I Stayed at Hotella Nutella for 48 Hours and All My Chocolatey-Hazelnut Dreams Came True
What if I told you there was a place where you could eat an infinite amount of Nutella? Where everywhere you went there were jars filled with your favorite chocolatey-hazelnut spread just waiting to be cracked open, and there were cute accent pillows in the shape of croissants? What if I told you that you could sit by a pool drinking a Nutella-inspired cocktail, wearing a Nutella-inspired robe, and eating pancakes topped with even more Nutella? Would you laugh in my face? Would you cry because the only jar of Nutella that you have in your home is basically empty and you’re not going to be able to go to the grocery store until the weekend?
Well, my friends, this place is real — or at least it was real. Please don’t cry! The Hotella Nutella was a short-lived hotel pop-up in Napa Valley that was dedicated to — what else — Nutella. Was it a massive PR campaign for the brand? Yes. Was it actually delightful and heartwarming? Yes. Should Nutella turn Hotella Nutella into an actual hotel so everyone can experience its glory. DUH.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me walk you through the basics.
What Is Hotella Nutella?
As I said, Hotella Nutella was a short-lived hotel in Napa Valley for people who really love Nutella. Todd Midura, the Vice President of Marketing for Nutella North America, says that Nutella wanted to host a special, immersive weekend for its super fans in a place where many of them may have experienced Nutella for the first time — a hotel breakfast. “We wanted to bring a little bit of that magic back to consumers,” Midura explains.
Unlike other brand pop-ups you may have seen this past year (hello, Taco Bell hotel) you were only able to go to Hotella Nutella by entering a contest (or if you were a handful of select media people *raises hand*). Nutella asked fans in the United States to post a short video where they showed “how Nutella makes their mornings special.” Only three super-fans were chosen for an all expenses-paid weekend at the Hotella Nutella. According to Midura, hundreds of people entered the contest. “We judged them based on creativity, passion, love for the brand, and great stories,” Midura says.
The three contest winners were pretty freaking adorable. One person wrote a song all about Nutella, another person showed off their homemade Nutella costume in a hilarious video, and a couple submitted a video where the man literally PROPOSED MARRIAGE to his now-wife with the help of a giant cake that looked like a Nutella jar.
What Did You Do at Hotella Nutella?
On to the good stuff. I’ll walk you through everything there was to do at Hotella Nutella. BUCKLE IN, FOLKS!
Every room at the Hotella Nutella had a special name. I stayed in the “Cocoa Comfort” room, which was indeed very comfortable. The rooms themselves were filled with all the Nutella products imaginable. There were giant stickers on the wall of a Nutella jar and croissant. The beds were decked out in custom Nutella-inspired pillows. There were Hotella Nutella towels, robes, and slippers in the bathroom. There was even Nutella soap! (No, it did not smell like Nutella — that would have been overkill.)
The Hotella Nutella was complete with a salt water pool that said “Hotella Nutella” in floating letters. There was also a movie room where you could curl up with a Nutella pillow and fall asleep watch a movie.
There were a bunch of fun activities planned for guests during the weekend, too. The Instagram superstars behind Dancakes turned everyone’s face into a PANCAKE. Some people spread a thick layer of Nutella on their pancake faces and then ate them. I was not one of those people because that’s kinda weird, right??
Some very cool, very famous chefs cooked for guests of Hotella Nutella. Tanya Holland made us these delicious cornmeal crepes filled with — you guessed it! — Nutella. And Geoffrey Zakarian made everyone a dinner inspired by breakfast — which of course included even more Nutella. If you think you couldn’t possibly fill your body with Nutella any more than you already do, think again!
In my opinion, Nutella is best consumed in two ways: one, with a big spoon, and two, slathered on a thick slice of bread. I’m a simple gal. So my favorite thing we did probably (but still up for debate) was the Nutella and bread pairing with Zach Hall from Clark Street Bakery. LIFE-CHANGING tip for anyone who loves Nutella and bread: add a touch of olive oil and sprinkle some flakey salt on your toast.
Right now Nutella told me they have no plans to reopen the pop-up hotel or make it a permanent fixture somewhere else. But I think they’ll change their minds. I can see them taking this show on the road across the country and finally landing in Vegas. Just think: Nutella could open up their own wedding chapel and continue the legacy of uniting people through the power of chocolate-hazelnut spread. That’s true love.