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Bread and breakast: What it's like staying in a carb-filled hotel room

Feb. 21, 2020
6 min read
Refinery Hotel Bread and Breakfast
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The New Year often brings resolutions for self-improvement -- things like going to the gym more or giving up carbs.

Some hotel brands, like Booking.com, have cheered on resolution-ists, but Hotels.com has been firmly anti-resolution -- so much so that they created a one-of-a-kind, carb-loaded hotel room complete with a $100 room-service credit.

Naturally, we had to book it to see just how carb-loaded this "bread and breakfast" truly was.

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Booking

This room was a limited-time offer at the Refinery Hotel in New York City, so I set my alarm to log into Hotels.com at 9 a.m. on Jan. 17, the first day for booking. I picked a random Wednesday two weeks later and didn't have much trouble reserving it. The offer expired at the end of January.

Typically, the same room at the Refinery Hotel would run you anywhere from $200-$350 a night, depending on demand. My stay at the end of January, which is typically not prime tourist time in NYC, priced out to $262 a night. Unlike typical reservations, this exclusive booking included the $100 room-service credit along with some other complimentary sweet treats.

I was able to save about $11 on the booking thanks the 4% cash back with Rakuten.

The Refinery Hotel doesn't offer a loyalty program, so you're best off booking through Hotels.com. You'll earn a night toward a reward stay and 4% cash back with Rakuten. And by the way, Hotels.com frequently runs specials on its cash-back offerings. For instance, right now you can earn 9% cash back on New York and Las Vegas bookings.

The room & check-In

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Prior to checking in, I received a call from the general manager who said she was excited I was staying with them and asked what my planned arrival time was.

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Around 4 p.m., I made my way to Midtown to check in, along with four of my TPG co-workers. The concierge was super friendly and offered us all water immediately. Once he realized that I was checking into the the Bread and Breakfast suite, he alerted the manager who brought over a plate of doughnuts to welcome us. Once our check-in was complete, the manager personally showed us to our room.

As soon as the door to the suite opened, a fresh bakery smell filled our noses. The manager showed us the scent machine that was pumping the smell of "buttery croissants" into the room.

A display of pastries welcomed us. (Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

It came as a shock that the aroma was coming from a machine, not the display of pastries that also welcomed us to the room.

Just beyond that was the bathroom which was decked out in bread-themed decor from the shower to the custom soap.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)
Bread Hotel
(Photo by Liz Hund/The Points Guy)

There were even custom robes with "Carbivore" monogrammed on the back and matching baguette slippers displayed in bread bags.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)
(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Both items were complimentary and although I don't wear my bread-themed robe and slippers too often, we were impressed by the quality. The robe was made of a soft and plush material and the slippers were incredibly cushioned — honestly, much better than the thin complimentary slippers I've gotten at a luxury hotel like the Waldorf Astoria.

The bathroom and entryway were just the introduction to the most carb-loaded room I'd ever seen. Everything had a bread theme, all the way to the bedside bread pad and pen.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Next to the bed was a couch decked out in more bread paraphernalia.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

The side table had a variety of cereal offerings and of course, there was milk in the fridge to complete it.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Even the fridge was covered in bread. The bread bin did, in fact, have bread in it for toasting.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

On the wall was a doughnut and bagel hanger. Typically, I wouldn't suggest eating anything off a New York wall but ... when in a 'bread and breakfast,' what's a girl to do? Shockingly, the doughnuts weren't stale, but the bagels were a different story.

(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)
(Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Later that night we used our room-service credit to order pizza, fries and mac 'n' cheese, which came to a total of $80.

$80 worth of room service. (Photo by Wyatt Smith/The Points Guy)

Overall impression

We had fun in our bread and breakfast suite, although I can't lie, the "buttery croissant" aroma did get a bit overwhelming even after unplugging.

In general, it was a pretty good deal at $261 a night, considering the complimentary in-room snacks and $100 room-service credit, though I wouldn't recommend booking this special stay if you're gluten-free.

If you missed out on this suite and are in search of tasty carbs in NYC, check out Samantha Rosen's list of the best NYC restaurants.

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  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
  • Annual Fee

    $395
  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
  • In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
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Cons

  • The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month