Hacking Hampton Breakfasts
 

I've turned into a HGI snob. I hate staying at Hampton Inns and even prefer HGI over Embassy Suites because of the great free breakfast for elites (without a mob), newer buildings, and sleep number beds. But eventually you end up places where a Hampton is your only choice.

This week, I'm in one of those places. I've been dreading it for weeks. Not only is it a Hampton, it's a plain Hampton Inn (no & Suites). But I was pleasantly surprised with a newly refurbished lobby and a nicely furnished room with more dressers than I've ever seen in any hotel room, an oversized mini-fridge, and a bit more space than most. But it was still a Hampton Breakfast. Ugh.

This morning, I got creative with some of the breakfast items, and it turned a mediocre breakfast into an acceptable one. I was wondering if anyone else had come up with some creative ways to make Hampton Breakfasts better?

Before I made my waffle this morning, I put almonds and brown sugar in with the mix and stirred it up. My only concern was that it might stick, but it didn't. It came out perfect, and tasted better than a normal waffle.

This morning was "cheese omelets" (an egg puck with cheese), pork sausage patties, and biscuits and gravy. I took a couple biscuits, a couple sausage patties, and cut a cheese omelet in half and made a couple sausage, egg and cheese biscuits. They were much better than any of the ingredients individually.

Another favorite is to take an English muffin, toast it, and put butter, honey and peanut butter on it.

So what's your favorite Hampton Breakfast hack?

I like to eat bananas with peanut butter.

Thanks. That may allow me to dial down my Hampton avoidance pretty significantly.

For those responsible for HHonors or the Hampton brand, my other primary complaint is the stingy double-dip with partners.

To walk to, or get in my rental car and drive to, a (hopefully) nearby place that rates well on Yelp or TA for a real beakfast. Examples: Crystal Diner on 23rd Street within walking distance of the Hampton Inn & Suites DCA/Crystal City; Middleway Cafe in Anchorage; Round-The Clock Diner in York, PA.

IMHO, lipstick on a pig only goes so far. But good on ya for making it more palatable for you!

Very creative! I am more of a stay at Hampton, go to McDonalds kind of guy. I'd love to sniff out the local breakfast joint, but rarely have time for a sit down breakfast outside of the hotel (with a wait). McDonald's drive thru sausage McMuffin and a large coke zero and I am ready to roll!

If they have bananas and Nutella out or if not peanut butter, chop and mix into the waffle batter.

One Hampton itself apparently agrees with you:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...ight=denny%27s

as do I.

To stay at those tiny few that still do, despite corporate brand standards tyranny and pressure, local-style and made-there items.

I have few US experiences with HI only. What fundamentally reverts me is this plastic cuttlery and card-board dishes. Besides being totally uninviting for me (maybe a European point of view on plastic and card board) this is a waste of ressources. European HI do offer real cutlery, plates and cups.
And I would not be surprised if food offerings in US HI will contain plastic soon.

I spent three nights at a Hampton Inn where the oatmeal was so thick they put a spatula in the pot since it was impossible to get out with a ladle.

I used it to touch up some wallpaper in the room that was curling at the edges.

I suppose I just don't understand the mindset of eating a free breakfast just because it's free. I find HI breakfasts terrible, full of fat, carbs and very low quality ingredients. I really don't like beginning my day that way and *if* I am going to eat a crap breakfast, it's going to be something really great at a local joint. I generally avoid Hampton Inns but when I am forced to stay there, I find the only value at breakfast is hot water for tea. One exception is the breakfast at the HI in Buffalo. They had a several healthy options. I even dropped a note to management thanking them for those options. That's a great Hampton Inn in general.

The one I <<USED>> to stay at was so cheap, the puck with cheese omelets never happened. Always just the garbage powdered eggs which are tough to get into the makeshift sandwich.

I would concur on the HGI breakfast but I find those knock-off sleep dial on the side of the mattress beds awful. That is to say - bad breakfast at Hampton > bad sleep at HGI.

I have moved my loyalty to a couple of Doubletrees now and their breakfast ROCKS!

Sigh, here we go again. The "knock of sleep number dial" is not a knock off, nor is it at all the same as, the Sleep Number bed. The dial on the HGI bed changes firmness and adjusts flow between a number of air chambers by controlling interchamber baffles; a firm setting allows very little air exchange, less firm allows easy air movement". No pumps, no additional or less air, merely firmness adjustments by restricting existing air movement". You have to set the dial and let the air circulate a bit before you plump yourself down on the bed:


Anyway, back to Hampton breakfasts - a few put out some real food, like fruits and oatmeal, but others put out the UFO (unidentified frying objects) plastic eggs and weird objects that are best left undescribed. I occasionally find myself stuck in a Hampton because that's what's available near the client, but I may eat a light breakfast there or go out.

Glad to hear someone has managed to hack the brekkies so it works for them. Flexibility and adaptability are very good traits for road warriors.

I like Hampton breakfasts, can't see anything wrong ;)

ive never stayed in one.....are they much different to the famous "Hilton breakfast?

I dunno, I just go to Cracker Barrel or something ;)

Checked out yesterday. My final hack from this trip:

Waffle mix, almonds (from the oatmeal area), blackberry jam and brown sugar. I think I had too many extras (over half the cup) and not enough waffle mix. My waffle imploded when I took it out of the waffle maker. It still tasted awesome, though.

I actually hate the breakfast served at Hilton Garden Inn. It's not as bad as Hampton and Homewood but HGI still sucks.

Can you tell us why you think it sucks?

The Hamptons I stayed at in recent years all had hardboiled (and thus real!) eggs, either in a mini-fridge or a little bin. Is that not part of the standard now?

