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
The Breakdown (based on rates for Friday-Saturday October 9th & 10th):
- Executive King Room: $718 ($259 per night), plus tax
- Value of Gift Certificates: $200
- “Gossip Girl Guide to NYC”: The same info is Google-able for free
- Met Tickets: $40 ($20 each)
- Car Service: $260 ($65 per hour, based on rate quoted by Deborah – the Franklin’s car service of choice)
Total Non-Package Price: $1218, plus tax
Total Estimated Savings: About $220
Pros: Luxury car service! Gift certificates! Savings if you were gonna do all those things anyway.
Cons: You’re restricted to eating/drinking at the M Bar (and for under $100 – if you can) and there’s not a whole lot you can buy for under one-hundo at Henri Bendel (a necklace? A coin purse? A scarf?) Also, nobody ever really goes inside the Met on GG; they just sit on the steps and trash talk through mouthfuls of yogurt anyway.
Bottom Line: Meh. Maybe give it to your niece for her Bat Mitzvah.
All products are independently selected by our writers and editors. If you buy something through our links, Oyster may earn an affiliate commission.
