xinerevelle

I am a pollworker and we use the local Hampton Inn for our precinct. The area I work is pretty ritzy, with most homes in the $500k+ range.

People came in through the main lobby entrance, down the hall, and into the meeting room to vote. On the way out they went out the door from the meeting room to the pool deck, and we had originally directed them back in to a side door that led back to the lobby area, which made the voters have to walk through the breakfast area. (It was raining and a little chilly, and got people back to the parking area they had used quickly and easily.)

Well, after the hotel mgmt caught MANY voters (these women with 5 carat rocks on their fingers, old guys wearing Polo and Tommy H. from head to toe, etc.) snagging a cup of coffee and a stale danish, they complained to the Supervisor of Elections. We had to start making people walk all the way back around the building to reach their cars because a few grabby people couldn't keep their hands to themselves and go to McD's for their own cup of coffee.

I think the mgmt said that about 20 people helped themselves on the way out.

Sheesh!

ESPECIALROB

Thanks for bringing this up. As the OP of this thread, I'm pleased to see many FT members chime in on this topic, even though some went into gray areas not specifically related to walking into a hotel, sitting down, and stealing a free breakfast. Nevertheless, it's been interesting reading!

I'm surprised there are very few incidents reported of people getting caught in the act and sent on the "walk of shame" out the door of the hotel. I guess its hard to police, and as some posts have suggested, probably not worth the effort.

Muchas gracias to everyone who's added their comments so far!

pinniped

Good point - I've only eaten a handful of hotel breakfast buffets in my life that were really worth much of anything. In fact, Renaissance Wailea is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. Both its location and the fact that there's table service for drinks and such make that one a toughie to poach.

ESPECIALROB

Just posted several minutes ago and mentioned there were few posts re. poachers getting caught in the act and sent on the walk of shame out the door of the hotel....

I guess I spoke too soon

pinniped

I wonder how many of the voter-poachers consciously knew they weren't supposed to help themselves to a cup of coffee or a danish. I can see some of that being innocent... Our voting precinct actually does have a coffepot sitting there where people can grab a cup.

KMHT FF

My response is, "grow up."

Poor and hungry wiseass college student is one thing (spoken from experience), but grown professionals doing this kind of poaching just goes to show you that age does not equal grace.

pinniped

Heck, when I was a poor, hungry college student, I didn't need to poach: everybody knew all the bars that had free happy hour chow and quarter beers!

Orion

I once stayed at a Best Western motel near the Las Vegas airport. In the morning at the complimentary continental breakfast we were asked to show a room key at each food station (fruit, breads, eggs, meats, etc.). It was tightly controlled which made me wonder if hard experience had caused it to be that way.
Last year at a Doubletree Hotel in El Segundo, California (near Lax), I was lazing at the pool complex one afternoon when I noticed three teens peering through the iron gate from the street. Eventually they came in by climbing over the wall. They were in bathing suits under their street clothes. They swam for a while and then visited the jacuzzi. I don't know if they were hotel guests. My room card key had unlocked the gate for me when I came in.

KMHT FF

Exactly - they were free and invited poaching, but hotels and conventions do not, especially from adult freeloaders.

javajunkie

This is a good discussion. Kudos to the OP. Now, here's my 2-bits.

I frequently stay at a RI in MKE and am well known to many of the staff there. They have allowed me to bring my colleagues for the evening buffet / reception that they offer. Regardless, I always ask prior to arrival.
I guess this makes me semi-guilty of poaching.

However, on one occaision during the breakfast session one of the staff asked if they could enlist my help to be "on the lookout" for a known poacher from a nearby hotel. They wanted me to let them know right away if I saw the person in the breakfast area. I never did see the individual, but I think they had made it known to that person that they were watching for poachers. Does this make me a "poaching guard"?

At several other properties, I've experiences a variety of the prevention policies that have been described here. Notably, at the MR-Pataya, the lounge receptionist greeted you and asked for your room number the first time I visited the lounge. After that, I was always recognized. Interestingly, they photographed me on my last day there, with the reason given that it would be used to identify me on/for my next visit (?!). At another property in SIN, the breakfast buffet was quite extensive. The hostess would take your room number and a bill for the breakfast was issued (nearly S$30). Some room rates included the buffet, while I believe others did not.

jedison

Me, too. Stick it to the man.

jimbo99

Some people are shameless....

There was a slightly silly sign by reception in a German hotel I stayed at which said "No time for breakfast? Try our apples" next to a bowl of apples.

My colleague asked the receptionist "Are they free?", to which she replied "of course".

With that my colleague opened her bag, put all the apples in her bag except one which she left.

The receptionist was not amused... but my friend chirped up "I'll leave one in case another guest would like one."

ESPECIALROB

Thanks for the compliment! Even myself, the OP, might be considered guilty of semi-poaching. A few years ago, I stayed in a Sheraton property in London, and was able to snag an upgrade to the concierge level, which featured complimentary evening cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, and a full breakfast buffet in the morning.

During the stay, I had a date stay overnight with me , and upon entry to the lounge the next morning, I immediately informed the concierge on duty that I had a guest, and he told me it would be no problem, and to simply enjoy breakfast. I was expecting a charge on my bill at check-out for my guest, and there was none. At least I was up-front and honest!

BTW, in the many hotels I've stayed at in the U.K. I've found that those offering free, self-serve breakfasts are very closely monitored by its staff, even at mid to lower-end properties like Ibis, and Holiday Inn Express. Most seem to have a printed manifest on a clipboard, showing the name(s) of each room's occupant, and its number of guests, and such rooms are checked off upon entry for breakfast.

UALfromMSN

I gave away my lounge breakfast invite to a couple in the elevator a few weeks ago. I had popped down for a coffee, but the woman working the lounge never checked for my invite, so I figured I would give these folks a gift. So that makes me what, an enabler to poaching?

I chalked it up as my good deed for the day.

AX9465

I was always in favor of hotels charging separately for the breakfast, in such properties food is always better... for the same reasons I never stay at all-inclusive resorts. The fact that hotel competes for your money with neighboring McDonalds somehow makes breakfast food better.
Even if hotel has a buffet breakfast I usually order from the menu - somehow there is a difference between fresh omelette on your plate and that half-dry half-cold concoction of egg in a big bowl these people call "scrambled egg".

I digress... in most hotels I stayed which had buffet breakfast your room number is usually checked against printout of these eligible for a free breakfast and/or they have you to sign for breakfast even if it is included (and then if you are eligible, they dont add anything for your bill) - happens more frequently in SE Asia.
Honestly I don't understand how breakfast at places like RI/HIx/ES/similar could cost more than $1 so these hotels will probably be better off by offering the breakfast to all these who want to claim it - will be less expensive compared to the neeed to police eaters.
AX