There are pros and cons to each major hotel loyalty program, especially when it comes to elite perks. Personally World of Hyatt Globalist status is my favorite hotel loyalty status that I have, and that goes beyond Hyatt having the best suite upgrade policy for Globalist members.
World of Hyatt arguably has the most generous elite breakfast benefit of any major hotel loyalty program, and in this post I wanted to take a closer look at how that benefit works.
In this post:
The basics of Hyatt Globalist breakfast perks
World of Hyatt Globalist members receive complimentary breakfast with almost all stays. If a hotel has a club lounge, then Globalist members receive breakfast in the lounge. The quality of that will vary based on where in the world you are. When a Hyatt property doesn’t have a club lounge (or the club lounge is closed), Globalist members receive daily complimentary full breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant.
As you’d expect, there are some terms to be aware of when it comes to the Hyatt Globalist breakfast benefit:
- Guests receive full breakfast, which is defined as one entree or standard breakfast buffet, plus juice and coffee
- Taxes and service charges are included with breakfast
- The breakfast benefit is available for each registered guest in a room, up to a maximum of two adults and two children; each individual hotel can determine the age cutoff for a child
There are a few exclusions for this benefit, which shouldn’t be a big deal for most:
- At Caption by Hyatt, breakfast includes one “elevated” coffee and one “small plate” option per registered guest
- The breakfast benefit doesn’t apply at Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, or Miraval, because breakfast is generally included at these brands; if you’re staying at a Hyatt Place or Hyatt House that doesn’t include breakfast for all guests, then Globalist members still receive full complimentary breakfast, as at other brands
- The breakfast benefit doesn’t apply at Hyatt Regency Madrid Residences, Grand Hyatt Kuwait Residences, the Laurel Inn, and Ventana Campground
- The breakfast benefit doesn’t apply at vacation ownership properties, since these often don’t have restaurants; however, select Destination by Hyatt Residences properties do offer breakfast to Globalists, including The Lodge at Spruce Peak, Everline Resort and Spa, Wild Dunes Resort, Sweetgrass Inn and Boardwalk Inn, Wild Dunes Resort Vacation Rentals, and Wild Dunes Resorts Residences at Sweetgrass Inn
My experience with Hyatt Globalist breakfast
For some context, let’s just briefly compare Hyatt’s elite breakfast policies to those of competitors:
- Gold elite and Diamond members simply receive a food & beverage credit in the United States, which generally won’t cover a proper breakfast; outside the United States, Hilton promises a continental breakfast when there’s not a club lounge, though many hotels go above and beyond and offer a full hot breakfast
- Marriott Platinum Elite, Titanium Elite, and Ambassador Elite members have a breakfast benefit, but it has all kinds of exclusions — not all brands are included (like EDITION and Ritz-Carlton), and technically it’s only for continental breakfast
- IHG One Rewards Diamond is perhaps most competitive to Hyatt nowadays, as members receive one main course or a buffet, plus non-alcoholic drinks; the catch is that based on the reports I’ve seen, the execution here typically isn’t as generous as with Hyatt
In my opinion the Hyatt Globalist breakfast benefit is the only elite breakfast perk where I don’t feel like I have to make a compromise with what I want to eat, yet everything is still covered. With Marriott I often end up paying an uncharge for breakfast, and with Hilton the credit in the United States isn’t enough to cover a real breakfast.
Meanwhile with Hyatt I almost always have a great breakfast, and it doesn’t cost me a dime. Even at your typical airport hotel, like the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport, you can order whatever you’d like off the menu, and it’ll be taken off.
Meanwhile some luxury properties, like the Park Hyatt Paris, go above and beyond, and even offer room service breakfast as part of the Globalist benefit.
I typically just order whatever I’d like off the menu, enjoy, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a substantial charge left at check-out. I think back very fondly on the amazing breakfasts I had at the Thompson Dallas, for example.
It’s also nice that gratuity is fully included. Some hotels, like the Andaz Maui, will include an 18% gratuity, and not even give you the option to tip further. Meanwhile other properties let you fill in the tip, but typically remove most or all of it at check-out.
