Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Whenever I travel, I try to stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast. The larger your family, the more economical this becomes. A family of four can easily save $30 a day eating at a hotel, which adds up to $210 at the end of the week.

So this post by Million Mile Secrets caught my eye. I subscribe to this guy who sends out an email a day with travel tips. Usually, I don't find it that useful. I think it's geared more toward the business traveler, but this one was great, so I thought I'd share it.

 If you want to subscribe to him, you can click the link at the end.


Why Pay for a Hotel Breakfast When You Can Get It Free?
Some hotels offer free breakfast to everyone, while others only give free breakfast to elite members of their loyalty programs.
Keep reading to find out which hotels make the most important meal of the day the least expensive one!

Hotels That Offer Free Breakfast

At most hotels you’ll pay for breakfast, but you can get free breakfast at some of the value priced hotels within a hotel chain.

1.   Best Western

You get free breakfast when you stay at any Best Western, Best Western Plus, or Best Western Premier hotel.
Stay at Any Best Western Like the Best Western Regency Plaza Hotel, St. Paul and Get Free Breakfast
Note:   Some hotels are franchised so they may not offer free breakfast, even though they are supposed to.

2.   Choice

Free breakfast is NOT an elite benefit at any Choice hotel.
But you get free breakfast when you stay at 1 of these Choice hotels:

Enjoy Breakfast in This Seating Area of the Comfort Suites Park Place, Milwaukee

3.   Club Carlson

If you have Club Carlson Concierge elite status, you get free continental breakfast (participating hotel restaurants) at all Club Carlson hotels:
Note:   Elite status isn’t required to get free breakfast at Country Inn & Suites hotels. 

Stay at Any Country Inn & Suites, Like the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Augusta, Georgia and Get Free Breakfast
Some Club Carlson hotels in certain cities may also offer free breakfast.
Normally, Radisson Blu hotels do NOT offer free breakfast without elite status but the Radisson Blu Resort, El Quseir (Egypt) does!  You can check each hotel’s website to see if free breakfast is offered.
The Radisson Blu Resort, El Quseier, Offers Free Breakfast to all Guests

4.   Hilton

As a Hilton Gold or Diamond elite member, you get free continental breakfast at Conrad, Curio, Doubletree, Hilton, and Hilton Garden Inn (choice of breakfast or points).  Although some hotels provide a full breakfast (varies depending on the hotel).
Hilton Gold and Diamond Elite Members Get Free Breakfast at Doubletree Hotels Like the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Kansas City
You get free Hilton Gold elite status for as long as you have the Citi Hilton Reserve card.  Here’s my review of the Citi Hilton Reserve card.
Everyone staying at these Hilton hotels gets free breakfast:

5.   Hyatt

Hyatt Diamond elite members get breakfast at all Hyatt hotels:
Hyatt Diamond Elite Members Get Free Breakfast at All Hyatt Hotels, Like the Hyatt Regency New Orleans
All guests get free breakfast at:

Wake Up to a Free Breakfast at Hyatt Place Hotels, Like the Hyatt Place Oklahoma City Airport

6.   IHG

Unfortunately there isn’t a way (even with Platinum elite or Ambassador status) to get free breakfast at these IHG hotels:
But everyone staying at Holiday Inn Express and Staybridge Suites hotels gets free breakfast.

 

7.   Marriott

Marriott Gold and Platinum elite members get free breakfast at all Marriott hotels (except resorts):
Note:  For hotels with a club lounge, your free breakfast will be in the lounge.  If the lounge is closed, the hotel may give you 750 to 1,000 Marriott points.

Marriott Gold and Platinum Elite Members Get Free Breakfast at All Marriott Hotels (Excluding Resorts) Like the Columbia Marriott in South Carolina
Everyone, regardless of status, gets free breakfast at these Marriott hotels:

8.   Starwood

If you have Starwood Platinum elite status you get free continental breakfast at all Starwood hotels:
Note:   Some hotels will offer a full breakfast, but it varies with each hotel.
Starwood Platinum Elite Members Get Free Continental Breakfast at all Starwood Hotels Like the St. Regis Monarch Beach
Everyone who stays at Starwood’s Element hotels gets free breakfast.  

9.   Wyndham

While Gold elite status doesn’t get you free breakfast at these Wyndham hotels…
…everyone wakes up to a complimentary meal at these hotels:

All Knights Inn Hotels Offer Free Breakfast

Other Ways to Get Free Hotel Breakfast

Folks without elite status and don’t want to stay at value priced hotels, can get free hotel breakfast if they have certain credit cards.

1.   American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

Link:   American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts
One of the perks of the American Express Platinum (personal) or (business) card, is the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program which gives you free daily breakfast (and other amenities) when you book your hotel stay.
Free Daily Breakfast When You Book Through American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

2.   Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

Link:   Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection
The Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection gives card holders perks when booking hotels through the program such as free daily continental breakfast.
Here are some of the many cards you can use with the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection program:

Free Daily Continental Breakfast When You Book Through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection

Bottom Line

Hotels with free breakfast help you save money.
Some hotels like Best Western offer free breakfast to everyone while others like Hilton require you to have elite status with their loyalty program.
But if you have the American Express Platinum (personal) or (business) card you can get free breakfast by booking your stay through the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program.
Folks with a Visa Signature card like the Alaska Airlines card get free daily continental breakfast when they book through the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection.
Do you choose your hotel based partly on the free breakfast policy?
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