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Fairfield Inn
Residence Inn
Springhill Suites
Townplace
All of the above are Marriott brands and all include a modest to decent breakfast. I don't stay at Hilton brands too often, but I'm certain that Hampton Inns and Embassy Suites provide breakfast too.
As a Hilton guy, I can tell you that it is brand standard at Hampton and Embassy to include breakfast. Hampton is buffet style and includes hot and cold items. It's pretty uniform what they offer - some type of egg (whether it's scrambled or a premade mini-omelette), some meat (bacon or sausage), usually some type of potato, and then yogurts, cereals, breads, etc. It's all clearly prepackaged and heated for convenience, but it's usually palatable.
Embassy offers hot made-to-order breakfast. Cook will make you an omelette to order within some generally set limits (meaning there's a somewhat set menu selection). There's then usually other items such as again your breads, yogurts, etc. that are usually self-serve.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oceangaia
I saw stats that said in 2012 about 79% of hotels offered some sort of free breakfast, up from 55% several years before. Best Western chain of 1000+ began an enhanced breakfast program, supplementing their previous cold breakfast with additional items including some heated items. Same with Holiday Inn Express.
That percentage seems about right for the chains. Once one started it and gained guests off it, it became easy for others to need it to be competitive.
That said, while there isn't a separate charge for it, we all know it's not really "free". It's simply factored into the price - and studies I've seen show people will typically pay around $10-15 more in the room rate for hotels that include it. To another posters point, the higher end hotels often do not include it, though usually what they offer is closer to full sit-down and made-to-order breakfast. Also, guests staying in higher end hotels usually aren't as concerned about breakfast included so they're willing to pay for it...and if you're willing to pay for the experience why wouldn't a business ask to be paid? :-)
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That said, while there isn't a separate charge for it, we all know it's not really "free". It's simply factored into the price - and studies I've seen show people will typically pay around $10-15 more in the room rate for hotels that include it. To another posters point, the higher end hotels often do not include it, though usually what they offer is closer to full sit-down and made-to-order breakfast. Also, guests staying in higher end hotels usually aren't as concerned about breakfast included so they're willing to pay for it...and if you're willing to pay for the experience why wouldn't a business ask to be paid? :-)
I get my continental breakfasts on the Continent.
Contrary to the above I cannot ever remember that I checked to see if breakfast was a "free" meal. For me a hotel is about location, location, location....not "free" anything.
The more upscale hotels I've been in do not offer such a thing. You go into a dining room, sit down and order a personal breakfast and it goes on your bill.
Some of my favorite hotels do offer a "free" breakfast buffet, which is quite extensive, but mostly cold foods.
Years ago in Europe a continental breakfast meant bread/rolls with butter & jam plus coffee/tea and perhaps juice. That is it.
Here in the USA some hotel chains offer some kind of buffet breakfast which sounds more like what people are describing here.
I live in Europe, and the above is my usual breakfast at a cafe. But the hotels put out a spread that is rather far removed from that old traditional continental breakfast.
When we book a hotel, I try to find one with a free breakfast.
Its a crap shoot if the breakfast is decent or not.
Lately I have found powdered eggs, mystery sausage, and other weird stuff.
Even worse is the all carb breakfast of packaged sweet rolls, and wrapped muffins.
I don't eat bread either, so that is a no for me.
I find it funny that if you stay in a fancy hotel, you pay $20 to valet the car per night, and you pay $20 for their mediocre hot breakfast, and $10 for WIFI, but a middle of the row hotel will offer all of that for free.
Check tripadvisor for reviews on a hotel before you bid!
During my last trip to California, I paid $60 for one night valet parking at Omni San Francisco in April.
I also stayed one night in a comfort inn and suites(SLO) that included free parking, Internet and breakfast.
I definitely hate the parking fee in San Francisco, but I hate the comfort inn much more. Sound proof was non existent, A/C was noisy, bathroom was extremely small but the living room was spacious(why?), service didn't really exist, free breakfast was creepy. The worst was the mattress, the low quality mattress they used hadn't been replaced for decades, I couldn't sleep much on the bed. Sleeping is the priority! I stay there to sleep first, and eat breakfast last.