Hyatt Globalist breakfast FAQs
With the basics out of the way, let me answer some FAQs when it comes to the Hyatt Globalist breakfast benefit (and if there any questions I didn’t address, let me know in the comments and I can add them).
Can Globalists order room service breakfast?
Officially the Globalist breakfast benefit is in the hotel’s restaurant. A small percentage of hotels will allow room service breakfast, but that’s the exception rather than the norm.
Should you tell the restaurant you’re a Globalist?
At check-in, Globalist members should generally be informed of what the Globalist breakfast benefit includes. It’s a good practice to let the restaurant server know you’re a Globalist, in case they have a certain system for that. For example, some restaurants will automatically add tip for Globalist breakfasts, rather than having you write down an amount.
Though typically if a hotel doesn’t tell you what the benefit is at check-in, I tend to think it’s safe to assume that you can just order what you’d like (within reason) and it’ll be taken off.
Do Globalist members have to sign for breakfast?
It depends on the hotel. At some hotels there’s no need to sign, while at other hotels you’ll have to sign the bill as usual, and then it’ll be taken off at check-out.
How does tipping work for Globalist breakfast?
Tips are included with Globalist breakfast, so hotels generally take one of two approaches:
- Some hotels automatically add a gratuity for Globalist breakfast, and don’t have you add anything extra
- Some hotels let you sign the check as you usually would if paying, including adding gratuity, and then it’ll be taken off after the fact
More often than not I find that whatever I tip is taken off. In some situations there may be a tip overage of a couple of bucks (for example, maybe the hotel automatically takes off 20%, but I tipped a bit more).
Can Globalists order specialty coffee with breakfast?
Officially the benefit is that Globalist members receive “coffee,” though it’s not defined beyond that. I’ve found that ordering cold brew, cappuccino, etc., is usually taken off as well, unless you’re expressly told it isn’t.
Are there limits to what Globalists can order for breakfast?
For non-buffet breakfasts, technically the breakfast benefit is for one entree per person. In my experience that’s not all that closely enforced, though it does vary by property. For example, if I’m with Ford, we might order two entrees and then share a fruit plate and/or yogurt, and that’s almost always taken off as well. Some hotels have policies that are expressly more generous than what Hyatt requires.
Can you stack Hyatt breakfast benefits?
If you book a rate that includes breakfast, or book through Hyatt Privé, can you essentially get double the breakfast benefit? The answer is no — breakfast benefits don’t stack (not that most would probably want to have two breakfasts).
Do Hyatt Explorist members get free breakfast?
World of Hyatt Explorist is Hyatt’s mid-tier status. This doesn’t offer complimentary breakfast as a perk. However, as part of the Milestone Rewards program, you can select club access awards, which offer club access for your stay. This would only get you breakfast in the lounge, though, and not in the restaurant.
Bottom line
World of Hyatt has an excellent breakfast benefit for Globalist members, which I’d argue is significantly better than what most of the competition offers. When Globalist members don’t receive club lounge access, they receive a free full restaurant breakfast, which includes a hot dish, coffee, juice, taxes, and gratuity.
To fellow Hyatt Globalist members, what has your experience been with Hyatt’s breakfast benefit?
If I book Hyatt thru FHR, can I still expect to receive the complimentary Globalist breakfast?
So twice now we have been at Hyatts that give us a limit ($30/$35 pp) and if it goes over that with the gratuity you pay the difference. So do I need to figure out how much credit I have before the tip and tax? Making it about $22/25? Or do I contact my concierge or Hyatt because terms state gratuity is included? The first time I had written globalist on tip line and now I’m worried the server didn’t get any tip!
I feel bad honestly at the "full service" Las Vegas option "Rio"
With room rates having been of late high 20's middle 30's... and breakfast for two clocking in at $80 ... thus far they have been covering alcohol at breakfast... ( I have to work he doesn't)
Hell, last week I even added a "to go" since my spouse was still asleep in the room and that was comped.
Suites aren't open yet, but...
