I’d like to dedicate a post to talking about hotel breakfast. Breakfast is a thing that some hotel guests don’t think about at all, while for others, it’s top of mind when deciding on a hotel. Heck, one of the reasons that many people choose to pursue elite status with major hotel groups is for…
Continue reading: The Value Of Hotel Breakfast: What’s It Really Worth?
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Thanks for the article. What sort of reflections do you or others have on hotel breakfast offerings in Latin America?
Interesting that you don't love breakfast in Germany but do like it in Italy. I generally really enjoy hotel breakfasts in Germany, but tend to think Italy's are more meager.
If you read Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions, you will be surprised at what elite benefits are exempted for virtually every one of its luxury brands.
In general, it's nothing to get excited about, and I don't value it that much. Yes it's nice with the kids, but so are instant oatmeal packets and granola bars versus sitting around with wiggling children for a meal. I really just want a good cup of coffee (often lacking at these buffets), and at some point perhaps a pastry or a piece of bread.
Italy and France are the countries known for coffee and cigarettes for breakfast so with few exceptions breakfasts are meee…
but can somebody tell me whya continental breakfast is called continental breakfast? I am not aware of any country in Europe where the regional breakfast is „continental“.
I agree with all of this. Great at secluded resorts and meh otherwise. Even Asia I struggle as I just am not a big eater. It is too much.
I've never been a breakfast person. I'm happy with a croissant, protein bar, etc.
We were once comped breakfast for our 3 night stay at the Park Hyatt in Milan where breakfast was something like 50 Euros pre covid days and it was just wasted on me since I don't eat anything fancy or even eggs anymore.
I do like the German type breakfasts with meats, cheeses and breads since that is sort of a lunch. It is also why I enjoy the Chick Fil A chicken biscuit sandwiches since I get something with some protein that isn't an egg, and isn't a doughnut, muffin.
I just as soon skip it and eat lunch early.
I for one love breakfast buffets, especially in Asia. I would pay a breakfast included rate if there was no comped breakfast. Eating around 10:30 will last me till tea time. It takes me 4 to 5 days to work through the different options. You get to try out at least 3 different type of cuisines. Yeah, I usually eat 4x a day in Asia.
If I'm traveling alone free breakfast is worth very little. If I am with my family of four, it's worth quite a lot.
As an Italian one (or two...) croissant, one espresso, one juice or one yogurt are all I need for breakfast. So I don't value huge breakfast buffets that much, i'm simply not used to eat too much food in the early morning. Basically I only value italian or french hotels breakfast. Just a different point of view
I stayed at the WA Rome this past summer and was surprised at how meager the spread was and the presentation left much to be desired. I did enjoy what they had, but I think my short stay at the Hilton Garden Inn LHR had a better presentation than the WA.
Unless using Semaglutide, lots of us keep one a meal a day small/zero - various people skip lunch, or eat nothing within 6 hours of going to sleep.
For me it's keeping breakfast very small, or sometime skipping it completely.
I often eat just two hard-boiled eggs - fine if the breakfast is included (although I am subsidising those who eat more - frustrating if has to be paid for at a resort.
I always look at if I am not eating breakfast at the hotel, where am I eating? In urban areas the alternatives are probably bountiful. IfIi am on a beach or an island, there probably arent alternatives to a hotel breakfast and i value that free breakfast.
So, this seems a bit of a simplistic take so I'd like to add to it. Here in the USA, breakfast can be a great meal but in most hotels it is not. For the reasons stated by Ben; usually cutting corners. Different parts of the US do have some variations on what's for breakfast though not generally at chain hotels.
I've found that Latin American hotels can have some really fantastic breakfasts and I'd value them more highly. Breakfast in Europe is not as important a meal as it is here, so you get lighter fare of bread, some cold cuts, maybe some fruit and/or yogurt. You did forget the UK, where most hotels seem to offer a similar level of breakfast as you see in the States. However, really nice hotels do offer variations of the full English (or Scottish) breakfast which can be really great.
TBH, rarely do I bother much with hotel breakfasts unless it's something special. Which can be the case in a place like Costa Rica or Argentina or even France (I actually like continental breakfast).
The thing about super nice hotels is that breakfast has to be some grand affair where they sit you down at a table and treat it like dinner. I just want something quick and get started with my day
I agree with you, Jerry. My experiences with breakfast at hotels (both small and large) in Germany have been much better than those in Italy. French hotel breakfast experiences have been uneven.
