Dear Hyatt, the U.S. doesn’t need another Courtyard by Marriott chain. Please.
Hyatt is piloting a program at a handful of Hyatt Place properties that eliminates free breakfast, long a cornerstone of this brand. Based on customer feedback, Hyatt may roll out this program across more U.S. properties.
For example, the Hyatt Place Dallas-North/by the Galleria now wants to you “enjoy breakfast your way” and will add $10 to your room charge if you eat breakfast.
And while $10 for a family of four isn’t much, that price is sure to creep up and strikes me as a petty and unreasonable “resort” fee. I’d also say $10 is a lot for a solo traveler, considering what most U.S. Hyatt Place properties offer for breakfast.
View from the Wing obtained the following statement from Hyatt:
A small number of Hyatt Place hotels in the U.S. are currently piloting different breakfast options, including a complimentary continental breakfast and a pay-for breakfast with more extensive options. Guests with reservations made at these hotels before February 1, 2018, as well as guests at other Hyatt Place hotels throughout the country, will continue to enjoy the free hot breakfast. Following this pilot, we will look at guest feedback to determine the best breakfast offering for Hyatt Place hotels in the U.S.
Hyatt Place would joint Starwood Aloft and Courtyard by Marriott as limited-service properties without complimentary breakfast (arguably you could throw in Hilton Garden Inn to the category).
Globalist (top tier) members will continue to receive complimentary breakfast.
Hyatt May Get Away With It, But…
These “limited-service” properties are not as cheap as they used to be and complimentary breakfast is absolutely a factor that many make when reserving a hotel. In fact, Mommy Points notes that free breakfast is one of the most important factors for 65% of family travelers.
It is possible that Hyatt can get away with this cutback. Hyatt Place hotels will still offer oversized rooms and free parking. But I think eliminating free breakfast will backfire.
Pizza in Motion astutely questions a number of issues like brand consistency and quality control. People have lower expectations with a free breakfast. Will Hyatt now be forced to upgrade the breakfast offerings at Hyatt Place hotels? Won’t that simply erase the incremental revenue from charging for breakfast? How will Hyatt police who eats at the buffet…will a new staff member be necessary to check vouchers?
At my last Hyatt Place stay, the eggs were cold and breakfast sandwiches, waffles and potatoes not refilled. That won’t cut it.
A couple week ago I found myself in the small town of Burlington, NJ on business. While I go out of my way to be loyal to Hyatt, there was no Hyatt nearby (the closest one was a Hyatt Place in Mount Laurel, about 20 minutes away). Instead, I stayed at a Best Western a few minutes away.
It was $85 while the Hyatt Place was $130. While no means luxurious, the hotel offered a fairly spacious room, swimming pool, exercise room, and a complimentary hot breakfast. A block away, the same was available at a Holiday Inn Express for $100.
We often see Hyatt Place hotels $15-20 more than like competitors. Why would status-less travelers really ever pay more and pay for breakfast on top of it?
CONCLUSION
I never understood the Courtyard by Marriott brand. I figured, why pay the same to stay at a hotel without breakfast than one that has breakfast? What makes a Courtyard by Marriott so great? Nothing, as far as I can tell.
I fear that if Hyatt Place goes down the same path, it too will become an odd hybrid: limited service property without the one amenity that draws roadside, business, and family travelers. That won’t be a winning combination.
Courtyard knows that most of their moneymaking is from business travelers expensing their meals. Thus there is no real business reason when they can get people to pay inflated breakfast prices without blinking since they are on an expense account.
Do you think this is why Hyatt Place is considering a similar change?
It wouldn’t surprise me. My time traveling as a field engineer had us working with very strict rules for room rates, but extremely generous for meal allowances. Thus it really didn’t matter to me if it was a free or pay breakfast for the most part, and it was the same with almost all field engineers.
Hyatt Place with $15/n parking
https://dallaslincolnpark.house.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
That link is for a Hyatt House…quite different and not taking away breakfast.
I agree with Mowogo, most – not all – business travelers are not going to be fazed with a $10.00 breakfast charge. So these properties are essentially leaving money on the table by not charging something for breakfast. For example, my company’s breakfast charge limit is $20.00.
I do agree it may be market specific. For example, applicable in more business oriented locations vs. properties that have a mix of business/family customers. Families are most always going to be very cost conscious and will migrate towards the free breakfast.
Matthew like you I have often experienced the cold/runny eggs, limited selection and stale, over preserved breads at these locations, which often literally drives me to the McDonalds.
Do you guys think hotels are on a slow slide to going the way of airlines in that they will unbundle everything? I am starting to see optional cleaning – that being if you want you room cleaned more than once every three days you pay, etc.? No reason for them not to try this. Resort fees are detested, but people pay them.