I feel bad honestly at the "full service" Las Vegas option "Rio"
With room rates having been of late high 20's middle 30's... and breakfast for two clocking in at $80 ... thus far they have been covering alcohol at breakfast... ( I have to work he doesn't)
Hell, last week I even added a "to go" since my spouse was still asleep in the room and that was comped.
Suites aren't open yet, but excellent "globalist" recognition.
Consistent High floor, strip view, fully renovated rooms. "VIP" check in lounge...
The place is crawling with "Globalists" probably met 10 last week when I was there.
Since mobile check in, isn't an option its actual butts in Beds globalists
Can confirm suites are open. Was given a globalist upgrade to one this week.
FYI- I was at Andaz Maui this week and they now have a line to add additional tip.
As a Globalist. I forgot to register my wife at the Thompson Dallas, so I received a $35 breakfast credit. I called the Thompson Dallas where they did give me another $35 breakfast credit. Per my one stay at Thompson Dallas I was told the breakfast credit is $35/person per registered guest. Maybe this has changed since I was last there in 2023. And my 1 night at the hotel had a $195 overnight parking fee. I was able to get this removed.
It was such a long stretch without the blatant intellectual dishonesty and gaslighting that one even dared to hope that they were a thing of the past...
It was such a long stretch without the blatant intellectual dishonesty and gaslighting that one even dared to hope that they were a thing of the past...
Honestly, I wish Hilton would maintain their breakfast policy in the states. If they did, I might be more active in their loyalty program... as I generally agree Hyatt doesn't provide the outsized value they once did.
Examples: CC bonuses haven't increased, earn rate hasn't increased (and was always poor on stays), but free room redemptions have exploded with new categories, category changes and dynamic pricing. Not to mention, if you want a free...
Honestly, I wish Hilton would maintain their breakfast policy in the states. If they did, I might be more active in their loyalty program... as I generally agree Hyatt doesn't provide the outsized value they once did.
Examples: CC bonuses haven't increased, earn rate hasn't increased (and was always poor on stays), but free room redemptions have exploded with new categories, category changes and dynamic pricing. Not to mention, if you want a free c8 certificate, you have to spend 5 months of the year in their hotels. :-|
@Andrew -- Glad that you're waking up to the fact that World of Hyatt has never been the superlative program that self-anointed "travel gurus" have gaslighted the masses into believing it to be.
@Andrew -- Glad that you're waking up to the fact that World of Hyatt has never been the superlative program that self-anointed "travel gurus" have gaslighted the masses into believing it to be.
As in those two quoted comments, much has been made of Hilton's policy decision to replace their generally lousy breakfast in the US with F&B vouchers or credits. Well, I have news for you: the reason the policy has persisted and is likely to remain in place is that it is a nonexistent "problem" that has not affected Hilton at all. In fact, long before Hilton instituted the policy during the pandemic, Marriott had had for years a policy where members were offered points or cash instead of breakfast at several of their hotels! The policy did not affected Marriott, and it's not affecting Hilton either. Therefore, it is clear that the only place where there is an obsession with the policy is in the comments sections travel blogs.
For savvy HH members like me who (a) travel almost exclusively overseas where Hilton properties invariably offer free full restaurant breakfast that is nothing short of a "royal feast", and (b) have never cared about Hilton's generally lousy "continental" breakfast offering in the US, and thus happen to prefer the F&B vouchers, the breakfast policy change in the US has been a nonexistent "problem".
Importantly, if one considers the following objective analysis, which you won't find anywhere else, it is clear that the purported "problem" is a molehill rather than a mountain (or "a tempest in a teapot", pick your metaphor) that self-anointed "travel gurus" (e.g., this post) tried very hard to make it out to be.
At the time when I first posted the analysis below over at Loyalty Lobby, the following Hilton properties offered free breakfast to all guests:
Canopy -- 39 properties worldwide
Embassy Suites -- 265 properties worldwide
Hampton -- 2,888 properties worldwide
Home2 Suites -- 589 properties worldwide
Homewood Suites -- 536 properties worldwide
Tru -- 237 properties worldwide
_____________
Total number of Hilton properties that offer free breakfast to all guests around the world: 4,554
Worldwide, there are 7,215 Hilton properties, meaning that fully 63% of Hilton properties around the world offer free breakfast to all guests. Add in all the full-service brands (Hilton, WA, Conrad, DT, etc) that offer free breakfast to Golds and Diamonds overseas and you see that the number of hotels in the US that offers F&B credits instead of breakfast is actually quite small in the larger scheme of things. That is why is the Hilton's breakfast policy in he US has had no effect at all.
