diver858

Hampton breakfast is similar to what I normally eat at home - bagel, yogurt, juice. I prefer the "fresh" fruit over the canned / frozen some properties started to serve this year - a very noticeable downgrade.

IsleOfMan

Call me crazy, but the Hampton coffee isn't bad at all! I'll take it over pretty much any Fast Food coffee (including DD and Krispy Kreme), as well as the casual-dining breakfast places (Waffle House, Huddle House, IHOP, Dennys). I usually mix about 50/50 of Regular and Robust, but either is fine on its own. I often grab it with a cookie in the evening as well.

Just like the rest of their breakfast, I don't see much to complain about with Hampton coffee.

365RoadWarrior

Would that be the ROBUST coffee?

sdsearch

Well, that's called "vegan" (ie, no animal products at all), not "strict vegetarian". "Strict vegetarian" still typically includes dairy and may even include eggs. It's used to distinguish from, for example, the European definition of "vegetarian" which includes fish.

(If you had said "vegan" in your first post, we would have all understood immediately.)

arlflyer

I LIKE THE ROBUST COFFEE BECAUSE IT WAKES ME UP AND GETS ME GOING DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT??!!


As someone who has no skin in the game, I'll say that nomenclature for dietary restrictions is a can of worms you probably don't want to open up...ask a Jain vegetarian whether they think vegan is "strict".

I once worked with an individual who self-identified as a "Lacto-ovo-pesca-bacotarian". (This was made as a self-deprecating joke, but it also did truly describe their dietary choices)

Miesque

LOL

treppenlaeufer

Breakfast is is absolutley central to my day, and usually allows me to sail through to dinner with only a light sandwich during the day.

I am based in Europe, never been to the US (I disagree with all the visa and immigration hassle), and based on this thread I probably would not survive in the States based on what is described here as breakfast offering... doesn't sound too enticing and healthy??!

sdsearch

Where in Europe? The US hotel free breakfast (which varies a lot from one hotel chain to the next), if you pick what you want from it, is IMHO still way inferior to the average Scandinavian breakfast buffet, but vastly superior to the all-too-common Italian breakfast of not much more than bread and preserves/jam plus coffee.

So IMHO the free breakfast varies greatly from one country in Europe to another country in Europe, and that variation crosses from one side of the America breakfast to the other.

(We're all speaking here of hotels that give free breakfast to all, and that quality of that free breakfast. We're not talking about hotel restaurant order-from-menu breakfasts here.)

Friendly Traveling Deathmerchant

Hilton Garden Inn - good bacon, pancakes, sometimes decent fruit and oatmeal. Occasionally I go for points Vs. Breakfast. With the fam, breakfast pays off.

Embassy - cooked to order egg white omelet. Good to go.

Hampton - skip or grab and go. Won't fall for those Velveeta folded in half egg substitute things. Ick.

Homewood - step above Hampton. Meh.

Hilton - some are good, far better than others. Some are ripoffs. Salt Lake downtown has a good voucher for Starbucks / snackbar arrangement as well as option for fresh good stuff. San Fran financial Dist - So good.

Waldorf Cavalieri in Rome - frickin roll around in a food coma after sampling nineteen-hundred fresh foodie options. And then smuggle some pastries back to the room in a purloined napkin.

Miesque

I have to comment that if you are looking at the Diamond/Gold breakfast benefit, HGI is the hands down winner because it is so consistent and its a real sit down breakfast without having to fight through a crowd (Embassy Suites/Hilton lounges). If you like real eggs made to order (not the powered stuff that shows up in the buffet lines/lounges). I know there are some that are going to argue that an Embassy Suites breakfast is just as good, but I disagree because the coffee is better at HGI (yes, me again with the coffee comments), unless you hit it early there can be a mob of people with a high percentage of children (let's face it Embassy Suites are a family haven the way they are set up ) and on the weekends the breakfast hours end a good half hour to an hour before an HGI will end their breakfast (again that is because its free, it seems all free breakfasts end at 10 AM).


There are a lot of Doubletrees which offer a full breakfast (usually buffet) instead of the complimentary continental and as such they typically are good if you want a hearty breakfast.

Hilton is the one with breakfasts all over the map (some are actually rather chinzy, like the Fort Lauderdale Breach Resort)

The Conrad breakfasts (Miami/Chicago/NY) I have enjoyed, although I saw someone make a comment that Chicago has just very recently trimmed their complimentary offerings. NY and Chicago do have wait times associated with getting a seat on weekends.

I still fail to understand why Waldorff don't have a breakfast benefit (I was at the Chicago WA for the brief window when they had it and I am sorry it is now gone). Over at Hyatt the Andaz and Park properties provide breakfast.

arlflyer

Agree with you on the vast majority of HGIs. Your standard airport or small town HGI hot breakfast is awesome IMO. However the one place where that deviates is in urban locations with menu-based restaurants. When I went to the HGI central park south right after opening they were serving a plated breakfast that wasn't as good as the standard HGI setup. Also there is a report on the DC hhonors property thread that the new HGI DC West End ("Georgetown") is doing a $15 voucher which is not enough to cover a breakfast sandwich and coffee.

Miesque

Thanks for the info on the Central Park South HGI, I was almost staying there next week but decided even though it would have been ridiculously convenient location wise, the fact that I would have a much more content stay at the Conrad as per usual, especially when taking into consideration that midtown is rather touristy this time of year (which it appears makes them prime protest locations as well)

arlflyer

One note! My stay was very early in the life of the property. I have since heard that they may have gone to a buffet, I just have not been back since. So do check the master hilton breakfast thread before making any conclusions.

treppenlaeufer

Ah, OK, I was thinking about breakfast at Hilton Group hotels only and included those that I get included as a Diamond.

Fair question - Germany/UK based and over last 2 years usually multiple Hilton Group stays in my base countries + Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Czech, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Portugal.

The vast majority of my stays are at Hilton & Doubletree Hotels usually very good to ok (I found Italian Hiltons to be no negative exception);
Hilton Garden Inn Bristol was good, in Seville disappointing;
Conrad Algarve out of this world;
Waldorf Cavalieri Rome offers a lot, but not entirely convinced by freshness/quality when considering it carries the Waldorf brand;
The real surprises were for me the only two stays I've had at Hampton Inns - in Berlin and Swinoujscie - outstanding breakfast for breakfast-included "budget"hotels.

I would have breakfast at all of the above both when on work and private travel, simply as I am a breakfast man and it usually carries me through to dinner with only minor "top-ups" during the day However, where a decent exec lounge is available I will usually choose that over the main restaurant when things need to be quicker.

CMK10

When I did business travel I always ate breakfast at the hotel. As we had a daily per diem, saving money on breakfast meant more for lunch and dinner. Plus, grabbing something quick at the hotel meant a little bit of extra sleep.