# Why do hotels usually offer "free" (LOL) breakfast?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 28, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220 "2017-03-28T14:16:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/81 "2017-03-29T13:56:21Z")
> [@enipla](#):
>
> When my Wife and I are traveling to get somewhere, that’s the plan for the day. Travel, get to next destination. Eight hundred or 1000 mile days isn’t that unusual. So, a quick breakfast fix is all we really need to get moving. I won’t say it’s great, but it works and saves time.
- 1
---
### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/82 "2017-03-29T14:05:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Professionally speaking …
>
> IME in the US free breakfast is a sign of a low-end business or mid-level tourist hotel. Or lower. IOW, your generic low-midmarket US chain hotel like Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden, Choice, Comfort Inn, Clarion, etc.
>
> Nice hotels don’t have free breakfast. They have ~$18/person entrees and buffets. I hate paying it but I love eating it.
Having done a lot of business travel in the U.S. for my job over the years, this is consistent with my experiences. Lower-level “tourist” hotels (the Motel 6s of the world) are unlikely to have much, if anything, in the way of food offerings, and higher-end hotels will usually have actual restaurants.
I’m diabetic, and I’d really rather not (and shouldn’t) have a carb-heavy breakfast, so Continental breakfasts really aren’t for me.
I also go to gaming conventions a few times a year, and hotels which offer free breakfasts tend to be very, very popular with the attendees.
---
### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/83 "2017-03-29T14:20:44Z")
> [@filmore](#):
>
> Large corporations often have their own internal travel reservation system. The employees are required to book hotels through that system to get their corporate rate. The amenities of each hotel are listed, such as free internet, breakfast, etc. So if the company has their expense system integrated with the reservation system, they’ll know if your hotel has free breakfast. You can still expense breakfast if you meet with clients or something like that, but you’ll need to justify it.
I suppose. This all came up because I mentioned organizations that follow the federal model, and last I checked GSA doesn’t care if your hotel has a tray of stale croissants or not.
---
### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/84 "2017-03-29T14:25:58Z")
> [@filmore](#):
>
> Large corporations often have their own internal travel reservation system. The employees are required to book hotels through that system to get their corporate rate. The amenities of each hotel are listed, such as free internet, breakfast, etc. So if the company has their expense system integrated with the reservation system, they’ll know if your hotel has free breakfast. You can still expense breakfast if you meet with clients or something like that, but you’ll need to justify it.
Exactly this.
---
### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/85 "2017-03-29T14:26:49Z")
> [@Eonwe](#):
>
> If I’m traveling, I’m likely paying for every meal. It’s nice to have a “free” option, even if it’s just bad coffee, a banana and cereal, so I can start my day without having “eat out” for breakfast as well.
>
> I can imagine that if you’re traveling with kids, this option becomes even more of a time and money-saver.
Exactly - on both counts. If I’m travelling for work, I can save my per diem for for lunch and dinner. If I’m travelling with my family, I can take the boys down for breakfast while **Mrs Magill** gets a nice, quiet shower for once.
---
### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/86 "2017-03-29T15:15:59Z")
I stayed at a little nondescript hotel in Milan, Italy on a vacation. When I came down for breakfast, they had a towering terraced display of cheeses, meats, and sausages of countless varieties. And free bottles of wine lined up in front of it. All you could eat and drink. Bliss.
I couldn’t go through life every day starting my morning with a meat platter and bottle of wine, but for those few days it was awesome.
---
### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/87 "2017-03-29T16:29:28Z")
> [@Ruken](#):
>
> I suppose. This all came up because I mentioned organizations that follow the federal model, and last I checked GSA doesn’t care if your hotel has a tray of stale croissants or not.
I suppose my employer could find out if the hotel I stay at offers a free breakfast - but they don’t care. I get the GSA per diem amount whether the hotel has free breakfast , or if I skip breakfast , or if I have dinner at a friend’s house who lives in the area I’ve travelled to. No receipts are required.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
---
### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/88 "2017-03-29T16:29:47Z")
> [@filmore](#):
>
> Large corporations often have their own internal travel reservation system. The employees are required to book hotels through that system to get their corporate rate. The amenities of each hotel are listed, such as free internet, breakfast, etc. So if the company has their expense system integrated with the reservation system, they’ll know if your hotel has free breakfast. You can still expense breakfast if you meet with clients or something like that, but you’ll need to justify it.
Not the Feds. Or at least that way it used to be. Yo get a flat meal allowance based upon the city.
---
### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/89 "2017-03-29T17:04:53Z")
My theory is that they tempt you with the free food, but its always damn early, usually cutting off by 9 or 10 in the morning.
This is a clever way to get your ass out of bed and out of the room sooner than you normally would, making it easier for the maid staff.
---
### Author:  [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/90 "2017-03-29T17:17:19Z")
Like all questions beginning with the word “Why” relating to commerce and consumerism, P T Barnum provided the answer. Because there is one born every minute.
It probably costs a hotel less tha $100 to set out a self-serve breakfast buffet in the morning. Most hotel rates now are around $100 a night, so the spread pays for itself if only one traveler chooses that hotel because it offers a breakfast.
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> My theory is that they tempt you with the free food, but its always damn early, usually cutting off by 9 or 10 in the morning.
