GUWonder

Not that high in Iceland. That was more of a legend or bragging "rights" than reality. From what it seemed like to me, home brewing was more common in parts of South India than Iceland.

Bobster

Do the hotels really care? Perhaps they'd rather lose some breakfast food than humilate people who might be future customers. The crooks might feel guilty enough to reserve a room next tme. (Or maybe not. ) Perhaps it's food that would have gone to waste anyway. If they're not enforcing the rules, that means they're essentially giving it away on purpose. I wouldn't worry about it.

BamaVol

Generally, I stay in out of the way places. I don't usually perceive a poaching problem from locals. I did notice homeless folk being escorted from the breakfast/lobby at an Embassy Suites in New Orleans, though. I imagine they're even more persistent at the evening reception.

The closest I've come to poaching is taking a banana or yogurt from breakfast to supplement my lunch. I justify it in my mind by eating a very light breakfast; cereal and coffee instead of an omelet and pile of bacon.

I have poached hotel toilets on multiple occasions. The "public" bathrooms in hotels are usually much cleaner than those at nearby fast food restaurants. I think nothing of pulling off the highway and using the Hilton facilities instead of McDonalds next door. Obviously not a concern for a quick whiz, but if I need to sit, I'm rather particular.

GUWonder

I'm curious about how homeless people became familiar with the hotel food option. It's not something that would cross everyone's mind.

I take no issue with using hotel bathrooms. They are there for more than just hotel guests. They are for visitors there too.

gradvmedusa

Poaching Craft-Services tables at movie sets around NYC is much more fun.

ksandness

My then-boyfriend and I "poached" the lobby of the Hilton in Manhattan once many years ago.

We had attended the opera at Lincoln Center one chilly Saturday night, and when we went to the garage planning to drive back to Connecticut, we found that the battery was utterly dead. By the time we had the car checked and towed, the trains had stopped running, so we were stuck in Manhattan after midnight. Students at the time, we didn't have enough money for any kind of hotel that one would actually want to stay in.

We sat in a diner until it closed at 2AM, and then we wandered around for an hour before stumbling upon the Hilton. Since we were both dressed up for the opera, my friend suggested walking into the lobby as if we belonged there and finding an obscure corner to warm up and doze off in. We did just that and nobody bothered us.

When morning came, we washed up a little in the public restrooms and headed to Grand Central Station to catch a train back to Connecticut.

aSiAnRiCk

Hahaha I thought I'm the only one who do this.

If I must use the public restroom, I would look for a hotel or a bookstore

ContinentalFan

It's hard for hotels to stop people poaching breakfasts--say at hotels like the Hampton Inn. I've seen lots of people poach snacks at conferences held in hotels too--even crashing a meal!

ChinaShrek

Some of these properties may let "people from the neighborhood" come for breakfast for free. I have a close relative who frequently walks buy a Fairfield Inn when she is out walking and the workers have told her that she can stop in for coffee or a pastry whenever she wants. Is that still poaching?

IceTrojan

Count me into this group as well... during our typical post-college Euro backpacking trip, this was my MO (and the rest of my group was first amazed, then adopted).

Who knew there was a Sheraton in Prague?

ESPECIALROB

Probably not. It sounds like a known and well-liked neighbor of the hotel is getting a simple neighborly "stop by for a cup of coffee and" invitation from the staff. There's a difference between such an invitation and people staying at a property down the street who walk into your hotel and steal a free breakfast when no similar arrangement exists at their hotel, or are too cheap to pay for it.

BTW, thanks so much to everyone who's added comments to my original post so far. Very interesting commentary and posts!

TMOliver

Not necessarily....That's one of those "Have his *ss or his badge" moments when an irate taxpayer's supposed to get in the guy's face, demand his badge number, then write both your Congressman and the head of his organization (with copies to your local newspaper and "USA Today"). While unlikely to have cost him his job, in bureaucracies, a notable substance always flows downhill and some would have ended up on his britches.

The reason that folks, be they Fed LEOs or others get away with that kind of crap is the public's noted unwillingness to get involved.

elpinta

I have to agree with you for the most part.

However, this event took place overseas, and I noticed that the UA attendant clearly was used to that sort of thing.

So, while I am not vary familiar with local behavior, I sort-of wanted to think that perhaps it was part of the 'perks' for the LEOs attached to the facility.... dunno!

Emma65

Once upon a time when dinosaurs roamed on earth I worked at a hotel where we had a whole bunch of oil workers staying long term as they were there on a contract job. Quite a few of them would be the first ones in for breakfast, then head back to their rooms, come back in later with lunch packs and start packing their lunchboxes with items from the buffet.

We had words with them. They completely ignored us and carried on as usual. What they didn't know was that the father to one of the breakfast staff was their local boss. When it had gotten to a point that it was just getting to be too much (they were also quite abusive to the hotel bar staff in the evenings) they all got shipped back home and we couldn't have been happier.

TechOps

You're gonna write to your congressman about a federal LEO in Brazil? Good luck man!