Hotel Free Breakfast Under Threat Is This the End of Waffle Paradise

• Hotels are reevaluating the sustainability of offering free breakfast due to rising costs.
• Consumer expectations and loyalty programs play a crucial role in the breakfast offering.
• Luxury hotels are leading the way in introducing paid breakfast options.
• Mid-scale hotels face potential backlash if they eliminate free breakfast completely.

The Sacred Cow on the Chopping Block

Folks, as your President, I know a thing or two about tough choices, like choosing between ice cream flavors. But hotels deciding whether to keep free breakfast? That's a real head-scratcher. It used to be that a hot, free breakfast was a staple, a beacon of hope for weary travelers. Now, some hotels are seeing it as a money pit. Times are changing, like trying to explain TikTok to Corn Pop.

Cutting Costs and Cutting Corners

Now, I've always been a proponent of finding efficiencies. But when hotels start ditching free soaps and breakfast, you know they're feeling the pinch. Gary Leff from View from the Wing rightly points out that this is part of a broader trend to cut costs. And Curtis Crimmins, CEO of Roomza, hits the nail on the head. Free breakfast is going from a delightful surprise to an expectation. Speaking of expectations, did you hear about the time I had to explain to a foreign leader that we don't actually live in igloos? You can find more discussion about travel, you can find more similar discussion in this article McDonald's Crushes Earnings: Is This the Future of Fast Food?

Luxury or Loyalty, What's the Price of Eggs Benedict

The big hotel chains are split. Hyatt is testing breakfast options, while Marriott is seeing luxury as a bright spot, like finding a full head of hair in my younger days. Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano describes the hotel business as a K-shaped economy. Some get the eggs benedict; others get the cold cereal. It's about choices, folks, like deciding between a town hall or a quiet afternoon with the grandkids.

The Great American Breakfast Divide

JD Power says most hotel guests (78%) eat breakfast at the hotel, but only 8% pay for it. Andrea Stokes at JD Power says breakfast is still important. Mitchell Murray, CEO of Station House Inn, notes that free breakfast can eat into revenue. It's a balancing act, like trying to ride a bike with training wheels at 80. You gotta find that sweet spot.

Best Western Stands Firm

But not everyone's giving up the waffle iron. Best Western CEO Larry Cuculic says free breakfast is still a crucial part of their guest experience. They believe it supports guest satisfaction and repeat business. Sometimes, sticking to your guns is the right call, like when I insisted on driving my Corvette, even after Secret Service suggested otherwise.

Travel Planning and the Future of Breakfast

Aimee Misovich and her family plan their trips around hotels with free breakfast, showing it still matters. Rita Chaddad at Columbia Southern University predicts free breakfast will disappear in luxury brands but remain elsewhere, perhaps in a new, segmented form. The game's changing, like trying to understand the rules of pickleball. But one thing's for sure, folks, we'll navigate it together. After all, that’s what Americans do.