Effective November 1 Hyatt Place hotels were supposed to stop providing all guests with free breakfast and limit breakfast only to members of World of Hyatt who book through Hyatt channels (or corporate booking tools, since that’s good business). I broke news about the original test months earlier.

• If you book through an online travel agency like Expedia, no breakfast for you
  
• But if you’re not already a World of Hyatt you get an exemption if you sign up for the program
  
• That means non-members can get breakfast if they book through Expedia — top tier elites cannot

Hyatt promised to add regional items that provide a sense of place, such as “in the southern U.S. [Hyatt Place breakfast] may feature biscuits and gravy or Hyatt Place hotels in the west/Pacific Northwest may feature avocado toast.” I haven’t noticed this at all at the Hyatt Place Arlington/Courthouse where I’ve stayed three times since the cutover. Hyatt Place breakfasts aren’t nearly as good as they used to be just a couple of years ago.

Hyatt framed their changes as breakfast being a new benefit of their program but really it’s taking away a benefit from the Hyatt Place brand. At least if it’s actually enforced.

However I haven’t noticed the change in my three Hyatt Place stays since November 1. Breakfast has been open exactly as it used to be. I asked on Twitter what others’ experiences have been.

November 1 @HyattPlace hotels were supposed to restrict breakfast to program members who book direct and new program signups. The only property I've stayed at (3x since then) has no controls on breakfast at all. What are other properties doing to implement this?

— gary leff (@garyleff) February 1, 2019

Some folks have had the same experience that I have had — business just as before, hotels ignoring the edict. After all enforcement is costly. You need to pay a staff member to do the task and are you really going to generate enough extra revenue to make it worthwhile? Meanwhile it’s the worst job in the place, the person scolding people for trying to have breakfast.

Hyatt Places weren’t necessarily designed with cordoning off breakfast in mind. I used to think that if I were ever in dire straits I didn’t need to be staying at a hotel I could just swing by for breakfast…

I stayed at two in Texas *this week* and saw nothing. Never seen enforcement anywhere so I just assumed they were automatically adding a breakfast charge on the bill to non-members/ineligible rates.

— Taylor Brown (@browngt5) February 2, 2019

HP BNA had no controls and no mention of the policy. Stay last weekend.

— Miles & Pints (@JeffTheWanderer) February 1, 2019

At the opposite end of the spectrum some hotels do enforce the new approach to breakfast, each in their own way.

HP Flushing checks guest room numbers. Breakfast rules are clearly stated.

— Carolina Travel Girl (@miffSC) February 1, 2019

The HP I’m at right now has someone with a room list at a host stand who checks.

— Krystyna F (@MsKrysia) February 1, 2019

I stayed at HP LIC (NYC) last week and all guests approaching the breakfast area were asked for their room number and checked on a clipboard master list. Some guests insisted they were members, and attendant simply asked them to provide WOH email to update reservation.

— ChristelLom (@raisethatglass) February 1, 2019

Bangkok has a staff member ensuring you’re allowed to eat else you’ll get a bill at your table. Frankfurt airport also has a staff member and you’ll get charged the moment you decide to eat (new terms there though suggest even Globalists may not be getting breakfast)

— Colin Charles (@bytebot) February 1, 2019

When I stayed at an HP in mid-November, there was a Hyatt employee walking around the dining room with an iPad, asking people to sign up for World of Hyatt if they hadn't done so already.

— jolly holiday jeff (@jeffsoubirous) February 1, 2019

I’m not even sure what it would look like to have an employee walking around to people already having breakfast checking on their eligibility. What if they are already Hyatt members but booked through an online travel agency, are they going to be told about charges for food they’re already eating?

Other folks have had mixed experiences, or seen hotels chart a middle ground or half-hearted approach to enforcement.

I heard the HP Keystone talk about it at the check-in desk some, but no physical controls enforced.

— Mommy Points (@mommypoints) February 1, 2019

Out of six nights the hyatt place in Atlanta checked once. No others have checked.

— David Ocamb (@DavidOcamb) February 2, 2019

In Vegas in December half the days someone was there with an iPad checking. Could walk by without being hassled though

— DangerousBri (@DangerousBri) February 1, 2019

In practice the Hyatt Place “mornings are for members” slogan isn’t as cut and dried as corporate’s rules appear.