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Hyatt continues testing paid breakfasts at select U.S. properties

Research

View from the Wing | View from the Wing

By Sky Industry News

Sep 15, 2024

Hyatt ended the free, full breakfast at Hyatt Place properties as a brand standard guarantee during the pandemic. They dropped the requirement that guests book directly to get breakfast but also started charging non-elite guests for breakfast at some properties as a test. This test, which began four years ago, is still ongoing, leaving the future of free Hyatt Place breakfast uncertain.

A sign posted in the elevator at the Hyatt Place Sacramento/Roseville indicated that new reservations by non-elite guests are charged $11 for breakfast. At some properties part of this test, it’s only $8, while reports indicate that in Portland it’s $14.

In fall 2020, Hyatt launched a test at 20 properties. When asked about their plan for Hyatt Place breakfast going forward, they shared:

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"Over the last few years, we have continually evolved the Hyatt Place breakfast experience to care for our most valued guests.

Leading with a test and learn approach, and with care and creativity in mind, we are embracing the Hyatt Place brand spirit of experimentation and responding to guest and member feedback, as well as evolving global market considerations as we test around Hyatt Place breakfast.

As we focus to reward our elite World of Hyatt loyalty members and aspire to offer additional quality breakfast options, we are working to test rate options that include and don’t include breakfast at a limited number of Hyatt Place hotels in the U.S., ranging from urban, suburban and airport hotels.

Following the pilot, we plan to analyze guest feedback, among other considerations, to identify an evolved Hyatt Place breakfast offering at U.S. hotels moving forward."

The test continues without a clear picture of what the "evolved Hyatt Place breakfast offering" will look like—whether it will be better or worse or whether it will be bundled in the rate or charged à la carte. The outcome seems dependent on market conditions.

The data gathered from this test may be skewed because people currently book Hyatt Place properties expecting included breakfast due to brand association. It remains unclear if bookings are affected after experiencing these changes during their stay. The evolution of the breakfast itself has seen improvements recently compared to five years ago but is still not up to par with offerings from a decade ago.