For some perspective, there are now nearly 1,600 Hyatt hotels around the world, which means that there are about 3x more Hilton hotels worldwide that offer free breakfast to all guests than there are Hyatt hotels globally! Therefore, one is more likely to find Hilton hotels that offer free breakfast in most locations in the US than one is likely to find Hyatt hotels...at all. Think about that !!!
Want free breakfast at a Hilton property in the US? Then choose from thousands of properties that offer free breakfast to all guests (the search engine lets you find out which ones)! I personally recommend Embassy Suites for their trademark free "cooked to order" breakfast, and manager's happy hour that offers guests free drinks and munchies in the evening.
Bottom line
The brouhaha about Hilton's breakfast policy in the US is water under the bridge for me because life does not revolve exclusively around what happens in the US. In fact, the majority of coveted properties for redeeming Hilton award stays are located overseas, where free full restaurant breakfast will never be replaced with vouchers because, unlike in the US, programs that do not offer free elite breakfast overseas will unquestionably be at a disadvantage vs. the competition. It is why Waldorf Astoria hotels in Asia offered free breakfast to Golds and Diamonds at a time when that was explicitly excluded as an elite perk in the HHonors T&C.
Lastly, here's why I prefer F&B vouchers to free breakfast in the US. Virtually 100% of my domestic US travel is for business. Therefore, while traveling in the US, I stay exclusively at Hilton hotels to get elite status recognition as a LT Diamond, I treat myself to any breakfast I desire because it's a travel expense for which I get reimbursed, and use the F&B vouchers to offset my bar tabs that I charge to my room. Voila, I win and I win!
Bottom line: DCS admits Hilton in the US is basically trash, and only worth staying internationally (where of course every other chain also has higher standards levels).
Checkmate.
I have addressed all the inanities I care to address today.
G'day.
Hilton is the best. You can always add a 2nd person to the room and you are getting $30 to $36 a day (expect HGI's $20) that you can use for 2 or 3 drinks. Way better!
Some of the Best Breakfasts at Hyatt are in the Middle East or SE Asian Countries.
Some of the best breakfasts period are in the ME and SE Asia!
The ones in Thailand are fantastic.
Anybody have any recent experience with breakfast at the Park Hyatt, Washington. I’ll be staying there next week.
Thanks.
I agree with everything Ben writes in the article. What I can't figure out is how this works in reality.
Example: 4 years after the pandemic, Hyatt Centric Waikiki still decided they didn't want a restaurant. They give you 1,000 points as a Globalist, which is worth the virtual ink it's printed on these days.
Now when you call Hyatt, they can't do anything to a hotel. They can't make them honor the benefit, they...
I agree with everything Ben writes in the article. What I can't figure out is how this works in reality.
Example: 4 years after the pandemic, Hyatt Centric Waikiki still decided they didn't want a restaurant. They give you 1,000 points as a Globalist, which is worth the virtual ink it's printed on these days.
Now when you call Hyatt, they can't do anything to a hotel. They can't make them honor the benefit, they can't give you an accommodation or points for the fact the hotel chooses to go against the policy, or anything else.
What I don't understand is why most Hyatt hotels don't go rogue like Centric Waikiki does. Sure, it hurts their business but in a high-demand area (which is where many of the mid-high end properties are), it apparently is an easy trade for them to make.
Thoughts?
The Hyatt Waikiki. though it has a restaurant, has a horribly middling buffet,
Seemingly a common issue in hotels in Waikiki ...
Perhaps count yourself lucky?
As a family of 5, Globalist has been a game changer for breakfast for us. I have never been charged for a 5th breakfast entree, and often even get extra bacon or fruit to share and that is all comped.
