Who among us hasn’t come home from a business trip or weekend getaway feeling fat, lethargic and generally out of shape? Hours sitting on a plane, the temptation of all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets, and being uncertain about finding a local gym all lead to that unpleasant feeling of “road swell.�?
Not at the Affinia Dumont Hotel on East 34th Street in midtown Manhattan’s Murray Hill neighborhood. The Affinia philosophy in New York and Chicago has been to create “lifestyle�? hotels out of existing run-of-the-mill properties. To that end, The Affinia Dumont is a “Fitness Suite Hotel�? designed to cater to guest’s comfort and enhance their physical fitness, which in turn, management believes, increases productivity for business travelers and overall vacation enjoyment for everyone else.
No health-conscious need goes unmet with the full-service Oasis Day Spa on the ground floor, a spacious fitness center, in-room spa treatments, in-room “fit kits�? for private workouts, a wellness library, separate lockers for sweaty workout clothes, a VIP Fitness Suite and even a Fitness Concierge. No wonder several National Basketball Association teams use the Affinia Dumont as their home when playing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a short walk away.
The 243 guest rooms in the all-suite hotel include full kitchens, earth tone décor that includes dark wood furniture, work centers with ergonomic chairs, fax machines and cordless dual-line phones, plus internet and Web TV access. Baths have lighted make-up mirrors and Aveda toiletries. Custom beds come with a choice of pillow styles: down, Swedish, buckwheat, hypo-allergenic or a sound/magnetic pillow.
The multi-lingual staff at the Affinia Dumont will do your grocery shopping, perform your secretarial duties, pamper your pet, take care of your child, drop off and pick up your dry cleaning, do your laundry and find the right personal trainer or facial technician for your body or skin type. Higher-floor rooms have views of the Chrysler Building, Empire State Building or East River and Brooklyn beyond. Special promotional packages offer weekend getaways to relax, revitalize, re-ignite passions or simply celebrate the latest Harry Potter book.
But the best item offered to weary travelers by the indulgent staff may be the “Airline Restriction Relief�? package: complementary 3 oz. or smaller packages of toothpaste, shaving cream, hair spray, nail polish remover, deodorant, contact lens solution, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion for those times when you arrive but your luggage doesn’t or the TSA rules leave such personal items on the concourse.
The Affinia Dumont’s midtown location is perfect for easily getting to most New York destinations. The subway is a block west to take you to Chinatown, Central Park and beyond. The Empire State Building, Grand Central Terminal and Union Square Park are all within easy walking distance once you’ve had an in-gym or in-suite workout.