Hotels that don't include breakfast, but gives Diamond members?
 

We stayed at BW Plus Carriage Inn, Sherman Oaks, CA (near Los Angeles) in April. This hotel doesn't include breakfast. But at check-in, they said because I'm Diamond member, we get complimentary breakfast, and gave us breakfast vouchers. That was nice.

Just wondering if most BW hotels do that or is it really at each hotel's discretion. For example, we're going to BW Victoria Palace in London, UK, in Aug. The breakfast is listed at a pricy 12 pounds/p.

Thanks.

At the moment there is BW Summer promotion in UK for free breakfast.
If you book on bestwestern.co.uk you can get free breakfast i think the price is the same as bestwestern.com , but there the breakfast is not include.

Ah thanks. I was hoping to use points for the room. On the UK site, there doesn't seem to be a way to book using points. Well, we haven't been to London before, and will start to research.

From my experience staying at Best Westerns, the inclusion of breakfast and how elites can vary wildly between hotels, even in the same city! I've stayed at Best Westerns that have had breakfast included (i.e. Best Western Kitchener/Waterloo), locations where no breakfast or restaurant was onsite, and locations where breakfast an optional extra either payable at booking or during check-inAs a Diamond Elite (BW's highest status) I've received everything from upgrades to the best room and gifts upon check in to no recognition at all (i.e. here's your key, have a nice day!). This to me is one of the biggest downsides to staying at a Best Western, whereas I know darned well that I'll get a breakfast if I stay at a Hilton or Marriott (I'm Gold in both programs) and that I'll be recognized for my status, the same can't be said for Best Western.

That being said, Best Western is a good option when the recognized hotel brands (i.e. Marriott, SPG, Hilton, etc.) aren't priced reasonably (i.e. around $100/night) since you can be somewhat certain you'll at least get a decent quality room to say nothing of the points earnings.

Safe Travels,

James

Best Western is also often an option in small towns where there what you call the "recognized" hotel brands don't have a presence at all. You alternatives then might be only Choice or WyndhamRewards, which are no better with elite benefits.

But you haven't traveled far and wide enough if you think that you can't find anomalies in those "recognized' hotel programs. Fairfield Inn is a Marriott program brand that has breakfast for all, right? Except that there's a Fairfield Inn in Anaheim that has no breakfast at all for anyone! Your Marriott Gold status will do you no good at that particular Fairfield Inn.

The difference is thus just one of magnitude. The exceptions in those "recognized" programs are much rarer than the exceptions in the Best Western program.

Agreed completely on that point. I've been in many small towns and rural areas where I was pleasantly surprised to see there was a Best Western instead of a Super 8 or Motel 6 where the quality can be all over the board.

I have encountered that a couple of times. However, I would argue that you're more likely to see a Best Western without a breakfast than a Fairfield without one. In addition if you focus on the upscale brands within the chain (i.e. Marriott, JW Marriott) you're almost certain to get free breakfast as a Gold (my understanding is that the number of Marriotts/JW Marriotts without complimentary breakfast can be counted on your hands). I guess my argument is you're more likely to have a consistent experience at a Marriott than at a Best Western. Similarly, you're more likely have a consistent experience at a Best Western compared to a Super 8 or Motel 6.

Safe Travels,

James