Gripe/Rant: Lounge breakfast in the US
May 20, 2019, 10:15 am
#16
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May 20, 2019, 10:20 am
#17
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Lots of "I want I want I want" from (seemingly) successful people here who (should) understand business....
You do realize it's currently a "seller's market" in hospitality, correct? If anything, we should be expecting cutbacks, not increases.
There are now only three real domestic competitors in the space (Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton) and Hyatt already goes above and beyond the other two, spends more on its elites in various ways, etc. Hilton is closing domestic lounges like crazy, and we all know about Marriott's problems. It's simply unrealistic to expect Hyatt to require an increase in the cost of operating lounges (to the minimums suggested here) in the current market environment.
BTW, I know there are other "competitors" like Wyndham and IHG, etc.. but none of the those guys are truly competing for OUR business in terms of offering benefits comparable to the Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton. If one of them DID step up - then you might see some reaction from "the big three" loyalty programs.
Also, Hyatt DOES have lounge standards... but providing hot food outside of oatmeal hasn't been one of them... some properties simply choose to go above and beyond and others don't.
You do realize it's currently a "seller's market" in hospitality, correct? If anything, we should be expecting cutbacks, not increases.
There are now only three real domestic competitors in the space (Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton) and Hyatt already goes above and beyond the other two, spends more on its elites in various ways, etc. Hilton is closing domestic lounges like crazy, and we all know about Marriott's problems. It's simply unrealistic to expect Hyatt to require an increase in the cost of operating lounges (to the minimums suggested here) in the current market environment.
BTW, I know there are other "competitors" like Wyndham and IHG, etc.. but none of the those guys are truly competing for OUR business in terms of offering benefits comparable to the Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton. If one of them DID step up - then you might see some reaction from "the big three" loyalty programs.
Also, Hyatt DOES have lounge standards... but providing hot food outside of oatmeal hasn't been one of them... some properties simply choose to go above and beyond and others don't.
May 20, 2019, 11:14 am
#18
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
I was Hilton Diamond for a year and “experienced” it - no comparison with Hyatt Globalist.
May 20, 2019, 11:17 am
#19
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
That’s a big stretch. The baseline Hyatt clubs have fresh cut fruit, smoked salmon, fresh cooked oatmeal, fresh pastries, etc. This (particularly freshly prepared non-instant non-reheated items) was not what I saw at any Fairfield Inn.
May 20, 2019, 11:30 am
#20
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
Lounge breakfast w/Hyatt has historically been some variation of Continental. But with the lounge you get all day access to free non-alcoholic drinks, free or low cost alcohol, and appetizers which can serve as a light dinner. That vs the full breakfast and nothing else at properties with no lounge.
It depends on what you value more but expecting a free Golden Corral isn’t very realistic.
May 20, 2019, 11:34 am
#21
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IMO a cold breakfast can be very nice and even elegant. Moreover cold breakfast is the standard in some places, including most of Europe with the exception of England and Ireland of course.
I'm very happy, for example, with high quality croissants/brioches, good butter, fresh cut fruit or berries, smoked salmon, proscuitto, good cheese, etc. Much better than oatmeal, eggs, and sausages of some disgusting sort.
I'm very happy, for example, with high quality croissants/brioches, good butter, fresh cut fruit or berries, smoked salmon, proscuitto, good cheese, etc. Much better than oatmeal, eggs, and sausages of some disgusting sort.
May 20, 2019, 11:42 am
#22
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
IMO a cold breakfast can be very nice and even elegant. Moreover cold breakfast is the standard in some places, including most of Europe with the exception of England and Ireland of course.
I'm very happy, for example, with high quality croissants/brioches, good butter, fresh cut fruit or berries, smoked salmon, proscuitto, good cheese, etc. Much better than oatmeal, eggs, and sausages of some disgusting sort.
I'm very happy, for example, with high quality croissants/brioches, good butter, fresh cut fruit or berries, smoked salmon, proscuitto, good cheese, etc. Much better than oatmeal, eggs, and sausages of some disgusting sort.
Good point. I mostly stay in no-lounge full service Hyatt’s.... BUT at several w/lounge I’ve seen cold items that were high quality and probably more expensive than the sausage links and scrambled eggs (probably) expected by the OP....
May 20, 2019, 11:51 am
#23
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Like anything else, there are trade offs.
Lounge breakfast w/Hyatt has historically been some variation of Continental. But with the lounge you get all day access to free non-alcoholic drinks, free or low cost alcohol, and appetizers which can serve as a light dinner. That vs the full breakfast and nothing else at properties with no lounge.
It depends on what you value more but expecting a free Golden Corral isn’t very realistic.
If the lounge is offering cold breakfast I'm literally never going to set foot in it, making it a downgrade for me (since its presence prevents me from getting a complimentary breakfast at the restaurant).
I may start to gravitate more towards properties without a lounge, but there are some good beach resorts that are branded Regency and have club lounges. Again, it seems strange that closing the lounge would be an upgrade to the value I assign to the hotel.
