Running Forward:

There’s No Such Thing as a Free Breakfast

July 15th, 2010

While on a family vacation in Colorado several weeks ago I found myself in the hotel lobby one night. A man who looked like he’d been on the road all day walked in. During the check-in process he asked if the hotel offered breakfast in the morning.

“We do,” the desk clerk told him, “but not with the rate you booked the room at. If you want, we can upgrade your room for $8.95 and everyone can have breakfast in the morning.”

The man agreed to the rate increase, checked in, and headed up to his room.

Complimentary breakfasts have become standard at most hotels. However, this was the first time I heard a hotel give someone the option of upgrading their room to include breakfast. However, as the experience shows, there’s no such thing as a free breakfast—even if it’s advertised as such.

A lifetime ago, back when the late wife and I were college students, she worked as a desk clerk for a national hotel chain. When her schedule required her to work until midnight, I’d drive over after my job or evening classes ended and sit in the lobby and do homework or read while she checked in and helped guests.

Because the hotel was located right off I-15, a lot of people would stop by late at night and see if the hotel had any vacancies. If the hotel had vacancies, the follow-up question most of them would ask was if the hotel offered a free continental breakfast. The late wife would tell them that it didn’t but pointed out the great restaurant across the parking lot which was known for having some of the best breakfast food in the state. Upon hearing that the hotel didn’t offer a free breakfast, a lot guests turned around and went searching for another hotel.

One night the owner happened to stop by while the late wife was on duty. In the space of five minutes two potential customers came in, asked about the free breakfast and left when they discovered the hotel didn’t offer one. The late wife turned to owner and mentioned that the hotel was losing out on potential customers every night to other hotels that offered a free continental breakfast.

The owner just kind of smiled and shook his head. “What people don’t realize is that to offer the ‘free’ breakfast, I’d have to raise the nightly rates five to ten dollars a room to cover the cost,” he said. “They may go to a different hotel, but they end up paying for that free breakfast though higher room rates.”

Apparently, however, the owner realized it would be better for business if he offered a “free” breakfast to guests. About a year after that incident the lobby was expanded to make room a breakfast area. As soon as it was done, rates went up to cover the cost of the “free” breakfast.

On the way home from a family vacation last weekend our route home took us by that hotel. I glanced over at it as we sped past. The hotel’s marquee advertised a free breakfast. The parking lot was packed.

Entry Filed under: free, misc