I’ve always scratched my head why Courtyard gets such great reviews. Marriott’s Springhill Suites have more spacious rooms and free breakfast. Yet, most travelers seem to prefer the Courtyard. Is it simply name recognition?
Also, I’ve been struggling trying to differentiate between Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. What do you see as the major differences. Maybe this will be it?
Hyatt House properties have full kitchens and a separate bedroom. Also omelet bar for breakfast.
I often stay at a Courtyard for business, because I’m loyal to Marriott and there are no other Marriott hotels in that town. The only other major chain hotels there include a Holiday Inn Express, Best Western and a Comfort Inn. The breakfast at their stupid Bistro restaurant is overpriced and is no better than any nearby fast food chain and it takes them forever to make. In the end they can get away with this. This hotel is always packed, not only with business travelers, but also with families, despite there being no free breakfast. This concept will likely become permanent at the Hyatt Place chain as well.
Agree with you on Courtyard breakfast.
The times recently when I have stayed at Hyatt Place have specifically been because a standard room would have two queen beds and a sofabed. For a family traveling with three or four kids who doesn’t want to splurge for a second room, Hyatt Place is often a fantastic choice. Those people are not going to be happy with losing free breakfast. There’s a reason that I’ve never stayed in a Courtyard.
I am sitting in an HP as I write this. HP breakfasts are the worst free breakfasts I’ve had, and often derided among road warriors. As a solo traveler, I will not mind this change, simply because I would NEVER pay the $10 and I am more than happy to skip HPs terrible breakfast.
I am going to disagree that this is aimed at business traveler’s expense accounts. HPs already grab that money with overpriced dinner and drinks at night. Since I just walked back from the HP breakfast area, I think this charge is aimed at families who show up 20 minutes before breakfast ends, and clean out every last bagel, banana, everything and take it back to their rooms. These locusts have to be a non-inconsequential cost for the hotel.
Comparing HP to Courtyard? Marriott wishes that could be true. Courtyard was created in the 80s as a Holiday Inn fighter, at a time when HI was stealing a lot of Marriott’s business travelers because Marriott had no footprint in the suburbs. Even after renovations, those older Courtyards are absolutely atrocious. Really depressing. I avoid them at all costs, even as a Marriott Platinum. At least HPs generally have nice guest rooms.
I’ll choose a (new construction) Springhill Suites over Hyatt Place every time. Also, note that many Hyatt Places now do charge for parking.
Did not know that (outside of HNL). You’re right.
I guess that when this ‘enhancement’ is rolled out it will be sold as being based on ‘positive customer feedback’.
Obviously, a lot of people were saying things like: ‘free breakfast is fine and all, but I’d really like to be able to pay ten bucks for it instead.’
It must be those same guests who “demanded” resort fees. I’m thinking it’s the same people in all of those “As Seen on TV” commercials who are too stupid to do the simple ‘before’ tasks – like rolling up a hose.
I stay at courtyards for work often, I don’t get the hate. Where I stay there are Marriott’s, suites, Springhill, residence inn, the works. It’s near Bethesda, so no surprise. I would rather pay for a breakfast sandwich (I think the bistro sandwich is pretty good) and a decent coffee than have runny eggs and watery coffee for free. Springhill and residence inn have worse beds in my opinion. The Marriott suites hotel is better than the courtyard but usually much more expensive. I like a free breakfast but am typically not impressed by us domestic free breakfast at any Marriott.
I travel quite a bit for business and rarely utilize the free breakfast if I’m at a property where it’s offered. I prefer to stop at a coffee chain for a decent cup of coffee and bagel or yoghurt, the quality of which I can depend on and it’s all I really want for breakfast anyway.
I can’t speak to family travel (I certainly see the value proposition of such properties to families) however I think that for business and non-family leisure travelers, a grand breakfast of multiple hot items is just not that appealing (not to mention the appalling quality at these places). People will pay for what they actually want if the price is fair.
“We often see Hyatt Place hotels $15-20 more than like competitors. Why would status-less travelers really ever pay more and pay for breakfast on top of it?”
You could levy that charge on pretty much any Hyatt property, though. Hyatt consistently charges a premium over its competition, sometimes egregiously so (like in Bangkok). But guess what? They get away with it, because committed Hyattists gladly pay it to maintain Globalist status. I think Kyle admitted to $1,200-1,500 a year in excess spending at Hyatt-branded properties, justifying it based on the value of Globalist upgrades. I suspcct that’s what Hyatt is aiming for here. They probably don’t care about shooing off occasional non-status travelers like me, because they know they can make it up from Globalists who won’t stray, and business travelers who probably actually see more value in expensing a $10 breakfast of higher quality with the convenience factor thrown in. I actually see it as a smart play on their part.