Breakfast is a weak spot for Courtyard. I don't like the Bistro breakfast regardless of it is complimentary or paid. Other than that, they are fine. It is just another upper mid-level limited service brand. I have stayed at many Courtyard properties. Other than inner city locations where all hotels were charging for parking, parking has generally been free. Room furnishings are slightly better grade than FI, SHS, HIX, etc. but not enough to be a compelling factor. Also many (if not most) Courtyard properties do indeed have a rate that includes breakfast. How many CY's have you stayed at? Based on your description of them, I suspect it is a fairly small sample set.
All of the above notwithstanding, Courtyard is not my first choice most of the time. Other than inner city locales, I am more likely to choose FI, SHS, or RI (when I do want more space and a better breakfast) over CY. I might also do HIX if I am looking outside of the Marriott brands. Inner city I will look for full service Marriott, Renn., Autograph, Kimpton, etc. Marriott and IHG are my focus programs and I try to keep all stays within their brands other than occasional non chain hotel stays during leisure trips. E.g. maximize points earning and status. Hilton properties are generally fine but just outside of my focus area. I have had very little experience with Hyatt (a few full service properties), and they have also been generally fine. If I wanted to realign my focus programs Hilton or Hyatt would be candidates from a property quality perspective. Hyatt would fail on footprint. Anyway, I have veered way off topic...
--Jon