooms
spread over 26 floors. Reportedly, the penthouse suite features high
ceilings and a terrace. Self-parking is affordable at $25 per day (or
$45 for valet), although we did not use it. The hotel allows pets with a
deposit remitted for possible damages. Check-in time seems late at 4:00
pm; however, the hotel balances that time with a check-out time of
12:00 noon. (We sometimes see a 3:00 pm check-in and 11:00 am
check-out.)
The hotel building sets back from the sidewalk/curb of
West 29th Street, which allows room for outdoor patio dining in front of
the hotel in warmer weather. The lobby is small, with just enough room
for the front desk, a small podium for the tour desk/concierge, and a
small seating group of two chairs, a sofa, and some end tables.
Restrooms, the business center (two computers and one printer), and the
fitness center (five machines, a water dispenser, and towels) are
located in the basement. The hotel restaurant, called Chelton’s Bar
& Grille (CBG), contains a small bar and seating in the bar area, as
well as additional seating in a glass-enclosed atrium. This hotel has
two elevators, and we always seemed to wait for a ride.
Our room was
undersized, even by Manhattan standards; it was only wide enough to hold
a king-size bed with a small nightstand on each side. (I read in a
previous review that the standard rooms are only 200 square feet.) A
free-standing wardrobe held a smaller-than-normal ironing board and iron
and a few hangers, as well as a large (non-charging) safe. Next to the
“closet” was a console that held the flat-screen TV, and beside that was
a small desk with rolling chair. Because our room held no lounge chair,
there was nowhere to sit to watch TV other than on the bed. The TV
console held coffee-making supplies and an ice bucket in one of the
drawers. (Vending machines are located approximately every fifth floor
in this hotel.). Our room was on the 23rd floor, which is one of the
floors dedicated for HHonors members (although no additional privileges
accompany those rooms). As Platinum HHonors members, the front-desk
clerk offered us the choice of breakfast for two the next morning, or an
additional 1,000 points (we requested the points because we had other
meal plans). The size of our bathroom was adequate, and it contained a
combination bathtub/shower unit, toilet, and small sink/vanity. The
vanity was small, but because the faucet was positioned in the corner,
it seemed larger than it was. A shelf above the toilet held
complimentary toiletries - two soap bars, shampoo, conditioner, and body
lotion). (Although Doubletree used to supply Crabtree and Evelyn
toiletry products, that brand has been phased out for something less
recognizable.)
Honestly, we will not stay at the Doubletree Chelsea
again, unless we reserve the penthouse suite! With so many other Hilton
properties in the city from which to choose, we prefer a room that is
not so tiny.
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