My experience with Westin near Stanford University was pretty decent. The bed was pretty decent, I slept well. Parking wasn't free but not too expensive. The breakfast buffet cost me nearly $30, but the quality was superb.
I live in Europe, and the above is my usual breakfast at a cafe. But the hotels put out a spread that is rather far removed from that old traditional continental breakfast.
Continental breakfast in hotel industry means the worst breakfast you can have, just like a "base model" in auto industry.
Contrary to the above I cannot ever remember that I checked to see if breakfast was a "free" meal. For me a hotel is about location, location, location....not "free" anything.
The more upscale hotels I've been in do not offer such a thing. You go into a dining room, sit down and order a personal breakfast and it goes on your bill.
Some of my favorite hotels do offer a "free" breakfast buffet, which is quite extensive, but mostly cold foods.
Kevxu - I think if I'm understanding what you're saying, we're saying the same thing - there's not something contrary (or I'm misunderstanding what you're saying). You were not concerned about if breakfast was included in the rate and paid to stay in a hotel that offers a better location for you. Also, as you mentioned, you chose a restaurant with full service sit down service. The hotels with "free" breakfast are at a price point and level that is still relatively comfortable (most of the time) but designed for a more price-conscious guest.
In any case, just to reiterate for all, the "free" breakfast (or sometimes called "included", or "complimentary") isn't really free - the hotel still has to purchase and prepare the food and that cost has to be passed on to the guest. It's just factored into the price of your room. Still a generally good value, but just as there's no free lunch, there's no free breakfast...
Why is everyone getting hung up on the word "free"? Even the OP used quotation marks around the word in the thread title and the original post. I think we all know that it isn't really free. It's been repeatedly acknowledged that it's an included amenity. Could we move past the semantics?
I'm starting to feel like the premium extended stay properties (Staybridge Suites, Hyatt House, Embassy Suites, etc.) are the sweet spot for us. Generally significantly bigger than a normal hotel room with kitchenette to full kitchen for the times when you burn out on restaurant food, newer and in good condition with comfortable beds and good toiletries, and generally not a huge price difference compared to a similar tier full service hotel. Only down side is reduced loyalty points in many cases if you play the rewards game like I do.
Full breakfast typically included with room rate. I'm largely a coffee and croissant kind of breakfast person, but the spouse likes a bit more sometimes (and loves his '3D pancake printer' common in the IHG realm) and it's nice to just go downstairs or upstairs to grab a quick bite before heading out. They'll also typically have the coffee maker/hot water tap for tea/ espresso machine going 24/7 and an evening 'manager's reception' 3-4 times a week with beer/wine/soft drinks and substantial enough hot and cold snacks that you can make a meal of it if that's your thing.
I think the increase in breakfast included comes because the growth in the hotel industry right now is often in the mid-level/'upscale' segment where middle class folks and middle managers on the road are looking to keep total expenses at what they see as at a reasonable level and don't want to feel nickeled and dimed. So the hotel owner looking to build or rebrand a property is willing to go with breakfast being an expense rather than a profit center because they can make it up on higher occupancy rates because the La Quinta/Hyatt House/ Holiday Inn Express is a strong brand and branding and the franchise agreement means the name on the building will move customers to the check-in area part of the lobby.
During my last trip to California, I paid $60 for one night valet parking at Omni San Francisco in April.
I also stayed one night in a comfort inn and suites(SLO) that included free parking, Internet and breakfast.
I definitely hate the parking fee in San Francisco, but I hate the comfort inn much more. Sound proof was non existent, A/C was noisy, bathroom was extremely small but the living room was spacious(why?), service didn't really exist, free breakfast was creepy. The worst was the mattress, the low quality mattress they used hadn't been replaced for decades, I couldn't sleep much on the bed. Sleeping is the priority! I stay there to sleep first, and eat breakfast last.
My experience with Westin near Stanford University was pretty decent. The bed was pretty decent, I slept well. Parking wasn't free but not too expensive. The breakfast buffet cost me nearly $30, but the quality was superb.
We were also visiting Stanford, our son is a student there. We stayed at the Maple Tree Inn in Sunnyvale. Good beds, free parking, internet included, and breakfast, dinner, open bar happy hour(Mon-Friday). I don't see the point of paying more to get less.
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