Hilton HHonors - Breakfast in Exec Lounge vs Restaurant

I recently stayed at the Hilton Strasbourg and was upgraded to the exec floor and given lounge access. In the morning I decided that I would prefer to have breakfast in the restauarant instead of in the lounge because I figured there would be a larger selection of items. When I got to the restaurant, the greeter told me "if you prefer you can have breakfast in the private lounge" and I said I would prefer to eat in the restaurant. I didn't think that this was a problem but I noticed that the hotel charged me $28 for breakfast. She didn't tell me that eating in the restaurant would cost me $28. If I'd known then I'd have reverted to eating in the lounge. Is this normal that being allowed breakfast in the lounge doesn't mean you're allowed to take it in the restaurant?

I stayed at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport on Friday and I was told that I could eat EITHER in the lounge or restaurant. Still, I'll wait til my e-folio is available before I can confirm whether my choice to eat in the restaurant at CPH garnered a fee or not.

I recently stayed at the Hilton Strasbourg and was upgraded to the exec floor and given lounge access. In the morning I decided that I would prefer to have breakfast in the restauarant instead of in the lounge because I figured there would be a larger selection of items. When I got to the restaurant, the greeter told me "if you prefer you can have breakfast in the private lounge" and I said I would prefer to eat in the restaurant. I didn't think that this was a problem but I noticed that the hotel charged me $28 for breakfast. She didn't tell me that eating in the restaurant would cost me $28. If I'd known then I'd have reverted to eating in the lounge. Is this normal that being allowed breakfast in the lounge doesn't mean you're allowed to take it in the restaurant?

I stayed at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport on Friday and I was told that I could eat EITHER in the lounge or restaurant. Still, I'll wait til my e-folio is available before I can confirm whether my choice to eat in the restaurant at CPH garnered a fee or not.

In my experience, anytime there is a lounge provided for diamonds/golds, that is your "free" breakfast. Anything above and beyond that is typically on your own. If there is no lounge, then typically you get some sort of cont breakfast in the regular restaurant. Now that can vary tremendously, but in my experience, if there is a designated lounge for you, that is where you "freebies" will be.

Having said that, every once in awhile, a lounge will be packed to the gills so you may be given a free pass/coupon to have breakfast in the regular folk restaurant, on the house.

I do think you should have been informed that if you elect to have breakfast in the restaurant that you would have been charged though.

Dawn

Also in my experience. I anyway try to avoid the resturant because the number of choices are bigger but the quality is usually lower.
My personal tumb rule but up to now it was always the case.

Personal experience in the Ponce Hilton in Puerto Rico:
Been told twice that breakfast is in the lounge only, not the restaurant. However, every time I've only been charged for tips.

If you don't get any breakfast coupons for the restaurant, then you cannot count on it beeing free.

Normally I prefer going to the restaurant for breakfast bcs of healthier choises. The Hilton Springfield doesn't for instance have any health choises at all besides from apples/bananas/oranges, which is sad. Maybe that's why it's totally empty in the mornings?

Well, this would seem to be the rule, and I have no problem with it. Nevertheless, I am grateful when I am offered the choice, like at the CDG Hilton ^ .

At the Conrad Singapore, we were upgraded to the Executive Floor on a room only basis. We were told that we could take complimentary breakfast in the Executive lounge or the main restaurant and in fact tried both during our 2-night stay. However, this is not the norm in my experience. If either paying for or upgraded to the Executive Floor, the breakfast normally has to be taken in the Executive lounge. In some lounges, the continental breakfast is very basic and is no comparison to a cooked buffet breakfast in the restaurant, which the hotel would expect you to pay for. In the Far East, breakfasts in the Executive lounges are often quite substantial including continental and cooked breakfast.

I strongly prefer a coupon for the vast restaurant buffet downstairs to lounge access.

If given the choice I always prefer the restaurant as I like a real breakfast vs. the continental breakfasts that are typically served in the lounges. The other reason is that the lounges are typically full when I go to breakfast and its tough to find a seat in many cases.

