Gold and Diamond members will no longer get free breakfast, but will get a Hilton Honors elite food & beverage credit. I could see this sticking around longer than that but only time will tell.
The credit amount is unknown, but there have been leaked amounts, so the amount will be different. Conrad would give you a bigger credit than a cheaper brand.
Free breakfast isn't overrated, and my take on the changes at the hotel.
Update 12/15.
It looks like the day we all knew was coming is here. The credit for food and beverage has been extended. Everyone will get breakfast at these hotels next year, but there will be no free breakfast. The rates for credits in the mid tier properties increased a little bit next year.
$25 per person per day for luxury brands.
Full service and lifestyle brands cost 15 per person per day in high-cost markets.
$10 per person per day for a hotel.
Boston, Chicago, the District of Columbia, New York City, San Francisco, the county of Los Angeles, and the state of Hawaii are high cost markets.
Some hotels have implemented the program in a way that is not in line with the program. They have not been following the rules and limiting the credit to certain restaurants. You can use it at any dining establishment. Hopefully this will run a bit better in its second year.
It's a good sign.
There are details of the change.
Here is the statement from the person.
Credit for food and beverage for Gold and Diamond Members. 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.
Credit amounts have been leaked.
Ben at One Mile at a Time has a list of the believed credit amounts.
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.
I think this is an improvement.
The change was predictable and people were angry. If you step back and think about it, you can see that it is better.
Breakfast is highly overrated.
There are two things that we over value in this hobby, free breakfast and airline lounge access.
Breakfast is the cheapest meal and that is not true. You can compare it to the breakfast you get at the hotel.
We are talking about the continental breakfast that is free and the hot breakfast that is more expensive. Let me check my pocket for some change, what are we missing out on?
There are outliers here, but how many of them are in the US?
Think about how much you would have saved if you'd gotten a better breakfast nearby.
You might get a bonus day out of this.
You could get an extra day out of it since it is a credit.
I would have preferred $50 at the bar, instead of the cheap breakfast we got the next morning. TheWaldorf Astoria Casa Marina.
There are options that are good.
Flexibility is a good thing in other places, so why not here? You can use it for room service, a drink in the lounge, or an aperitif before hitting the town, but I prefer the $50 off dinner option.
Lounge access is more important.
They haven't said anything about lounge access yet.
The final thoughts on the elite food and beverage credit.
I try to go against group think because we tend to get caught up in the mob mentality in this hobby.
Hyatt Globalist breakfast is the only free breakfast that matters. I will probably not miss the bagels and powdered eggs at the next hotel I stay at.
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