Maybe that should be SHS's branding tag line!! :D :D

Cheers.

I'm certain Ed French's admin will be reaching out shortly to add you to Bill's personal Holiday Card/Holiday Gift list :D however I'm equally certain Chris' Nassetta's admin will be deleting you from his lists

I was a very loyal Courtyard customer for many years because they offered the best option within our corporate guidelines. My point is that they are no longer the best choice for a business traveler, and the elimination of the breakfast buffet is a major blunder (time, cost, health, and variety). I now look for FS within budget guidelines first, Springhill Suites second, and other chains third. Even the Drury Inn offers better options than Courtyard. I don't mind the lobby and appreciate the bistro offering for lunch and dinner, but breakfast is the main meal I eat at the hotel on business travel, and I would rather eat breakfast at McDonalds than the new bistro.

Another new tag line! :D :D

Cheers.

Fair enough... Perhaps the problem here on FT is that we're by definition interested in rewards programs and loyalty tiers - otherwise we wouldn't be on this board. I think we all sometimes forget that the entire universe isn't like us. ;)

The kicker for me is that we don't even get points on the breakfast we have to pay for! Give us points for incidental charges, or I make sure I don't spend any extra $$$ - it's the principle ;)

Maybe it is just the line of business that I am in which i am in, but i presumed that business travelers had their meals paid for while on the road? If so, why is there a big concern about not getting a free breakfast at Courtyards?

I guess, to clarify, my expenses are paid for; I do not receive a per diem. Is that what most other biz travelers have, a per diem??? If that is the case, then i can understand why you would want a free breakfast and pocket more money at the end of the day.

I should add that I also enjoy the remodeled lobbies over the older ones.

So apparently I'm amongst the few who are in the target market for Courtyard and generally like the newly remodeled versions. I would say I choose them at about the same frequency as SHS.

I don't eat a big breakfast when I'm on business travel. Quick counter service oatmeal and diet coke is perfect for me. I don't really care if it's free or not since I'm expensing it anyway.

The rooms are consistent and usually not too far of a walk from the parking lot/lobby.

I try to avoid the older ones because there's still a few out there that don't offer wireless internet.

If I have any complaint at all about the refreshed lobbies, it's the expensive evening drinks. If Marriott wanted to increase my CY stays, they'd have an Embassy Suites-style happy hour in the lobby bar.

My expenses are paid for, with no per diem. In ten years, nobody has ever questioned any hotel, meal or other travel expense. In fact, in a recent conversation with my boss, I was told NOT to worry about these things. I had found a JW rate under $150/night, but decided to stay in a SHS instead, for a two-night stay. I was worried about the optics of staying in a JW. The SHS wound up being terrible. (Rare exception for the chain. Orlando/Universal) I'm not wasteful, nor do I take advantage, but I don't have to worry about the price of breakfast.

The breakfast issue makes CY my last choice Marriott chain. The CL at an FS, Ren or JW, or the free breakfast at an FI or SHS lets me run in, grab something quick and be on my way. I don't have time to sit at a buffet, nor wait for the Bistro to make my food. Recently, at the CY Capitol Hill DC, it took ten minutes for my order to be taken and another 15 to be served. (Very nice hotel otherwise, and the afternoon/evening Bistro crew seemed better organized and capable.) I was in no rush, so it didn't matter, but it showed that the Bistro cannot be counted on when I'm pressed for time, which is almost always.

In defense of the Bistro, several times I've checked in after eight, having rushed from a customer site to a flight to the rental car and to the hotel and been glad I could order a sandwich, sit, eat and relax. If the brand would add a quick, hot grab-and-go breakfast option, I'd likely choose CYs more often.

our corporate food spending is $50 a day. If I can get a free brekkie that saves $10 for an extra martini at night :D

hotels have to be reasonably priced - 125-150 or so

The old CY are dreary places and they were getting expensive relative to SHS and FFI. The new CY are certainly nicer but I dont think any better than SHS - where I can get a free breakfast

when companies put policies like this in place I'm always left wondering what their employees traveling in the NE do for meals....I mean this will only cover breakfast in some NE cities

And now I think you are seeing some of the angst around the no free CY breakfast issue here.

I suspect a sizable number of companies have similar daily meal allowances. Thus if CY is vying for the business traveler, it looks like there may be some room for improvement.

Now I do understand your earlier statement that the brand is doing very well. And I don't doubt your knowledge on the subject, but I wonder if maybe the market is less "business" travelers and more non-business?

When I worked for a large company that did have per diems, there was a higher amount for NYC, Boston, SF, LV, etc.

Our firm typically uses this site to calculate per diems. Granted, most of our work is for government agencies; thus, this is their go-to guide. Still, it's also a good reference for non-government travelers who need to identify cost differences in travel expenses across the country.

So many in this thread are yearning for CY's as they were 10 years ago? Seriously? Back then if we wanted a drink at any time other than breakfast our only choice was a vending machine. I had a really long stay at the CY in Waltham, MA when that hotel was participating in the pilot program for the Marketplace and the new modular furniture. Being able to grab a cup of fruit and a sandwich at 10pm was a new luxury.

And what about the buffet itself 10 years ago? Do you all really like the slimy bacon-ish bacon, the powdered eggs, and the couple dried out starch options? The CY buffet is, and for me always has been, repulsive. I'd much rather have the option of ordering something from a menu that actually discloses what the ingredients are. Alternatively I can always acquire breakfast at any of the 84,568,233 places that sell breakfast items in the US.