A hotel offers breakfast for an extra daily charge. It sounds convenient until I realize several days begin before the dining room opens, and on others we'd rather explore local cafés. I'm trying to compare the actual mornings we'll use it, not divide the package price across every night. When do you find hotel breakfast genuinely good value—early departures, family travel, remote locations—and when is it an expensive habit?
Deciding whether breakfast-included hotels are good value when mornings start early
- travel-planning
- breakfast
- included
- hotels
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1 reply
I think the real comparison is what each morning looks like, not the average over the whole stay. If three mornings are too early for breakf...
I think the real comparison is what each morning looks like, not the average over the whole stay. If three mornings are too early for breakfast and two are café days, the included option may be more habit than value.
That's how I judge it too. If I can already see myself skipping it half the time, I stop calling it convenient.
3 replies
Breakfast is worth paying for when it replaces a meal you'd otherwise scramble for. Early departure, remote location, or a family that needs...
Breakfast is worth paying for when it replaces a meal you'd otherwise scramble for. Early departure, remote location, or a family that needs to leave the room fed and moving — that can make it useful fast.
If the dining room opens late, I wouldn't pay for it unless the room rate is very close to the no-breakfast option. Cafés often give you more flexibility anyway.
For me it's the opposite of a habit; I only buy it when it prevents a messy morning. No one needs an expensive croissant out of loyalty to a buffet.
I do wonder about the family-travel angle though. With kids, sometimes the convenience is the whole point, even if the food isn't exciting.