The value is also very much related to what you eat. Lots of breakfast buffets in Europe tend to have British breakfast and are priced accordingly, but it's not like most people are gonna eat full lunch with bacon, sausages, omelette and whatnot at 9 AM. Thus it almost never makes sense to pay in cash unless you are a Brit/American.
For me, the value is what I'd pay for breakfast elsewhere. You can usually get normal breakfast for 5€ or so in any supermarket, maybe 10€ at a cafe. That is if you even have one in the first place. I usually skip breakfast and just go straight to lunch, which is why at IHG I almost always take points over breakfast no matter how little the points are worth.
This is like one of the Terrible Maps memes with global maps which exclude NZ etc. I don't massively disagree with anything in the post, but there are huge chunks of the world missing!
- A basic continental breakfast is far better for my taste than the congee that seems to reign supreme in many/most midscale Chinese hotels.
- There's no such thing as a 'Latin American breakfast'. Mexican ones are more similar to their US counterparts, Colombian/Venezuelan/Caribbean breakfasts can be rather limited (I've stayed in 5* in Maracaibo, Cartagena etc where the selection was next to nothing) but also have interesting local stuff like steamed plantain, and the vibe in the Southern Cone unsurprisingly is similar to Europe.
- African city hotels (I rarely go to resorts) don't normally try too hard when it comes to breakfast offerings.
- I have no idea about what's going on in the Indian Subcontinent as I've never even stayed overnight there (unless you count Sri Lanka as part of it), but I guess it's not the same as the rest of Asia.
The term continental breakfast comes from the UK as their description of normal European breakfast (some bread with cheese and ham, maybe a pastry, yoghurt and a juice/coffee) as opposed to the British custom of having a full lunch in the morning. Hence "continental" = what people on the continent (mainland) eat.
French breakfast is great but you can go to any random boulangerie and have it for 5€ at a much higher quality than what hotels charge 25€ for.
FWIW, hotel breakfasts in Scandinavia are an experience. Enjoyed some absolutely beautiful spreads in Norway and Sweden
But nobody on the mainland eats this.
I have been to more or less every European country in my life and nowhere has the local breakfast resembled a continental breakfast
Given how much Gary Leff writes on the subject of free hotel breakfasts and whether he's gotten one or not, I should imagine their value lies somewhere between "Ark of the Covenant" and "life-giving oxygen."
I'm not paying for breakfasts for piggies. I suggest mandatory weigh-ins before entering breakfast and if you're categorized as obiese, you're turned away and given a shot of ozempic in your fat ass.
Complimentary breakfast is one of my favorite perks of having status. As you mentioned, the hotels in Southeast Asia are on a different level. I also found many properties in Europe having decent albeit more simple offerings. The U.S. definitely has the weakest offering. The only reason why I still appreciate it is it’s one less meal to spend on for the day with my daily per diem during work trips.
Reading this article, I recall how my wife and I were impressed by the breakfast buffet variety and quality at the Hilton Helsinki Airport. The Hyatt in Stockholm and IHG Indigo in Helsinki were very enjoyable too (especially if you enjoy pickled fish).
A 5 am flight means you are leaving the hotel at 3 am. For international travel even flights departing at 8 or 9 am means you are missing the hotel breakfast.
At luxury hotels, way better than the US but less extravagant than Asia. Mexican hotels, due to the proximity and influence of the US, tend to have more disappointing spreads. The further south you go and the more distant from the US, the better it gets. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay hotels than to have excellent breakfasts. One of the best hotel breakfasts I have ever had was at the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro.
During breakfast at the Park Hyatt Saigon last week a pastry chef approached my table with a tray of hot out of the oven/freshly baked croissants. It was a sublime experience.
We traveled a lot last summer. Had some really exceptional breakfasts. Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay (variety), and Conrad Osaka (steak) were our favorites but Curio Maldives, Park Hyatt Siem Reap, and Hyatt Regency Kathmandu were also extremely good. I prefer when there’s a buffet and you can also order off menu, and most were that way.
If breakfast were not included I'd nip into a local café for a coffee and some kind of sandwich/pastry/porridge. Depending on where I am in the world that's about £10 to £15 max. So that's the true value for me.
It's such an awesome hotel, as is the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, where the club lounge breakfast options are numerous and delicious.
Breakfast in US properties not good? Properties like Blue Duck Tavern in Park Hyatt DC, Atlantikos in St Reg Bal Harbor, Riva in St Reg Longboat Key (Your own review of this place called their breakfast nice), and my very favorite (probably in my top list from entire world) Ka'ana Kitchen at Andaz Maui would like to have a word with you.
