Tag Archives for breakfast.
A Hyatt hotel is telling top-tier guests that the elite breakfast at its beachfront food truck is reserved exclusively for Jewish customers—sparking confusion, hilarious jokes, and comparisons to a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
Starting January 7, British Airways will stop serving a full English-style hot breakfast on its shortest business class routes out of London. Club Europe passengers will get fruit, yogurt, and pastry instead—another cost-cut that chips away at the one thing European business class usually still does well: catering.
Holiday Inn will stop offering any cooked-to-order or à la carte breakfast on December 1. Every property in the U.S. and Canada moves to a standardized buffet, and the brand’s internal guide shows just how minimal that operation can be. Hotels only need two staff to run the entire service window, the required menu is tightly limited, and pastries can legally be held and reused for up to 24 hours.
On my Austin–Chicago flight, I was thrilled to see a smoked salmon bagel platter on American’s breakfast menu — until it arrived. The bagel was cold, the onions and capers were missing, and instead of cream cheese, they’d served butter. “Bagel, butter, and lox” isn’t a combination I’ve ever encountered in half a century of travel. American seems determined to check the “meal served” box — even when it forgets the basics.
From rubbery eggs to lifeless pancakes, U.S. airline breakfasts have never figured out altitude—or appetite. The fix isn’t more bacon, it’s rethinking the entire meal: stop serving “breakfast” and start serving food that actually works in the air and on the ground.
Free breakfast is a common feature of many hotel brands, especially in the limited service category. You’ll find it at Hampton Inn, Best Western and Holiday Inn Express among numerous others.
Here’s the thing: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hotel actually check that you’re a guest before giving you access. If you look like you belong there, you can park in the lot, walk in, and eat.
Four years ago Hilton eliminated free breakfast as a benefit for Honors Gold and Diamond members at U.S properties. In its place they offer a small food and beverage credit that can be used at any time throughout the day.
Marriott hotels decide whether to honor Bonvoy elite benefits. If they choose not to, you can complain to Marriott. And usually the most they’ll do is refer you to the hotel, who will tell you to pound sand. One guest wasn’t going to accept that.
Another Marriott hotel has surfaced ignoring elite member breakfast benefits.
This property has a club lounge, honors elite breakfast there, and refuses restaurant breakfast as outlined by the Marriott Bonvoy terms.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
