Hotel "Continental Breakfasts"

OhioTom76

OhioTom76

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I've been and will continue to be staying at a hotel for the next few weeks, and I've been taking advantage of the "free" continental breakfast offered each morning, since eating at restaurants and even buying microwavable food is starting to add up rather quickly.

I was a bit surprised to see that the place I'm currently staying at offers a waffle iron and waffle batter to make your own fresh waffles. This got me thinking though. Why don't hotels offer more fresh, hot items? I know that pastries and bagels and cereal are convenient, but some basic raw ingredients such as eggs are also dirt cheap and could be offered as well. Even powdered eggs, prepared, really aren't that bad from the real thing.

Sausage and bacon are also inexpensive, and likely cheaper than the pastries they are offering each day. Why not offer some basic stuff like eggs, bacon, and sausage? I understand that pre-made stuff can likely be used for a few days, but eventually it too will spoil and have to be discarded. Plus you're paying a premium for pre-cooked food to begin with.

Personally, I would be more likely to stay at a hotel that offered real breakfasts each morning, instead of what is currently offered as a "continental breakfast".
 
Maybe you are not going to the right hotel? In my city, even two-star hotels serve real breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, the works). Although this could be attributed to the eating culture we have and like having full breakfasts every day. It's such a shame that you only get bread and pastries for food in the hotels you've stayed at. Maybe if you ask they can serve them since they do room service anyway? Or ask the hotel you've booked ahead of time if they have variety for breakfast?
 
Most hotel tell that I have stayed at which offer a free continental breakfast it has always been cereal, muffins and pastries
along with toast and a variety of fresh fruit.

I have never been at a hotel that offer bacon, eggs and sausage. That would be awesome. It would be nice to have a good
breakfast for free. After all you do spend a lot of money for a good hotel room.
 
Well I am guessing it all comes down to the hotel. I have not stayed at many or any five star hotels in years of travel. My travels were always about business and required that I stayed where it was convenient to do bulk shopping, packing etc.

One I have stayed at for years in Miami used to offer a wide variety of goodies to choose from but over the years the offerings have been reduced to very little of anything. In the past it was buffet style and now you are only able to order the basics with it costing you if you want some additional things that were once free for the taking.

Continental breakfast as far as I am concerned is just a marketing gimmick in some cases. I've stayed at hotels in the past where I saw the breakfast and just headed to the streets.
 
I have eaten many continental breakfasts in my travels and they are pretty good. Many of the nicer hotels have the batter and waffle irons, but I agree that more fresh food would be nice to have. Many times, they do not even have fresh fruit plates available to take food items from. All of the baked pastries are good, but sometimes I am not in the mood for something sweet in the early morning hours and so I skip breakfast all together. I would love to have a plate of scrambled eggs and a couple slices of bacon. Hashbrowns are not even expensive because all they consist of are shredded potatoes that are fried.
 
Sometimes when a hotel that I stay at offers a continental breakfast, I'll just go out to a café instead as I much prefer hot breakfasts such as corn fritters or fried hallomi on bread. I do appreciate when hotels offer bagels however. :)
 
We have stayed at a few hotels and yes it is nice to have a cooked breakfast but not every day so a continental breakfast makes for a nice change.
 
I don't know why they don't offer real breakfast. It's very low grade quality and fake. That's how the ones I've been to are. I think you have to stay at a really expensive hotel to get real food or we just haven't found one that does for a cheap stay.
 
I used to stay at many hotels when working and they ALL offered full breakfasts [bacon eggs etc etc] plus the choice of 'continental' - to not do so would have been business suicide. Even small B&B places do this over here. If I came across a place that didn't I would just walk out the door. If things have changed so much and people are now prepared to be fobbed off with anything else then standards really have fallen and those that accept such rubbish are responsible for it
 
It is nice to have the choice between a hot breakfast and a continental breakfast when traveling. I stayed at a hotel that offered both, it was a good change as I am not a big breakfast person and it was nice to have my yogurt and fruit while everyone else got breakfast with all of the trimings.
 
I do think it's a cultural thing, based on country, as well as level of the hotel/motel. I worked as a night auditor at a few hotels while in school, and their continental breakfasts consisted of cold food such as danish, cereal, and prepackaged donuts and other items I consider pretty much junk. Sometimes there would be a bowl of canned fruit cocktail or other fruit.

I have stayed at hotels over the years, mainly on business travel, and although anything is preferable to nothing, I really appreciated the hotels that offered a complimentary hot breakfast, particularly when someone was on hand to make it fresh.
 
I am genuinely amazed. If you guys in the USA want a cooked breakfast come over to the UK [although I admit it is a bit of a long way to commute on a daily basis] Even tiny bed/breakfast guest-houses supply breakfast here and it's almost always made fresh.
Ho Hum - very curious
 
sidevalve said:
I am genuinely amazed. If you guys in the USA want a cooked breakfast come over to the UK [although I admit it is a bit of a long way to commute on a daily basis] Even tiny bed/breakfast guest-houses supply breakfast here and it's almost always made fresh.
Ho Hum - very curious
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Well it may be because its an English breakfast (also known as a full English) - should be called a British or UK breakfast really. I reckon you can get a full English in Australia, though.

full english.jpg
 
morning glory said:
- should be called a British or UK breakfast really.
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No no no - English is correct. The contents are subtly different in both Scotland and Ireland. The hash brown is acceptable [nothing wrong with a little experimenting with 'foreign' flavours] but to be accurate I suppose it should be replaced with fried bread.
Even so that is what a REAL breakfast looks like. :hungry:
 
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