Without question The Regent Taipei. 1%. intercontinental Bali Jimbaran Beach 1%. In the old days The Barclay use to have a tremendous spread. You're right about the resorts. The Andaman Langkawi overwhelms.
I had breakfast at the restaurant at the Sofitel Metrople Hanoi and would rank it even higher than the Park Hyatt Saigon.
I stay in serviced apartment hotels in France. The breakfast is meager and 17€. You can brew your own coffee in your room, cook up eggs or whatever. I pass on free breakfast in the US, so it's a not important for me, just wasted calories. But, I do go buy a 2€ or pastry at a shop while in France. All in all, I don't get the obsession with breakfast a hotels, but chacune a son goutte.
Definitely internationally, we generally load up at breakfast and skip lunch, which saves both money and time to do other things. At a guess, I would value the savings at maybe $35/person, more at more remote locations. In the US, most hotel breakfasts aren't worth doing, although I would note that the JW Marriott at Disney World is an exception (and having platinum status and Edit hotel booking gets you 4 breakfasts, so we invite friends!)
I never eat at breakfast buffet at hotels in the US. I've seen them and thought ok well if I want another tumor in my gut I guess I can eat some of that garbage. But fat Americans seem to love them. Europe and Asia are completely different in quality. I rarely eat breakfast but will do so on trips overseas so that I can skip lunch since the afternoons are usually busy. I don't want to spend the morning hunting for coffee so hotel breakfast is useful.
Yeah but there are probably less than 1% of hotels in the US that are not partially or fully pathetic.
If you don’t have a breakfast included in your rate or your status covers it don’t bother with hotel rip off charges, go where the locals go. I’ve found in the UK the best buffet breakfast can be found at Premier Inn ( don’t need to be a guest as the restaurant is open to non residents) or Wetherspoons ( Spoons) they get the same product from the same supplier ( Brake Brothers) as do most if not all 5* hotels.
As a European that banks hundreds of hotel nights a year for 10+ years, I don’t agree with ” (the US) is certainly the worst value hotel experience you’ll find anywhere in the world”. Perhaps if you only visit luxury properties, but it’s certainly not true for mid scale or budget properties, which often suck in Europe (and Asia). I actually think that the US hotel market still had a lot to offer in terms of value.
If you're in the UK, the Toby Carvery pub chain has a great deal for buffet breakfast. You do have to pay extra for espresso-based coffee (though the price might include filter coffee), but it's unlimited proper cooked breakfast for not a lot of money.
Like with all big countries, I think there's going to be variations by region, market type etc...but I stayed at a Best Western in Texas last year (for $200ish a night, I hasten to add) which was more than adequate in terms of room size, maintenance etc but literally only had bacon and bananas as the only options not based on super processed carbohydrates. There may have been some scrambled eggs somewhere, but there was definitely nothing in terms of cheese, ham, mushrooms, other fruit etc.
Perhaps it is just where I stay at but hotels in Germany almost always have an amazing breakfast buffet, typically better than I've had in Italy, France, or England. Admittedly, it is carb heavy but Germany also has the best bread in the world.
In the US it very much depends on the hotel. Often it is just a daily budget and sometimes it barely covers a dish, if at all. The only advantage to this is that it is off of a menu so therefore there is no over-eating.
A nice comped resort breakfast off a menu is the way to go. Order and eat exactly what you want. Huge $$ savings at an otherwise pricey resort. Makes for a nice 2-meal day. Marriott (of all organizations) stepped up and and stood out recently in Costa Rica and Belize.
My best hotel breakfast experience by a mile, included in the $ 89 cost for the stay was at the Anara hotel inside CGK. Just walk right into it from inside the terminal. The serving area was at least four times the size of your thumbnail, including a meat station, and an omelet station with everything made to order, plus the Americano brought to my table.
When I am traveling, the last thing I do is want to do is go more than five feet to find a place to eat in the morning, especially in inclement weather. The Renaissance in Chicago offered a small Grab and Go breakfast for elites when it was snowing outside and the lounge was closed. Not a real breakfast either.
Glad you brought up this topic. I agree with almost every assessment here. Glad we’re on the same page, except for one major omission.
