Guests Willing to Pay for Free Food

Hotel guests seek out hotels that give them free breakfasts or buffets. Are you surprised? Me, neither. Perhaps because I'm the kind of guest who likes free breakfasts and WiFi. (It's also a repeat of a Dec. 8 story by Barbara De Lollis.)

Improved customer service is a necessity for hotels, and a free breakfast is seen by many as a reason to choose a hotel, including rating the free-breakfast hotels. Luckily, the hospitality industry is taking notice and understanding it's a value-added benefit of staying in a hotel. Hopefully this means hotels won't just throw some boiled eggs and toaster waffles at their guests (although I've found strawberry yogurt on Eggos works) but actually try to satisfy nutritional and culinary needs. Maybe that's simply a decent pastry and coffee, but something that helps someone ready for their busy day.

Breakfast is a benefit because it's a gift to guests who may not know the area, are short on time or need a quick pick-me-up before lunch or dinner. A decent breakfast starts and can color an entire day, so it's no surprise that guests choose hotels as much on their breakfast buffet as the thread count on the hotel's sheets. (And now more so because most airlines are no longer serving meals.) In a recession, saving money is more important than luxury -- but quality will always win out. That includes free food, wireless Internet and any other benefits hotels can include with their rooms.

The decent breakfast will pay off by word-of-mouth advertising (or more to the point, the Internet or social media) such as this post about a good breakfast at Element Las Vegas or one that praises Springhill Suites by Marriott and their fine free breakfast. A good free breakfast seems to be something that many guests are willing to pay for.