For the price, I think the best thing about this listing is the value for the location. It's very close to Penn Station. There are some great neighborhood pubs close, too--I enjoyed a few evenings at the Molly Wee. At my pace, Times Square was about a 20-minute walk away. There are also great restaurants and shopping as close as 5-10 minutes. If you're into cameras, computers, or other electronics, make sure to check out B&H Photo just a couple of blocks away. 7/11 and Duane Reade are really close for snacks/drinks and personal items.
The building is shared with another group, so it looks like Chelsea Cabins occupies about 3 floors above the 2nd level. I was on the 5th floor (no elevator), and I'm glad I didn't bring a big bulky suitcase. Pack light, just in case, or you'll be in for a workout.
Michael was a great and gracious host. I showed up pretty late in the evening, but he was waiting to check me in and gave me clear instructions about the place. I needed assistance with a couple of other things during my stay, and he went above and beyond to make sure I got what was needed. He also gave me a little extra time after the 11:00am checkout to hang around after my flight was significantly delayed due to weather.
It's hard to grasp the exact size of what you'll get from the pictures on this listing, but again, given the price, it's a bargain with no real frills, and is on the small side. If you've ever stayed in a hostel, this is like that, but each bed is in its own compartment. Each room/compartment is the length of a twin bed, and about twice the width. There's space below the bed for storage, a shelf above that runs the length of the bed, and a small shelf in the corner to put smaller items. The bed has a twin mattress with a sheet and comforter, plus one pillow and an additional throw pillow. All the linens are taken care of, including a bath towel (but make sure to bring soaps). Each room has a light and 2-plug power outlet above the bed. There are coat/towel hooks on the wall. There's also a small trash can, with larger trash cans and recycling down the hall. Each door has a lock that you can use with a provided key.
The ceiling of each room is about 7 feet high, but isn't a typical ceiling. For ventilation purposes, the ceiling is basically lattice like you'd find at Home Depot with screen mesh over it. The rooms are also packed pretty tightly together and share walls. If you're a light sleeper (which I am not) I would probably recommend either bringing earplugs to sleep, or finding another place. There's heat and AC running on each level, so I was comfortable the whole stay.
The bathroom was fine, but ever so slightly on the grimy side, like I'd expect in a hostel or dorm. Understandable, given how many people are probably using it. Sinks and toilets (small stalls) were generally clean, but it seemed that one or both of the showers must leak onto the floor a little, because there were often puddles near the toilets that weren't coming from the toilets. Showers were fine, water was hot, but space was tight, and only one had a bath mat. On a positive note, there were people cleaning the bathrooms and the halls daily, so things did freshen up. If I were staying here again, I'd probably bring flip flops or something for shower time.
There is a free water machine in hall that has hot and cold clean water, so I was able to fill my bottle as needed. Michael also mentioned an included breakfast, but I didn't end up trying it because I was either on the go or slept in. There is also a refrigerator to keep leftovers, drinks, etc, but no microwave on the floor that I could see. There might have been one around the office or breakfast area. Michael mentioned that the house is vegetarian and requested that no meat be brought inside, which wasn't a problem. Additionally, there was an ironing board and iron, and a small reading/sitting area near a rear-facing window.
All in all, this was a great stay, and an even better value. I spent very little time in the room other than sleeping--it's New York, you're supposed to be out doing stuff--and it was nice to have a convenient home base to keep my things during the day. I would recommend this place to others if you're okay with what I've outlined above. It would be high on my list if I needed to stay in Chelsea again.