May 20, 2019, 12:42 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
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May 20, 2019, 1:22 pm
#25
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,566
Similarly, I was at a nice Hyatt, and the lounge provided an "evening service", and all it was was two hot items, some cold cuts, veggies, bread, and only one option for dessert.
Seriously, if you were going to a restaurant, that would not be acceptable. I do not understand why Hyatt cannot hold their lounges to a minimum standard of at least one beef entree (preferably a filet, but I'll settle for a ribeye since its free), one seafood dish, one chicken dish, and one vegetarian meal, and I would expect at least four or five dessert options.
What is the point of having a lounge offering, if I'm going to just go to a real restaurant to have the meal I want?
Seriously, if you were going to a restaurant, that would not be acceptable. I do not understand why Hyatt cannot hold their lounges to a minimum standard of at least one beef entree (preferably a filet, but I'll settle for a ribeye since its free), one seafood dish, one chicken dish, and one vegetarian meal, and I would expect at least four or five dessert options.
What is the point of having a lounge offering, if I'm going to just go to a real restaurant to have the meal I want?
The cost of that would be insane, and combine that with the inevitable people who take trays of food out to their rooms, and making "crushing the club" a goal, and it is a non starter. Even in the nicer lounges I have been to in Asia and Europe, I have never seen "preferably a filet, but I'll settle for a ribeye since its free), one seafood dish, one chicken dish, and one vegetarian meal, and I would expect at least four or five dessert options." Honestly, I have to say that expectation is so out of bounds to me that it borders on offensive.
May 20, 2019, 1:37 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2008
Programs: Hyatt LIFETIME Globalist
Posts: 661
Similarly, I was at a nice Hyatt, and the lounge provided an "evening service", and all it was was two hot items, some cold cuts, veggies, bread, and only one option for dessert.
Seriously, if you were going to a restaurant, that would not be acceptable. I do not understand why Hyatt cannot hold their lounges to a minimum standard of at least one beef entree (preferably a filet, but I'll settle for a ribeye since its free), one seafood dish, one chicken dish, and one vegetarian meal, and I would expect at least four or five dessert options.
What is the point of having a lounge offering, if I'm going to just go to a real restaurant to have the meal I want?
Seriously, if you were going to a restaurant, that would not be acceptable. I do not understand why Hyatt cannot hold their lounges to a minimum standard of at least one beef entree (preferably a filet, but I'll settle for a ribeye since its free), one seafood dish, one chicken dish, and one vegetarian meal, and I would expect at least four or five dessert options.
What is the point of having a lounge offering, if I'm going to just go to a real restaurant to have the meal I want?
May 20, 2019, 1:44 pm
#27
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
Expectations/Entitlement really are an amazing thing. The reality is some Hyatt lounges actually DO raise the bar almost that high. GH Playa Del Carmen comes close, so does HR Seattle. Even the GH San Antonio puts out 4-5 different desserts every night. Perhaps these outliers are part of the problem: they cause people to expect every other property to rise to that level....
My guess: some properties have a larger number of people actually PAYING for the Club, whereas the ones that stick to minimums are probably (mostly) giving it away to Globs/Explorists...
My guess: some properties have a larger number of people actually PAYING for the Club, whereas the ones that stick to minimums are probably (mostly) giving it away to Globs/Explorists...
May 20, 2019, 2:15 pm
#29
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Join Date: Oct 2014
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Expectations/Entitlement really are an amazing thing. The reality is some Hyatt lounges actually DO raise the bar almost that high. GH Playa Del Carmen comes close, so does HR Seattle. Even the GH San Antonio puts out 4-5 different desserts every night. Perhaps these outliers are part of the problem: they cause people to expect every other property to rise to that level....
My guess: some properties have a larger number of people actually PAYING for the Club, whereas the ones that stick to minimums are probably (mostly) giving it away to Globs/Explorists...
My guess: some properties have a larger number of people actually PAYING for the Club, whereas the ones that stick to minimums are probably (mostly) giving it away to Globs/Explorists...
I don't see why that benefit should be scaled back at a property that has a lounge.
The dinner thing is a poor analogy because there is no free dinner benefit. You should consider yourself lucky to get anything at all -- free dinner is simply not something that a globalist is entitled to.
May 20, 2019, 2:23 pm
#30
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,161
But here is the thing... a globalist IS entitled to free breakfast. If there is no lounge, then there is a free restaurant breakfast.
I don't see why that benefit should be scaled back at a property that has a lounge.
The dinner thing is a poor analogy because there is no free dinner benefit. You should consider yourself lucky to get anything at all -- free dinner is simply not something that a globalist is entitled to.
I don't see why that benefit should be scaled back at a property that has a lounge.
The dinner thing is a poor analogy because there is no free dinner benefit. You should consider yourself lucky to get anything at all -- free dinner is simply not something that a globalist is entitled to.