India is the land of truly grand breakfasts (yes, even better than Southeast Asia and the Middle East)s. Even in a three-star hotel in a second-tier town, the free breakfast will be better than anything at the Waldorf Astoria. And once you get to the five-stars, fuhgeddaboudit! It's routine at the best places to have upward of 50 items, with cuisines of north and south India, East Asia, the Middle East and what we'd call western continental. In addition, there will multiple live stations making different kinds of Indian food (the range will surprise newbies) as well as an egg station making the widest variety of eggs possible. Just the fresh selection of fresh juices will outdo anything you've likely seen before.
Off the top of my head, hotels with memorable breakfasts including the Andaz at Delhi Airport; Taj Mahal Mumbai (any of the 75+ Taj won't disappoint); the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai (ditto for the 90+ ITCs across the country); the Leela in Mysore and Kovalam.
If I have cereal & a full cooked breakfast with coffee, I'm really fed for the rest of the day (I don't need lunch). Very useful for tourist situations.
Yes, one of my favorite included hotel breakfasts was at the Sommerro Hotel in Oslo. It came with a made to order entree, plus an expansive buffet.
Blue Duck probably has one of the best hotel breakfasts in the US, so this is definitely top of the top of the list.
Ben, what about the other regions? What about breakfast in East and South Asia? What about breakfast in Africa? What about breakfast in Canada or in the Caribbean? What about breakfast in Mexico and Latin America? Thank you. You seem to regurgitate this article but not update it with other regions’ breakfast. We all know that you have traveled to the six continents thus far so can you please add your thoughts to the other unmentioned regions? Will you travel to Antarctica in the future?
One of my memorable breakfasts was at the Old Town Hilton in Stockholm, about 20yrs ago. Fabulous spread in a huge room overlooking the old town and the harbour and waterways.
Another one, albeit more modest, was at a boutique little hotel in Recoleta, Buenos Aires.
I mean, morning is the best time to get your carbs as you'll have plenty of time to use and burn them. Keep in mind that Europeans generally don't do "sandwich lunches", lunch is normally a proper meal.
And if you find a hotel in Sweden or Norway that includes smoked salmon(lox), it's a keeper. Two years ago we had a breakfast buffet in a hotel in Bergen that even had bagels. But that was before Trump. Now they serve Americans white bread and water.
We are not on business, so we appreciate the breakfast benefit by status. In Europe breakfast can cost €40 each. That €80 for breakfast everyday on the room bill.
In the USA, we appreciated small hotels which have an easy and fairly quick breakfast setup, coffee, bagel, oatmeal and then on the road. Places like Hyatt Places, Hampton, IHG, etc.
We really don't know how much CEO's, and other top management pay attention to their customers. It is not a good thing to be disconnected.
When Bill Marriott was involved, somehow we came on to his secret 3% club. One staff caught it on our profile and we had to ask many in Marriott to find out what it was. He chose certain frequent travellers, and we being a couple, he chose us.
One time in New York City around the holidays, the GM wanted to meet us. He showed us a new model room, where Marriott was changing to the new colours and furniture scheme. We wondered why he did this, he said Mr Marriott asked him to get our opinion.
We learned that we had direct access to Mr Marriott's office if we ever had a problem. And when we had a big problem, we called and it was handled properly.
Well that was the past. But it showed, Bill Marriott kept in touch with his customers.
Unless you have the hottest product in the world with no competition, the best thing to do is keep in touch with your customers. That is the flow of the business.
I lived on mainland my entire life. A simple sandwich with ham or some pastry, juice, something yoghurt-like and a tea is absolutely normal breakfast for most of us. Of course, regional variations exist, e.g. in Scandinavia you will have some gravlax instead of ham/salami etc.
What exactly is your idea of what we eat for breakfast?
And have had plenty of mediocre breakfasts in the mentioned "asian countries " once go below the topmost 5 star hotels. My samples are mainly from India, China, and UAE
All the same american chains are in europe too and in fact better with status (hilton diamonds get full cost breakfast, not a limited f&b credit)
Marriott Residence Inn used to have a nice breakfast... Now it's trash. Breakfast at the last Residence Inn I stayed at was like McDonald's, with paper plates and plastic utensils!
Your statement only applies to select European countries. Sandwiches for lunch are common across much of Europe, but especially in Northern and Western Europe. Here’s a breakdown…
United Kingdom & Ireland: sandwiches are a classic lunch (packed lunches, meal deals).
Netherlands: bread with fillings (boterhammen) is the default lunch.
Belgium: similar to the Netherlands; sandwiches and bread rolls are typical.
Germany: Butterbrot or bread rolls (Brötchen) with cold cuts or cheese are a frequent lunch option.
Denmark: elaborate open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød) are commonplace
Norway, Sweden, Finland: bread-based lunches are very common, often open-faced.
