Complimentary breakfasts becoming more elaborate
2010-10-20
Since many travelers have become accustomed to simple continental breakfasts at mid-range hotels, some hotel chains are now seeking to compete by providing more elaborate offerings.
Based on an unscientific poll conducted by CNN of 11,000 people, 56 percent claim that free breakfast is their favorite hotel amenity, compared to just 28 percent for free Wi-Fi and 12 percent for the pool.
CNN reports that partially due to the importance guests place on breakfast, hotel chains like the Embassy Suites have made it their trademark amenity. Chains like Embassy Suites have begun marketing the brand on the basis of offering cooked-to-order omelets as part of the hotel’s complimentary breakfast service.
Jan Freitag of STR Global, a company that collects data about the hospitality industry, said that breakfast is a cheap and easy way for mid-range hotels to differentiate themselves. Omelets are cheaper to provide than flat-screen TVs or luxury mattresses, she noted.
“It’s a little bit of an arms race,” Freitag told the news source.
As convenient as a free breakfast inside the hotel may be, the news provider notes that the breakfasts are not actually free in that the hotel factors the cost of the breakfast into the room rate.
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