best breakfast
 

Which hotel within the Marriott line (that qualifies for the free annual night) typically has the best free breakfast in your opinion? I have my free anniversary night to use and since I don't really have anywhere to go I figured I'd at least get a good breakfast out of it.

thanks

Westin Tokyo. I love the hot white chocolate sauce to go with the waffles, plus bacon of course and lots of good fresh fruit.

Which card do you have? The Amex Bonvoy Brilliant, the Chase Boundless etc? Not every property in the same brand fulfills the breakfast benefit in the same spirit, some give a full buffet while others provide a lesser offering. So the breakfast benefit is really dependant on the individual property. Also in case you aren't aware, you can typically extend the certificates one time when approaching expiration, in case have no where to go in the immediate future.

JW Emerald Bay in Phu Quoc. It's a cat 5 until Mar 4. Hurry!

Are you asking which individual hotel has the best breakfast or which hotel brand? I know everyone values items differently, but the notion that someone will spend $$$ to fly to another country just because an individual hotel has an outstanding free breakfast seems crazy.

This _is_ FlyerTalk after all...

David

W Taipei

Trump Turnberry - excellent and utterly freshly prepared food, unbelievable service and a view that is sublime.

I think you will get more useful and practical answers if you tell us (a) where you are in the world and/or (b) where you are considering spending your one night away in the world and (c) the value of the free night certificate.

Then people can give you specific recommendations.

Otherwise, as has been noted, the hotel brand isn't necessarily an indication and neither is the hotel category beyond general observations that the luxury brands (St.R, W etc.) will probably give you a better breakfast than the limited service brands (Courtyard, Four Points etc.) but this is obvious to us all.

I assumed that if OP had geographic limitations, they would have been mentioned in his/her first post.

Same goes for people who want recommendations for best beach, or best cat 4 hotel.

I stayed at the New Orleans Marriott two years ago and they had a great breakfast (with lots of fresh fruit, pecan smoked bacon and decent beignets). We had lounge access and the lounge opened unto the restaurant for access to the full buffet.

Second this

According to my kids, it's the waffle iron at [almost every] residence inn. They could be wrong though...

StR Bali

iowa guy, what's your Marriott Bonvoy elite level?

If your level is Platinum Elite of higher, you can get breakfast through the Guaranteed Lounge Access benefit at some brands and through the Platinum Elite Welcome Gift benefit at others.

But if you're Gold Elite of lower, you'll only get breakfast at select service brands that include breakfast for all guests:
— Element **
— Fairfield (except Fairfield Asia Pacific hotels) **
— Residence Inn
— SpringHill Suites
— TownePlace Suites
** very few exceptions; check official hotel website

I've never stayed at Element. Of the remaining brands above, I've had the best breakfasts at Residence Inn and the worst at TownePlace Suites.

If you clarify the value of your certificate (35K? 40K? 50K?), your Marriott Bonvoy elite level, and how far you're willing to travel, you'll get better answers here.

Otherwise, you'll keep getting suggestions to travel to the other side of the globe for a Category 8 resort that won't honor your certificate and that only provides breakfast as a benefit if you're Platinum Elite or higher.

StR Bali is very good but ont best, bufet is limited only nice is this alacarte orders like egss with lobster or egs with steak.

Is this a Marriott bonvOY property?

When you are on Government Travel Orders is breakfast extra?

I agree- the M Lounge there has a great spread.

JW Marriott Delhi - Amazing buffet serving, western, asian and Indian food! Includes fruit you only get in the Southern Hemisphere, it's memorable...

Yes, and they seem to do a good job of keeping that quiet

JW Dubai...hands down

Only the ones in Texas though, as they're state of Texas shaped! At least according to my son (and maybe me...)

RC Abama, on Tenerife!
 

see title

But what about the Springhill Suites waffle irons?!

Thinking about lounge-based breakfasts for Platinum or higher members, I like that the Marriott Crystal Gateway (in Virginia/DC) has a door from the M Club to the full restaurant breakfast buffet, so you can have the whole spread.

I recall the lounge breakfast at the Hong Kong JW Marriott to be quite good (with both western and Asian foods), though I haven't been there since they moved the lounge location.

Yes, its part of the luxury collection.

Definitely! I didn't realise it until I stumbled across that info when looking for a Glasgow hotel before our NI trip last summer. Probably the best hotel I have ever stayed in in my life!