Switzerland: sandwiches or bread rolls are common, especially for work lunches.
France: baguette sandwiches are popular (jambon-beurre), though sit-down lunches are also typical
Austria: sandwiches and rolls are common, especially for quick lunches.
Luxembourg:similar to neighboring Germany/France.
Completely disagree with you, Ben, that European breakfasts are just carbs and more carbs. In general, the offerings are more balanced than just “pig out” opportunities like in SE Asia or the forgettable ones in the US.
A Hampton, for example in Antwerp, offered fresh croissants, Greek yougurt, fresh cut fruit and whole fruit, a couple of egg portions, hash browns, and the various breads with excellent coffee and juices. I don’t need to talk about the ones in the US with their sad waffles as a “highlight”
The Grand Chola has adequate breakfast and they make decent dosa - not close to the best hotel spread ive enjoyed in Asia but pretty solid. Unfortunately the local mosquitoes are the size of horseflies and infest the lower floors - I wish they did a better job of spraying around the grounds. Also, the interface between the hotel and local streets is jarring - Madras is a chaotic dump (I guess that makes staying inside the hotel more appealing). Very good spa on site and surprisingly delicious gourmet chocolate
Free Breakfast esp in Middle East or Asia (e.g. Japan) is a valid reason to become a Hyatt Globalist. I will die on this hill of perfectly-undercooked scrambled eggs and brie.
Do you really think that the €40 per person price tag for breakfast is aimed at anyone spending their own money? It's either a theoretical thing to justify charging e.g. €20 extra for a rate that includes breakfast, or it's just aimed at those who are able to expense more or less anything. The expenses policy at my workplace has a 'soft' £20 limit per meal- anyone spending more needs to justify it (e.g. due to being in a conference hotel without reasonable options nearby), and anyone asking their manager to approve a €40 breakfast bill should expect to be told off.
Irrespective of the overall quality and/or variety of the breakfast spread, Accor hotels, even down to Ibis Styles (I haven't had breakfast at a red Ibis for years) seem to always be able to offer amazing viennoiserie. Which unfortunately I can no longer benefit from as I endeavour to avoid carbohydrates.
I completely disagree. Breakfast in the Westin Bonaventure in LA is a complete breakfast in the downstairs restaurant worth $35. And in the Berlin JW it is equally terrific. I am sorry for those who do not appreciate a full breakfast. I usually skip lunch with a hearty breakfast under my belt.
I agree, and totally don‘t understand where Ben gets his idea from, that breakfasts in France and Italy are better. Breakfasts there are often only some uninspired ham and cheese with some baguette-style white bread. And sometimes some good pastry. In comparison breakfasts in Germany have generally much better variety. My only beef with them is, that they all seem to come from a local branch of the same central provider. Even on the higher end the breakfasts are provided by the same catering companies. For example the breakfasts spreads, pastries, bread and fruits at the Grand Hyatt Berlin and Ritz Carlton Berlin are for all intents and purposes the same.
I also had a very memorable one around that time nearby at the Renaissance in Düsseldorf. Totally unexpected, because the rate was very cheap at that time.
Interesting that in an article about what hotel breakfast 'is really worth' you don't actually mention the price! I realise for a portion of the OMAAT crew this may not have a bearing on their hotel experience, but for some of us it really does. We were in Berlin this summer and the €120/night hotel we were staying in wanted €29 per person per day for breakfast. For our family of 3 (one of whom is 4 years old, so could never eat €29 worth of food) that would have been an extra €87 per day! That's an additional 73% on top of the cost of actually staying at the hotel! I politely declined and in the morning we walked down the road, found a charming café and bought two breakfasts between the three of us for a total of about €23. So in my book that's what a city hotel breakfast is really worth.
Granted, I do agree with your point, Ben, that at a resort it's a different kettle of fish altogether, but I do think most people consider price when considering 'value'.
OK, self-critique time... I realise now that you're talking about FREE hotel breakfast, so my point is rather moot! Apologies!
The Marino Beach Hotel and the Cinnamon Grand in Colombo have exceptional buffets at breakfast time. Although I have not stayed at the ITC property in Colombo nor at the Taj Samudra, I would think they have excellent breakfast offerings even if it is to compete with the Marino Beach and the CG I have mentioned. All Cinnamon properties do not exhibit the same high quality, by the way.
Just stayed Grand Hyatt Berlin. How even possible to compare to Asia. Actually 3* breakfast. Espresso terrible even