Oxon Flyer

Din-dins, surely ?

sdsearch

It's not a daily choice of breakfast. It's just poor wording. They should have said something like "a daily choice between (a) breakfast for two in the restaurant or (b) 750 points". (Another clearer way they could have said it is: "a daily choice of either breakfast for two in the restaurant or 750 points".) That's what they meant, they just didn't say it clearly.

What they mean by a "daily choice" is that you can choose to get breakfast one day and choose to get 750 points another day (if your staying more than one night).

SkiAdcock

Hey that works for me . I've also been known to say let's meet up for drinkies (although I got that from some UK pals ).

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

Again, in fairness to hockeyinsider, I think his questioning is that it's specific that in the US/Canada it's cont'l brekkie or 750 points if there isn't a lounge, whereas Europe says brekkie or 750 points (not indicating either full or cont'l, so potentially up to interpretation).

So he's interpreting it as full no matter what, whereas some properties are considering it cont'l. Traditionally most European properties give full brekkie, but it's not a given.

And in fairness to Marriott, whether US/Canada/Europe, it's specific that it's elite +1 & only the elite's room. Yet a # of properties go beyond & extend it to more than elite+1 or more than one room booked under the elite's name.

That's why I say be careful what you wish for. You (generic you) push it too hard on one T&C, you (generic you) may find a property decides to enforce the other T&Cs it didn't before.

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

BTW, I googled because I was looking for some info to provide in the SPG forum re: a similar but different topic.

Found this:

http://www.marriott.com/hotel-promot...d-breakfast.mi

"There's more on the menu. Any time the lounge is closed, or if you’re staying at a hotel in Europe without a lounge, you'll have a choice of continental breakfast for two in the hotel restaurant or 750 Rewards points. If you’re outside of the U.S. or Canada, you’ll also enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast daily."

So, while the majority of properties outside the US/Canada provide full brekkie, it's not a given per T&Cs (aka, dif T&Cs have dif wording).

Cheers.

hockeyinsider

I get that but as someone else said they did not qualify "breakfast" as "continental," as they did in the clause pertaining to the U.S. and Canada.

SkiAdcock

As mentioned in the post just above yours

http://www.marriott.com/hotel-promot...d-breakfast.mi

"There's more on the menu. Any time the lounge is closed, or if you’re staying at a hotel in Europe without a lounge, you'll have a choice of continental breakfast for two in the hotel restaurant or 750 Rewards points. If you’re outside of the U.S. or Canada, you’ll also enjoy a complimentary continental breakfast daily."

So, while the majority of properties outside the US/Canada provide full brekkie, it's not a given per T&Cs (aka, dif T&Cs have dif wording).

sdsearch

Well, what does it matter? They didn't qualify it as "full breakfast" either, and in fact even when it's officially "continental breakfast", it's really up to the specific hotel what kind of breakfast it is.

Gosh, I've seen breakfasts where it's neither "continental" nor "full" exactly but a coupon for a certain amount of money, which at least covers the continental buffet but may alternately cover some, though not all, options off the menu as well. (Or you have yet another option, of ordering more, either a pricier buffet or pricier item[s] off the menu, and just paying the difference.) But again, that was at specific hotels, never in the T&Cs.

So no matter which version of the T&Cs you read, it's murky (or should be viewed as such). You have to know what that specific hotel gives, not some T&C mumbo jumbo, if you want to what you're really get.

And that's exactly why we have this thread:
which also (beyond its title) collects info on breakfast offered when the lounge closed or if there is no lounge.

nequine

I know when we stayed at the Crystal City Marriott (in Virginia) although it was supposed to just be a continental brekkie (since the lounge was closed), it was the guys in the restaurant who said we could have anything and the omelettes were delicious! I presume that was done with the full knowledge of TPTB!

hockeyinsider

Because there is a standard. It's in the terms of service. It is in everyone's interest for all properties to adhere to at least the minimum standard.


Hotels can always exceed the minimum standard. That's not the issue here. The issue here is whether "breakfast" is different than a "continental breakfast." I would argue that any reasonable person reading the official terms of service for elite-level Marriott guests, as currently published on the Marriott website, would agree that a hotel in Europe has to provide more than a "continental breakfast" if either the hotel's lounge is closed or the hotel doesn't have a lounge.

CJKatl

If this is the standard...

...then it would seem if they provide you with a choice of Carnation Breakfast Bars (do they still make those?) in the restaurant or 750 points they've fulfilled their obligation. It might not be the breakfast you want, but they've provided breakfast. I'm not sure where you are getting that the requirement is anything but a minimal breakfast.

apodo77

I cringe every time I read the word brekkie.
Needs to be a bannable offense on all message boards and forums.

MSPeconomist

Me too. It's much worse than nails scraping on a blackboard.

sdsearch

Well, here's another thing, has Marriott ever defined "continental breakfast"?

IMHO, "continental breakfast" in the hotel industry at large is such an overused and misused term that it's pretty meaningless. I think it originally meant the standard southern European breakfast of toast and jam and coffee. (It certainly didn't mean the lavish standard Scandinavian breakfast, even though technically the Scandinavian peninsula is still part of the "continent".)

There are budget hotel chain aplenty all across the US (not sure about other parts of the world) where "continental" breakfast might mean only donuts or bagels and maybe cereal for the kids.

OTOH, at "lower midscale" properties with a free breakfast, "continental" breakfast means whatever is on the buffet, even if it includes one or two token hot food items.

Finally, at those few Marriott-program properties where I've been given it, "continental" breakfast simply means the cold buffet, as opposed to the hot buffet. But what is on the cold buffet of course varies. At a better hotel, it's hopefully got at least sliced cheese/meats you can put on your bread for a bit more substantial breakfast than just bread alone.

Anyway, back to Europe, Europe is big place, with lots of different countries. As I already mentioned, putting Marriott aside for a moment, the standard across other indie or small chain hotels for breakfast is completely different in Italy versus Norway. It's as different (in variety, though not quality) as the difference between a Days Inn and the buffet at a Ritz, in that in Italy it's just a few breads and jams on your table, while in Norway it's often a multi-room buffet that beats any other free buffet I've had in hotels anywhere else in the world by a mile.

CJKatl

Yet it seems since this sentiment has been posted there has been a doubling down on its usage of "brekkie" instead of breakfast. Putting aside what someone might think of the word itself, an infrequent user coming to the site might search for a specific hotel and narrow the search for breakfast, not knowing there is a dedicated sticky. Using the term "brekkie" will make it impossible for someone to find the information. If we care about helping fellow travelers, we won't use the unusual term. The fact there has been increased and what seems gratuitous use of the term is mystifying.