My experience has been that if there is a lounge then you'll pay for the restaurant breakfast.

Any breakfast given is entirely at the Hotel's discretion according to HH rules (they do not even have to give a breakfast apparently, although most of the better properties do). I would never choose to eat a hotel breakfast if it was not complimentary because most (and I stress most) are very poor value for money. The lottery currently seems to be which hotels give complimentary brekky and which will seek to charge you for it.

Certain Hotels (Conrad HKG and SIN spring to mind) offer you the choice of either lounge or restaurant breakfast, where you make a choice between the calm of the lounge (but limited selection) and the business but wider selection of the restaurant.

The only Hilton I would have actualy paid for breakfast in (and have done ironically when I was staying elsewhere) is the Conrad BKK. The breakfast offering at cafe@2 puts most other Hotel breakfast experiences into the shade.

Policy seems to vary with individual hotels, especially outside North America. Some allow you the option of eating in the exec lounge or the restaurant (eg, London Waldorf), while others (perhaps most) give you one or the other depending on whether you've been upgraded to the exec level.

As other posters have said, I don't think you can assume breakfast in the restaurant will be free unless you have coupons or have been told it's free. Best to ask before you eat.

I'm in the minority...I prefer the lounge and usually don't even take advantage of the free breakfast if it's in the restaurant - unless I know it will be a very quick buffet.

Usually I've only got 10-15 minutes for breakfast. I like to hit the lounge, grab a bagel, some fruit, and juice...eat it and beat it. If I have to use the restaurant with breakfast coupons, I usually just get a bagel & fruit anyway, so the big breakfast buffets don't matter to me.

Occasionally on a leisure stay, we'll set aside a few more minutes for breakfast. But even then, I prefer the lounge - it's still the most efficient eating process there is, and that in and of itself is relaxing. :)

I recently stayed at the Hilton Strasbourg and was upgraded to the exec floor and given lounge access. . Is this normal that being allowed breakfast in the lounge doesn't mean you're allowed to take it in the restaurant?

I stayed at the Hilton Copenhagen Airport on Friday and I was told that I could eat EITHER in the lounge or restaurant. Still, I'll wait til my e-folio is available before I can confirm whether my choice to eat in the restaurant at CPH garnered a fee or not.

I have NEVER been offered a choice before in any of the Hiltons I regularly stay in. At Palmer House in Chicago, I can't remember the last time I got an upgrade to exec floor, though I almost always get a room upgrade, and I always have lounge access.
Hilton NY on 6th is always Continental B'fast in the restaurant with explicitly no lounge access.
Conrad in HKG - no room upgrade or offer to access the lounge, but they comp'd my daily full buffet breakfast with no prompting or asking. In fact, I asked when I checked out as I didn't see it on the bill and that's how I found it out it was comp.
ckc

I have NEVER been offered a choice before in any of the Hiltons I regularly stay in. At Palmer House in Chicago, I can't remember the last time I got an upgrade to exec floor, though I almost always get a room upgrade, and I always have lounge access.
Hilton NY on 6th is always Continental B'fast in the restaurant with explicitly no lounge access.
Conrad in HKG - no room upgrade or offer to access the lounge, but they comp'd my daily full buffet breakfast with no prompting or asking. In fact, I asked when I checked out as I didn't see it on the bill and that's how I found it out it was comp.
ckc

At the Conrad HKG they told me I could eat in the lounge or buffet downstairs. I tried the restaurant once and liked it but I prefer the lounge.

For Australia Hiltons, you don't normally get a choice. But the buffet in restaurants are better than lounge breakkie.

The front desk usually allocates you or you get pushed downstairs when the lounge appears crowded.

At Hilton sydney, the buffet is good and you get to order anything from the chef but there is no smoked salmon in the restaurant, only in the lounge.

At the Guam Hilton, I'll reserve a breakfast inclusive rate so as to have the option of having breakfast in the restaurant rather than the executive lounge. The quality of food is similar in both the restaurant and lounge as it comes from the same kitchen, but the lounge only offers a limited selection of what one can get it the restaurant. And if one does decide to use the lounge for breakfast, one can always use the unused rate-inclusive breakfast vouchers for sandwiches/salads/pastries/drinks at the deli/coffee shop at any time during the day.

