Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort in the Bahamas is offering a free roundtrip flight deal for guests who book a four-night stay.
On the surface, the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort’s “Companion Flies Free” package announced yesterday sounds amazing: It offers a free roundtrip companion flight to the Bahamas for guests who book a four night stay, and 40 percent savings on room rates. But we at Oyster are always a little skeptical of hotel package deals, so we embarked on a fact finding mission to get the truth. Has the recession caused the Sheraton to resort to desperate measures to fill rooms, or is the deal too good to be true? Welcome back to Oyster’s Bundle Breakdowns, where we go through the painstaking process of (roughly) breaking down the costs of popular hotel bundle offerings to determine whether you’re getting a steal or getting robbed.
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We like to keep abreast of the latest in hotel package offerings, and this one from the Hotel Diva in San Francisco is certainly titillating, if also a wee bit tacky: the boutique property, part of the (female-run!) small West Coast chain Personality Hotels, is shilling a hotel package that shamelessly promotes and encourages Cougardom. That is, the act of being a Cougar — a female on the prowl for younger male playthings. Stupid and gimmicky? Sure. But since the haters are probably gonna hate, we’re gonna tell you a little secret: it’s not a terrible deal.
You could spend 50 bucks on your monthly Botox injections (kidding, sort of), or you could add that 50 bucks to your room rate at the Hotel Diva and get all these Cougar-friendly amenities with the Cougars With Personality package — oh, and everything comes in pairs, so you can bring your wingwoman, too:
- A one-night stay ($159.00)
- Two Hanky-Panky animal-print thongs ($22.00 each)
- Two Lemon Drop cocktails
- Two $25 Gift Certificates for the Epi Center MedSpa ($50.00 – and yes, they do Botox)
- Professional bra fittings at Nordstrom (free, though the reminder that the ol’ ta-tas may be a bit closer to the waist than they were the last time you got a professional bra fitting is probably priceless…)
- “A list of San Francisco’s hottest Cougar bars” (we assume this is where young dudes hang out)
A standard room on October 30th is $159; with the Cougar package, you’re looking at a rate of $209. So for $50 you get at least $100-worth of goodies – who says an older woman can’t have a cheap, hot night if she doesn’t mind being a cliche and is prepared to take responsibility for causing irreparable psychological damage to her children by openly identifying as a Cougar?
by admin on September 9, 2009
The Wynn Las Vegas
We’re not usually proponents of forking over four figures for a hotel package (or for anything, really), but this — well, this is different.
Wynn Las Vegas is collaborating with ZERO-G weightless flights — yes, folks, that’s a flight on a Boeing 727-200 that’s been modified to replicate levels of weightlessness on Mars and the moon (as well as zero-gravity)– to offer a package that includes some sexy digs, a float-y flight with ZERO-G, and a spa treatment. And listen: it’s $5,746 per seat plus tax, but don’t roll your eyes just yet. You might actually be into this.
First (and least exciting) of all, your Wynn experience is going to include a two-night stay in a Tower Suite Room and a choice of either a Custom Massage or a Classic Facial. Cool.
But the ZERO-G flight. Oh, man. You’re looking at a two-hour(ish) flight that has “15 separate weightless intervals” that are each about 30 seconds. It departs out of The Signature Terminal at McCarran on Saturday, September 19, and the whole experience includes…
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by admin on September 3, 2009
The Franklin NYC
Ever wonder if those “romance” or “adventure” hotel packages are really giving you more bang for your buck — or if you’ve been suckered into booking a clever marketing pro’s cutesy champagne and chocolate-covered price markup? Welcome back to Oyster’s Bundle Breakdowns, where we go through the painstaking process of (roughly) breaking down the costs of popular hotel bundle offerings to determine whether you’re getting a steal or getting robbed.
Since, according to Gossip Girl, you’re “nobody until you’re talked about,” we’re going to take a hot time out to talk about this Gossip Girl package being offered by the Franklin NYC – but would any of the characters on Gossip Girl even bother with it? Most of them are rich and all, but, you know, we’re in a recession. Even they watch what they’re spending these days.