Hardboiled eggs are the only kind of eggs I trust to actually be eggs at lots of not-so-fancy hotel brands, including but not limited to Hampton.

The Hamptons I stay at have bananas and other fruit, Earl Grey Tea, and decent toast. Who wants anything else? ;)

What stingy double-dip? I get HH points and UA MP miles at Hamptons, as at all other Hilton family hotels. Most other hotel chains don't do that.

I'm referring to 100 partner miles at Hampton/Homewood/Home2 vs. 500 at other Hilton brands.

I refuse to eat anywhere where there's no real cooking going on. At HI, the just rewarm packaged food. Disgusting. Like others, I find somewhere else to eat.

When Hamptoning, I stick to strict diet of cold cereal, hard boiled eggs, and a deep resentment that I am somewhere where there isn't a decent breakfast available.

That is called mixing ingredients not hacking LOL

Don't be weird...

In addition to the traditional definitions of the word, it can describe making creative use of food items, different than what was originally intended. If you search the interwebz, you'll find hacks for McDonalds menus, In-N-Out, Starbucks, etc.

Proud to be a bit weird. :)

And very glad that I don't have to spend many nights at Hampton Inns!

YES!

I don’t mind the HI breakfasts but then again, I am not looking for a proper hot eggs and meat type fare. I haven’t been to a US HI that hasn’t had cold hardboiled eggs. You can't make those from a powder! My standard is 2 hardboiled eggs, a piece of whole wheat toast, and a banana. My standard breakfast has whole grains, protein and produce…for relatively few calories, I’m full until lunch. If "healthy" to you is low carb, eat hardboiled eggs. If not, there is cold cereal, hot cereal, fruit...there are more unhealthy options than healthy but it isn't impossible to find something decent to eat without resorting to those vaguely food-like bagel topper things.

Their hot egg disc concoctions are pretty gross which is why I target the real food, not the premade stuff. I do wish they would serve yogurt without fake sweeteners and have natural peanut butter available, not just the peanut flavored hydrogenated oil.

Talk about your sugar rush. :cool:

David

If you are staying for > $100 or multiple nights, you have to be on top of things to change your earning style to be variable miles so you earn as much as possible. Same goes for a one-nighter at a Hilton < $500 - I adjust to fixed miles to get the max.

They made the game, you have to learn how to play it.

[QUOTE=JDiver;21203096]Sigh, here we go again. The "knock of sleep number dial" is not a knock off, nor is it at all the same as, the Sleep Number bed. The dial on the HGI bed changes firmness and adjusts flow between a number of air chambers by controlling interchamber baffles; a firm setting allows very little air exchange, less firm allows easy air movement". No pumps, no additional or less air, merely firmness adjustments by restricting existing air movement". You have to set the dial and let the air circulate a bit before you plump yourself down on the bed:

QUOTE]

Sigh right back at you. It seems you are offended that someone might think HGI beds are junk. As with anything, YMMV. I have heard that they are changing out these beds so I might not be the only cat in town that thinks they are bad.

I HAVE tried adjusting prior to laying down and I would still have slept better while being waterboarded yet at a Hampton, Hilton, Doubletree or Embassy, I sleep like a rock.

you a rookie with biscuit-constructing, brah. :)

You are reminding me of a disgusting breakfast I had on AA. Of course, I didn't end up eating it.
http://www.airplanefood.net/photo/ca..._watermark.jpg

They start out on the wrong foot by having cut way too far back on staff. The service has sucked every time I've stayed at an HGI.

The buffet portion of the breakfast is the same processed garbage at Hampton or Homewood.

I like real food... Things that are freshly prepared with care using quality ingredients. This could be anywhere from a truck stop to the Peninsula.

What the.......l

What's the problem about buffet service at HGI ? Buffet means self service, other than they pour the cup of coffee/OJ/tea, it is pretty much self serve til the bill comes.

So what do you suggest they should serve in the buffet portion then if you don't like bacon and sausages as being "processed garbage" ? Those in HGI are the same quality as in the buffet in Hilton or DT and even Conrad ! Those in HI and HS are different stuff !

And eggs are not real food ? You can't order any cook-to-order eggs at HGI ?

Some understand, some do not. Quality is not a word used to describe anything that is put out in the morning by HI, HS, HGI. I used to eat some of this crap....no more.

I will grab a breakfast bag or two for the bottled water and wrapped Spunkmeyer muffin. Which brings me to my biggest laugh. The HI that will not give me a bottle of water at night, but will let me take 5 bottles in the morning. And any Hampton that puts Crystal Geyser water in the bag is a good HI (to me).

I just spent five nights a the Hilton Garden Inn Savannah Midtown. In addition to the cold buffet they had a hot buffet that was staffed by a cook and made to order eggs in addition to the scrambled eggs on the buffet. I had egg white every morning. I use DoubleTree for their breakfast (I will actually have people meet me in the restaurant for breakfast). The DT that I stay at frequently makes a great egg white omelet. I only use Hampton Inn if there are no better Hilton properties convenient to my work needs.

My other standard Hampton breakfast is to bring my own healthy and not oversugared cereal (since it has no liquid, it can even be taken on the plane, if you have room in your carryon, but it's especially easy on driving trips) and use Hampton's milk (they even have skim milk, my preferred type).

I hate the "name brand" super-sugared cereals that Hampton has, but I can (and do) work around that.

Screw the free breakfast and drive/walk to the diner/Waffle House down the street.

Most of the HGIs I have stayed at use some sort of liquified egg product for the made-to-order omelettes. Omelettes made from this processed liquid egg product in a carton never taste the same.