Deal Dissector: Bloomingdale’s Shopping Promotion at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée

by Allison Weiss Entrekin

In the heart of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, on a tree-lined street just a block from Central Park, lies the über-elegant Hôtel Plaza Athénée. This AAA Four-Diamond property boasts luxurious guestrooms with Belgian linens and marble baths, a chic onsite restaurant and close proximity to some of the world’s best designer fashions. But shopaholics hoping to book a getaway here should avoid the hotel’s “Bloomingdale’s Shopping Promotion,” which has guests shopping ’til they drop more cash than necessary.

Right now, the promotion offers rooms starting at $745 per night with a two-night minimum stay, and includes a $100 Bloomingdale’s gift card, plus a welcome packet with 15 percent in-store savings on all Bloomingdale’s purchases. Problem is, the cost per night with this package, even if you subtract $100 for the gift certificate, is a Tory-Burch flat more than the cost per night without the package.

Let’s say you want to stay in the hotel’s deluxe, 340-square-foot room April 11-13. It’ll cost you $1,050 if you ask for the Bloomie’s package and $625 if you don’t. So even if you add in the value of the $100 gift certificate, you’re still paying an extra $325. The only way you’ll break even is if you spend more than two grand at Bloomie’s, thus saving $325 with your 15 percent discount.

Bottom line—if you don’t want to spend your budget at Bloomie’s in order to justify the cost of your room, this probably isn’t the most fashionable option for you.