The Deal: 2 night stay in an Executive King Room; $100 Gift Certificate at Henri Bendel; $100 Gift Certificate for dinner and drinks at Mansfield Hotel’s M BAR; Two tickets to the Metropolitan Museum; a Gossip Girl Guide to NYC; Luxury Car Service up to 4 hours.
The Package Price: $999 for two nights, plus tax
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by admin on August 31, 2009
The Plaza, New York City
Ever wonder if those “romance” or “adventure” hotel packages are really giving you more bang for your buck — or if you’ve been suckered into booking a clever marketing pro’s cutesy champagne and chocolate-covered price markup? Welcome back to Oyster’s Bundle Breakdowns, where we go through the painstaking process of (roughly) breaking down the costs of popular hotel bundle offerings to determine whether you’re getting a steal or getting robbed.
Today, we’re back in the Big Apple visiting the iconic Plaza hotel and its most famous little fictional resident, Eloise (yes, from the Kay Thompson books about a cheeky young lady living at the hotel). These days, the Plaza is offering up a cutesy deal in honor of the precocious six-year-old: the ‘Live Like Eloise’ package – which is essentially a night in a suite at the Plaza with a couple of treats thrown in — starting at $895.
The Deal: One night in a Deluxe Rose Suite (with complimentary upgrade to the next available suite category at time of booking); a copy of Eloise by Kay Thompson; “Super Duper Sundae” from In-Room Dining; Eloise postcards with complimentary postage
The Package Price for Sunday, October 11th: $1,065, plus tax
The Upgrade on Sunday, October 11th: Since the package is inclusive of a free upgrade at the time of booking, the reservations agent we spoke to told us that we’d be reserved in an Edwardian Suite that night — a one-bedroom, 1,000ish square-foot space that even has a guest bathroom (ooooh, swanky!) Read More »
by admin on August 24, 2009
Trump International Hotel and Tower, NYC
Ever wonder if those “romance” or “adventure” hotel packages are really giving you more bang for your buck — or if you’ve been suckered into booking a clever marketing pro’s cutesy champagne and chocolate-covered price markup? Welcome back to Oyster’s Bundle Breakdowns, where we go through the painstaking process of (roughly) breaking down the costs of popular hotel bundle offerings to determine whether you’re getting a steal or getting robbed.
Today, Bundle Breakdowns visits New York City to dissect Trump International Hotel and Tower’s (supposedly) family-friendly Kids on Central Park package. But is it wallet-friendly?
The Deal: One night in a Two-Bedroom Suite overlooking Central Park; milk & cookies from Jean-Georges delivered to your room; “your kids’ favorite DVDs” (which you do not get to take home); four tickets to either the Central Park Zoo, the Manhattan Children’s Museum or the Museum of Natural History (only one of the three).
The Package Price for Sunday, October 11th: $2,650, plus tax
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by admin on August 18, 2009
Bellagio; Las Vegas
Ever wonder if those “romance” or “adventure” hotel packages are really giving you more bang for your buck — or if you’ve been suckered into booking a clever marketing pro’s cutesy champagne and chocolate-covered price markup? Welcome to Oyster’s Bundle Breakdowns, where we go through the painstaking process of (roughly) breaking down the costs of popular hotel bundle offerings to determine whether you’re getting a steal or getting robbed.
Today, Bundle Breakdowns visits Las Vegas to dissect the Bellagio’s fancy-schmantzy Romance Retreat package.
The Deal: One night in a Lakeview Cypress Suite; limo transportation to and from McCarran; Executive Suite Lounge check-in; one bottle of Veuve Clicquot; chocolate-covered strawberries; a 50-minute Couples Massage; prix-fixe dinner for two at Picasso or Michael Mina restaurant (no alcohol).
The Package Price: $995, plus tax
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by Laura on July 27, 2009
The Official Entourage Bungalow
What do you get when you combine W Hotels with the cast of HBO’s “Entourage”? Apparently, a match made in cross-marketing heaven.
Starting July 27 and running until September 27, these two iconic brands are teaming up to launch a national campaign that will offer hotels guests the opportunity to slip into Vinny and E’s shoes for (a minimum of) two nights. The promotion kicked off last Thursday at the newly opened W South Beach, with Adrian Grenier onsite to unveil the official “Entourage Bungalow” at the hotel’s outdoor pool, WET.
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