Only time our 5th has been charged is when its a buffet and I am happy to pay $50 for a good buffet at a resort.
In that case do you usually have five registered in a room? I usually see limit of four people per room when looking to book hyatts I’ve looked at in US. I’d appreciate any input as we travel as five also
I try to book a room for 4 and then apply globalist upgrade cert and are usually successful to getting a room setup for 5 (suite with Rollaway). I have sometimes booked 2 rooms if at a small resort (PH St Kitts) where i know they know the guests names. At a large resort where you just blend in, i have booked for 4 and 5th one on the floor. If they told me I...
I try to book a room for 4 and then apply globalist upgrade cert and are usually successful to getting a room setup for 5 (suite with Rollaway). I have sometimes booked 2 rooms if at a small resort (PH St Kitts) where i know they know the guests names. At a large resort where you just blend in, i have booked for 4 and 5th one on the floor. If they told me I have to pay for the 5th breakfast, I have no problem with that. Usually they dont even notice though. Or if they said you need to pay an extra $50 fee for the 5th person, i have no problem with that.
If at a cheaper place, i will risk them saying i need to book another room at like $200 a night. I would not risk it at a fancy place thats $1k or 45K points a night.
“… paying an uncharge ..”
Upcharge. $10 F&B covers coffee.
Hyatt is the best when it comes to breakfast and that benefit is a huge part of why I'm a Hyatt loyalist over Hilton, Marriott, or IHG. Never understood how your top status could not be guaranteed breakfast or could only be given a small credit that may or may not cover breakfast.
IHG top status now provides a free full hot breakfast at their restaurants. And they give you lounge access as a milestone benefit at only 40 nights. I think IHG has actually surpassed Hyatt in this regard.
I'd be curious to know how Hilton has been impacted since they changed over to their credit system. I personally severed all loyalty with them bc that equated to hundreds of dollars a year in breakfast for domestic work travel. $15 usually wasn't enough for a Starbucks drink and pastry. I then ran into several encounters where the credit wasn't even automatically applied and I had call regarding the bill. I know Hilton as a...
I'd be curious to know how Hilton has been impacted since they changed over to their credit system. I personally severed all loyalty with them bc that equated to hundreds of dollars a year in breakfast for domestic work travel. $15 usually wasn't enough for a Starbucks drink and pastry. I then ran into several encounters where the credit wasn't even automatically applied and I had call regarding the bill. I know Hilton as a company is doing fine but I have to wonder how many others jumped ship with me
I know a lot of people who now avoid Hilton.
More should. At some point consumers have to vote with their wallets or else these corporations will keep cutting benefits and increasing their profits.
Even worse was how Hilton sold this change to us - that offering a $10-15 credit instead of breakfast "increased our options". If they really wanted to increase our options, then give us a choice between breakfast and the credit
Hilton lost all my business when they removed the breakfast benefit.
Quick note, but you can "stack" breakfast at hotels with club lounges. If you have club access and also book Prive, you can have breakfast at the lounge and/or restaurant
I used to get charged for gratuity pretty often in the US and Mexico, and would need my concierge to fix it. However, I learned on flyertalk to always write "Globalist" under the tip line, and on the total line as well. I've never gotten a dirty look from a server, nor have I heard a complaint, and I've only been charged gratuity a handful of times since.
Ordered room service breakfast for 2 at Grand Hyatt DFW last month. All charges including tip were waved!
But the Grand Hyatt DFW won't let you have a coffeemaker in the room. That's why I always choose the Hyatt Regency at DFW, as they have always taken better of guests
My experience is the same. Front desk clerk mentioned that room service was an option. Grand Hyatt DFW has always removed all breakfast charges including room service.
I have has the same experience with room service breakfast. Front desk clerk reminded me that room service breakfast was included. Wonderful hotel after a long flight from Europe.
I have yet to encounter one Hilton property that would apply the continental breakfast limitation. I've heard they exist (Hilton Malta for example), but so far I got full breakfast everywhere I stayed. In fact, some properties (e.g. Hilton Diagonal Mar) have some extra treats for elite members on top of usual offering, which is always nice :)