And now the OP has disappeared and isn't responding to any of the requests for clarifications.

I look forward to a trip report from the OP for this free vacation of one night in a Category 4 property with a luxurious breakfast after spending cold hard cash on a return air fare for a 13-hour long-haul flight.

In the US, i generally find the JW buffet better than the Marriott buffet. Best breakfast in recent memory was the Mexico City Sheraton, in the lounge.

I'm reading OP's post a little less generously.

Let's parse:

"Which hotel within the Marriott line (that qualifies for the free annual night) typically has the best free breakfast" . . . "I don't really have anywhere to go I figured I'd at least get a good breakfast out of it."

First, I think OP may mean which "line (or brand) of hotels" within the "Marriott family" has the best breakfast generally, rather than asking for a specific hotel. This is admittedly a matter of interpretation, but I don't think OP meant "which hotel" specifically even though he said "which hotel."

Second, I don't think OP is asking for which hotel has the best Platinum or higher breakfast benefit, which seems to be the question answered by most here. Indeed, I would go with the plain text of his post on this score: OP asked the best "free" breakfast. I take this to corroborate my first point: I think OP is simply asking whether he should, in general, use his cert at a Residence Inn or a Fairfield or a SpringHill Suites or a whatever else.

Third, I think the end of OP's post indicates that OP might not wish to go anywhere at all. Wherever he is (perhaps Iowa, given his handle), he might simply want to check in for a staycation (or not stay at all) and get a decent meal there in the morning. I think that again reinforces my first point that he's simply asking which brand, all else equal, might provide the best free breakfast.

My take: OP, save the cert. You never know when you might need to go somewhere on short notice, and those occasions provide some of the best value (in my experience), particularly when the certificate replaces what would otherwise be an unanticipated out-of-pocket (as opposed to business) expense. None of the "free" breakfasts at Residence Inns and the like are even worth the drive for me. I'd rather spend ten bucks at the Cracker Barrel.

BINGO!

Once I had a credit card cert that was about to expire, and ended up doing a 1 night staycation in a nearby city at a Residence Inn (back in the days before I had status that would give me breakfast), so I can see that situation happening for the OP.

As noted in the lounge thread, there are 5 brands that provide breakfast complimentary to all guests:
— Element
— Fairfield
— Residence Inn
— SpringHill Suites
— TownePlace Suites

I haven't stayed at Element before. Out of the other 4, all things being equal, I'd probably suggest a Residence Inn or SpringHill first, then Fairfield, then TownPlace.

I believe brand standards at all of these would be a hot egg dish (usually a type of scrambled eggs) and a hot protein dish (bacon/sausage/ham), oatmeal, fruit, pastries, and a waffle maker.

In addition, at Residence Inns and SpringHills, I'm more likely to see 2 hot protein dish, a warm carbohydrate dish (e.g. potatoes or warm buscuits), as well as some toppings for eggs (such as shredded cheese, spinach, and salsa).

This is with the caveat that the quality of offerings can vary depending on local management too, and some individual properties may have extras, like cold cut meats and cheese, or pre-made omelettes, etc.

Element's not a bad choice -- OP, if you are near Des Moines, there is an Element in West Des Moines that has decent free breakfast. Omelet stand, hot egg dishes, perhaps strawberry nutella pancakes, and the usual breakfast sides, plus juices and smoothies. On Mondays through Thursdays there may also be a happy hour of sorts in the afternoon.

I may end up giving the Element in West Des Moines or a Residence Inn a try this weekend.

Of these brands, IMO element has the best breakfast options, with high quality but perhaps fewer choices. IIRC RI brand standard is something other than sausage at least a couple times a week (bacon or turkey Canadian bacon seen to be the options) while TPS seems to have some form of disgusting sausage every single day.

That property is really nice and clean. Breakfast is very different than what you'd get from another brand in the portfolio.

Element at Minneapolis/Bloomington/MOA/MSP is opening in about a month (with outrageous rates for the first night) and there's already an open Element in (almost downtown) Minneapolis North Loop, with the latter charging for parking (very close to USBank Twins baseball stadium).

What is the status with Turnberry on the grounds recently? Marriott website: "Elite guests are entitled to continental breakfast, based on two persons sharing, as a choice in their welcome bonus." Which is rather off-putting.