The only Hilton I would have actualy paid for breakfast in (and have done ironically when I was staying elsewhere) is the Conrad BKK. The breakfast offering at cafe@2 puts most other Hotel breakfast experiences into the shade.

For complimentary breakfast at the restaurant, I usually either get coupons or been advised specifically.

When my rate include breakfast, I'll try both lounge and restaurant to see the difference.

Some places seems more restricked where you can take your breakfast even the rate include breakfast. Last time when I was in Conrad BKK, I was told I can only have my breakfast in the lounge (upgraded to executive floor) even my rate include breakfast. Looks like I missed a good breakfast experience from reading Land-of-Miles' post. Ironically, one morning I wanted a big breakfast with lots of selection so I walked over to Plaza Athenee Bankgok Hotel next door and had a great breakfast there (stayed there before and really amazed by their breakfast selections). Didn't know should have just go straight to cafe at Conrad. :)

The Sacramento Hilton has a lounge breakfast weekdays. Weekends, you get tickets for the breakfast buffet at the restaurant, which is good and features attentive, but relaxed, service.

IMHO, the lounge spread at many of the U.S. Hiltons, while nice, is a little too basic, because it doesn't seem to include eggs/protein of any sort, except perhaps yogurt. Fresh fruit, coffee, juice, cereal/bread, good. Sometimes they've got some hard-boiled eggs, at least--this is fine. Tragically, the baked-goods selection at many U.S. Hiltons seems to parallel the relatively poor surrounding local baked-goods selection. If only we could have wonderful bread like in Switzerland or croissants like in Paris, I would give up on the eggs... :)

-Hayden

IMHO, the lounge spread at many of the U.S. Hiltons, while nice, is a little too basic, because it doesn't seem to include eggs/protein of any sort, except perhaps yogurt.

I will actually avoid booking US Hiltons with lounges anymore because of this. I would much rather stay at a property without a lounge that provides certs to the restaurant.

The Conrads in Singapore and Hong Kong both allow breakfast to be taken in the restaurant or lounge. This works out well for me and my wife as she prefers an asian breakfast and I prefer an american style breakfast and most lounge breakfasts do not include asian breakfast options...even in asia. I think the Shinjuku Hilton may give you the option of taking breakfast downstairs also but maybe somebody else can confirm that. I typically ask upon check in if I can take breakfast in the restaurant instead of the lounge or even take a regular room on a non exec floor and get coupons instead.

I will actually avoid booking US Hiltons with lounges anymore because of this. I would much rather stay at a property without a lounge that provides certs to the restaurant.

The Conrads in Singapore and Hong Kong both allow breakfast to be taken in the restaurant or lounge. This works out well for me and my wife as she prefers an asian breakfast and I prefer an american style breakfast and most lounge breakfasts do not include asian breakfast options...even in asia. I think the Shinjuku Hilton may give you the option of taking breakfast downstairs also but maybe somebody else can confirm that. I typically ask upon check in if I can take breakfast in the restaurant instead of the lounge or even take a regular room on a non exec floor and get coupons instead.
The Conrads in HKG, SIN and BKK all provide asian breakfast options in the lounge.

My boyfriend and I just stayed for two nights at the ADT last weekend (6th May) on the Executive floor. The first evening I asked the lounge hostess for breakfast times in the Lounge, and whether it might get very busy. She said that yes, it did get busy but she could give us coupons for the hotel restaurant if we wished. We declined, and has breakfast in the lounge the first morning. Very nice, relaxing environment and delicious food, with good service, but my boyfriend really felt the selection was small compared to the Hilton the night before (La Defense - main restaurant). So we asked for, and received coupons and enjoyed a VAST buffet selection downstairs the next day. I would advise anyone staying there to try both. More variety downstairs but nicer setting in the Lounge. :)