[Extended] Hilton replaces breakfast benefit for elite members in the United States

Update 12/15: Terrible. I assume that this means that the moratorium on elite members getting free breakfast at their properties in the US will be in place until the end of 2022.

The credit will increase from $12 per person to $15 per person per night, for up to two registered guests in the room, and from$15 to $18 per person per night, beginning on February 1, 2022, at lifestyle and full-service brands in select cities. If they sold half-buffets, that would get you half a buffet at the hotel.

It is bad news for members who used to value the free breakfast benefit as the best mid-tier hotel status, but it is good news for those who would rather eat breakfast elsewhere and use the food & beverage credit toward other meals. Some properties didn't provide a proper breakfast before, so the credit at least gives members the ability to choose something better than what they would have otherwise been given. I don't think the change will become a permanent one. The original post has been removed.

The value of elite status for me has been destroyed by the announcement yesterday that they will no longer offer free breakfast to Gold and Diamond members but will instead offer a food and beverage credit starting in July and running through the end of 2021. I think that this will be a permanent change and that this is a huge devaluation of the Hilton program.

The new food and beverage credits at the hotel will not replace the free breakfast.

In the US, starting in July, the free breakfast will be replaced by a credit per person for up to two people per room. It has been widely reported that the credits will be as follows:

For luxury brands, it's $25
$12 for full service brands in high-cost markets.
$12 for lifestyle brands in high-cost markets.
$10 for the Garden Inn properties.
Diamond members will get both points and credits if they choose to take points or credits.
Up to 2 registered guests per room can be applied to the credits. Breakfast is charged to your room and credits will be applied manually at check-out.

That is awful. I have stayed at many Conrad and full service Hilton brands and I don't think these credits will cover both an entree and a cup of coffee at any of them, I have enjoyed the full breakfast buffets that I have enjoyed. The changes are being billed as adding flexibility.

Gold and Diamond Members get food and beverage credit. You asked for flexibility, and we have it. You can either look forward to breakfast or skip it in favor of a refreshing beverage and afternoon snack. We will begin offering a daily food and beverage credit in July. You can use this credit at the hotel brands where you receive a complimentary continental breakfast as your elite benefit. You will be able to eat when and how you please. We will give you more information in the coming weeks.

I am sure you will appreciate the flexibility that they suggest, if you don't like breakfast or want to go out to a local spot for breakfast and enjoy a glass of wine later in the evening, you can do that. If you prefer room service, these credits will work out to be a discount on getting breakfast-in-bed. The truth is that many hotels haven't been offering full breakfast in light of the Pandemic and so the breakfast benefit has been highly inconsistent for the past year.

Even though the benefit is technically "continental" breakfast, most hotels at which I've visited, I have come to really enjoy the consistency of things like being able to expect free full hotel breakfast at almost every property I've visited. I like to check out local breakfast places, but I also like the convenience of not having to travel far to get breakfast, and I also like the fact that I don't have to bring anything with me. I value being able to return to the room straight from breakfast to finish getting ready for the day when I travel with kids. Getting a discount on breakfast via these credits feels a bit silly. I wouldn't stay at a Hilton property in the US for the rest of the year if they offered a breakfast credit over free breakfast. The CEO of Hilton has said recently that they expect hotels to become higher-margin now that they have figured out how to cut costs during the swine flu epidemic, and I think this will be a long-term change.

The changes only affect US hotels from July to December 2021, but I feel like I am telling a tall tale for them. I hope that this only lasts for a few months in July to December of 2021. It's hard to imagine a return to a more generous-than-necessary breakfast benefit any time soon, given that many hotels have reduced breakfast during the Pandemic. This is a positive change for some members who will be happy with a drink and a snack mid-day, but I think it's a major change to the program and to the credit card. The key benefit of that card is that it has the best mid-tier hotel elite status, but it is going to be very inconsistent in the future.