GW McLintock

I know I know I'm still half asleep. Could have used one of those gross quiche/sandwich things I suppose.

-J.

silentnonrev

especially the Texas shaped ones!

blh

This was exactly what we had at RI at SeaTac in Seattle in July for three nights. Couldn't eat it. So disappointed because had always had good breakfasts at RI in the past and booked ahead of other options for that reason. Had not been aware of Marriott's new breakfast plan. In this case, we had no car, so had no other options. I would say we would start using Hiltons, but we had same kind of breakfast in May at a fairly new Hilton Home2Suites in Abilene, TX. We are staying at a Hampton Inn in Longview, TX this coming weekend. It will be interesting to see what's on offer there. Our HIE meals have been okay, but hard to know since Covid. Think most places are using the excuse of less whether it's breakfast or cleaning since Covid. I am thinking of calling the hotel directly to ask about breakfast options before booking in the future. Especially if it's a multi night stay.

Schnit

And he is from NYC too...

rylan

I saw something similar at the SHS Pensacola Beach twice now... wondering if it'll be the same for this upcoming weekend. Almost Everything was pre-packaged, even pastries and muffins. Egg sandwiches prepackaged in warmers, waffles prepackaged, individual serving cereal bowls. Only thing that wasn't prepackaged were the apples, bananas and oatmeal.

Eujeanie

I had an interesting experience at an Element recently - all the breads, several varieties, were still in their plastic sleeves/bags, just like you'd buy at the supermarket. You just reached in and got out the slices you wanted.

Tanic

On Manhattan?

darthbimmer

It's been years since I've counted on getting a breakfast I actually want from the "free" (included in the price) buffet at limited-service hotels. That said, it's frustrating that breakfast offerings have gone even further downhill. I carry protein bars with me as my baseline breakfast and consider it a treat if I find anything I want to eat instead of/in addition to that at the hotel's breakfast spread. I choose hotels now not based on what I expect the breakfast offerings to be but on whether I can count on them having a fridge/freezer and microwave in the room and how convenient they are to a grocery store. Thus I'm shifting slightly more to RI over CY/FI-- not for the better breakfast but for the kitchenette.

Schnit

Problem with that is you earn fewer points...

skchin

Put ample amount of hot sauce on it. You can't tell the difference.

arlflyer

During the COVID period I just became accustomed to hotels offering nothing to eat. I've maintained that mindset ever since. It's quite liberating - I pick my hotel based on things such as location, room specifications, and price. Most hotels aren't located in places without other breakfast options nearby, so I don't let it drive my decision or push me into irrational thought.

darthbimmer

Yeah, it's frustrating that RI stays earn 5 pts/$ instead of 10, but with the changes to travel and the travel industry over the past 2.5 years (and even since before then) I no longer care as much about optimizing my pts/$ earned when traveling as ensuring I optimize my value per dollar for the stay itself.

To put that another way, the difference in points earning between a CY and RI on a typical stay might amount to $10/night. For $10/night I'd much rather have a kitchenette that lets me get delicious takeout or grocery food in the evening and eat it on real plates at a real table, store half of it in the fridge without worrying if the containers will fit, and eat some real, non-prepackaged-crap food for breakfast in the morning without having to leave the room. That's worth way more than $10 of points that might only be worth $7 by the time I can use them.

nacho

I do really like the RI/TPS concept, what I don't like is that the newer RI don't have an oven and 2 hobs for the smaller suites. There are also more of that have a lot of studios instead of 1 bedroom. I would very much like to try the bi-level suites in the earlier generations of RI before they are all gone though.

My RI stays are almost all on points as cash rate usually is prohibitive.

GW McLintock

It's nice to be able to do that, especially now that I am platinum. In the past when I was gold I was very budget-conscious and the free breakfast (which sometimes also served as free lunch) played a major part. I'm on a bit of a diet now and it's nice to not have to think about breakfast anymore since I can always bring my own oatmeal or pick up fruit somewhere.

-J.

Schnit

I agree completely, about 75% or more of my hotel stays are either in RI or Homewood Suites. Traveling with kids and keeping kosher, having a full kitchen makes a tremendous difference. The breakfast is always a nice plus for us, since we cannot eat most of the hot stuff anyway,

Whenever its feasible, I try to make sure my points stays are RI rather than cash.

I have stayed in a couple where the upstairs is an open loft, is that what you are referring to? They are cool looking but completely impractical. The ones I stayed in, downstairs bedroom with doors is where the king bed is, and upstairs is 2 queens. But when traveling with kids you want them where there are multiple beds, but my kids are asleep before 8. Then we need to lock ourselves in our room, and not in the kitchen, since its open and the noise travels right upstairs. Extremely poorly designed!