why the breakfast and amenities?
 

So heres a question I've wondered for many months. I've stayed at RI, CY, JWs, and Fairfields in multiple parts of the country. The service has been decent at most, but I've begun to wonder...

Why do the "lower end" properties offer free breakfast and free wifi while the CY and JW I've stayed at charge for breakfast and 10 bucks for internet? You would think the better hotels actually have these services as complimentary.

To be fair, the breakfasts that are offered at the lower end properties are not equivalent to the ones offered at the FS properties. Having said that, Marriott gives less free amenities to non-elite (gold or platinum) guests at FS properties because they assume that most of their guests are travelling on an expense account. A greater proportion of the guests at the mid-service and lower end properties are paying for their own travel.

Of course, business travelers stay at all types of Marriott properties. Until competition forces them to, Marriott will keep charging for internet access at their FS properties (although some individual properties have free HSIA).

That may be the assumption that Marriott is probably making, but there are some flaws in it.

At least in my field, many business travelers can expense the actual cost of the hotel room, but get paid a fixed per diem amount (per day) for meals and incidentals.

Many business travelers under this type of system would rather pay a little more for the room rate if breakfast and other incidentals are included. I know a few people who are particularly attracted to Residence Inn for this reason. Often they will eat the free breakfast, skimp on lunch, use the "happy hour" as a free dinner, and pocket the per diem.

True at most Marriotts and Rens concierge lounges. But there are exceptions. For example the Milwaukee Mariott West offers nothing for breakfast that one wouldn't see at a Fairfield buffet. (In fact between the abysmal free breakfast in the lounge, and the expensive breakfast in the restaurant, I often make the short drive to the nearby Courtyard for the breakfast buffet.) On the other hand, the Mayflower lounge always offers, among other items, fresh bagels, rolls and pastries, smoked salmon, cold cuts, cheese, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and a frittata. I'd say the Mayflower is closer to the norm, but the Marriott Milwaukee West is not the only slacker.

I agree about the food, but that isn't the case for Internet as that usually isn't considered an "incidental" especially since most business travelers end up going back to their hotel rooms and doing more work.

My theory on this is that Marriott is happy to let the penny-pinchers who won't fork out $9.95 a day for internet service stay at their lower-end properties. After all, if you're not willing to spend that money, you're probably not going to order a nice bottle of wine or browse for expensive trinkets in the gift shop. This way they keep a more affluent (or at least more willing to spend) clientele at their full-service properties, while the frugal ones have plenty of choices within the corporate fold to get more "value" out of their hotel dollar.

Most of the FS Marriott properties I stay at offer a special room rate that includes Internet to address your issue. Not surprisingly, that rate is $9.95 more than the equivalent non-Internet rate. On your bill, there would be no mention of anything other than the room rate. So, they have it both ways.

In the end, it's all about what the market will bear. I'm sure that they never had any intention of providing free Internet access in the select service/extended stay brands either.

$9.95 for 1 day internet+local phone + long distance phone, very reasonable
 

$9.95 for 1 day internet + local call + long distance call, very reasonable rate at Renaisance/some Marriott now

$9.95 for internet not reasonable when compared to free. For the telephone, I'm guessing most of us use our cell. As far as paying for the internet in our rooms, I'm guessing that 10 years from now, the thought would be just as astonishing as paying for television (which, of course, many hotels charged for in the 50's and before, or for radio which had coin slots in hotels many years ago).

True enough about the market as you never know what is coming next.

How do you get the rate with the internet included? Some of my travel costs are billed directly to my clients and honestly, I'd rather just not have them see the internet charge. While most of my clients would probabaly not care, I'd rather just not raise the question.

I wonder where I fall in that range. I usually prefer the free breakfast, but I tend to spend the money on a really nice dinner, good wine, etc.

As an odd comparison:

I'm doing a lot of stays at a Hilton Garden Inn, which is kinda equivalent to a Courtyard. Not only do I get wifi (and wired) all over the place, but every guest gets one hour free long distance anywhere in the US. Nice perk!

And breakfast, right?

No free breakfast at HGIs unless you are gold or higher. Even then, if you have your preferences set to receive [myway 750 bonus] points, you might not get the free breakfast either.

edited for the part in []

But at HGI competitor Courtyard, no free breakfast for plat, gold, silver, or anybody else, unless you successfully wheedle at the front desk.