For me, it’s the opposite. I’m usually backing out of the parking lot before they even plug in the coffee machine.
---
### Author:  [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/91 "2017-03-29T17:41:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Not the Feds. Or at least that way it used to be. Yo get a flat meal allowance based upon the city.
They still do. So a ‘free’ breakfast hotel saves you some money each day.
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/92 "2017-03-29T17:44:55Z")
I must be staying in all the right hotels, or have super low expectations of breakfast. Because I haven’t been to a place that has just a boring “continental breakfast” in years. All of the low-mid-range hotels I’ve stayed at (like Holiday Inn Express, not Motel 6) have hot bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes or waffles or toast (or ALL!), breads, juices and milk, cereal, fruit…
I’m diabetic too and the availability of the eggs and meats in the morning is fantastic! Way better than just a donut and orange juice which I could never eat.
Free all-you-can-eat breakfast is awesome. And I find that it’s really hard to mess up. In fact I’ve been to a breakfast buffet at a higher-class business hotel in Washington and everything was spicy or weirdly seasoned or you had to stand in line for omelettes. Give me grocery store breakfast sausage in a chafing dish any day!
---
### Author:  [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/93 "2017-03-29T18:01:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> We weren’t allowed to claim the breakfast per diem if the hotel offered breakfast. I assume every employer was aware of this.
For the record, “federal per diem rates” vary. GSA rates are broken down by meals:
[https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518](https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518)
The Defense Travel Management Office lumps all meals together:
[http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm](http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm)
---
### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/94 "2017-03-29T18:17:42Z")
> [@BeeGee](#):
>
> For the record, “federal per diem rates” vary. GSA rates are broken down by meals:
> [https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518](https://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/101518)
>
> The Defense Travel Management Office lumps all meals together:
> [http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm](http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/perdiemCalc.cfm)
I was on the Canadian federal treasury board plan. Whether they allowed a breakfast reimbursement or not was immaterial. I was working for a crown corporation and NOT claiming the per diem when breakfast was included with the accommodations was certainly the right call, and my manager made sure we abided by it.
One guy said he didn’t want the freebee, and so he ate elsewhere: too bad, said she.
---
### Author:  [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/95 "2017-03-29T18:27:00Z")
What seems strange to me when travelling in the US is how often Americans come to the lobby or breakfast nook area in pajamas. Breakfast in the hotel does not mean (at least in this WASPY Canadian mind) breakfast like on a Saturday at your own home.
Of course this tended to be on weekends, with families, not business clients, but it still seemed odd and too informal for me. (I noticed this particularly at a Best Western in Superior Wisconsin, but I have seen it other places.)
I especially appreciated included breakfasts when my son was young. He had a good appetite, but small, so he might go down with one of the adults, eat some fresh melon and pinepple slices, come back up, and go down again in 45 minutes and eat a hard boiled egg and some pastry. He should have been a hobbit with his love for second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, tea…
---
### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/96 "2017-03-29T18:33:16Z")
> [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](#):
>
> What seems strange to me when travelling in the US is how often Americans come to the lobby or breakfast nook area in pajamas. Breakfast in the hotel does not mean (at least in this WASPY Canadian mind) breakfast like on a Saturday at your own home.
> …
I have never seen this.😕
---
### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/97 "2017-03-29T18:57:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> I have never seen this.😕
I have - but only females in a particular age group much younger than mine.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
---
### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/98 "2017-03-29T18:57:28Z")
> [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](#):
>
> What seems strange to me when travelling in the US is how often Americans come to the lobby or breakfast nook area in pajamas.
That’s because if you take the time to shower, shave, dress, etc. first, you miss breakfast.
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> My theory is that they tempt you with the free food, but its always damn early, usually cutting off by 9 or 10 in the morning.
---
### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/99 "2017-03-29T19:05:26Z")
Last fall, we stayed in a hotel for the first time in eons. (I think it was a Holiday Inn Express, but won’t swear to it.) Central FL, but well away from the touristy stuff.
The free breakfast made life a lot easier. I’m an early riser, so each day, I went down to the breakfast area as soon as it opened, filled three big to-go cups with coffee, and took them upstairs. I had plenty of coffee as I was waking up and surfing the Web, and coffee was waiting for my wife when she got up.
Then when the Firebug got up and dressed, we went back downstairs and had a real breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, sweet rolls, plenty of other stuff available, but that was how we rolled - as we planned our day. So it was a huge convenience.
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Scrambled eggs need to be multicolored.
Not sure what this is about. When I scramble eggs at home, it’s pretty close to solid yellow, and I’m mixing a small number of eggs by hand, rather than a large number using an electric mixer.
---
### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220/100 "2017-03-29T19:31:26Z")
> [@Leaffan](#):
>
> I was on the Canadian federal treasury board plan. Whether they allowed a breakfast reimbursement or not was immaterial. I was working for a crown corporation and NOT claiming the per diem when breakfast was included with the accommodations was certainly the right call, and my manager made sure we abided by it.
>
> One guy said he didn’t want the freebee, and so he ate elsewhere: too bad, said she.
I’d fire my manager if she treated me like that.
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220.md?page=4)
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-usually-offer-free-lol-breakfast/783220.md?page=6)