‘They’re the worst’: Traveller kicks off fierce debate about hotel breakfasts
‘Free breakfast’ is usually an enticement when you’re choosing a hotel room. Having access to the hotel’s buffet is far more convenient than having to venture out and find food on your own in a new city – plus, it’s free.
But it turns out that isn’t a universally held belief.
Not all buffets are created equal. iStock
A recent Reddit thread kicked off a huge debate about the merits of free hotel breakfast.
“Free hotel breakfasts are the worst,” one user loudly proclaimed in a post, going on to complain about hygiene, subpar food, crowds, chaos, mess, and uncomfortable seating.
While some people agreed with certain aspects of this screed against the humble hotel breakfast, most seemed to think the author was overreacting, or simply staying “in the wrong hotels”.
I’ve had my fair share of free hotel breakfasts, from meagre offerings of baguette and spreads in European hostels to heaving tables of goodies in Asian resorts, so I think I’m a fair judge.
The simple fact is that not all hotel buffets are created equal. When they’re good, they’re excellent. And when they’re subpar, it doesn’t really matter because it’s free.
Perhaps the key to enjoying a hotel buffet breakfast – regardless of whether you’re in a five-star hotel or roadside inn – is to just set your expectations going in.
And if you think they’re bad, maybe that’s actually user error.
Buffets are what you make of them. iStock
As one Reddit commenter replied, “I’m not expecting gourmet food or a luxurious experience. I know exactly what I’m in for”.
You can keep it simple with toast, eggs, and tomatoes. You can make creations you’d never have at home, like waffles drowning in fake syrup or a bowl with five different types of cereal in one.
You can wrap pastries up in a napkin to take back to your room and enjoy in ten minutes’ time, you can sneakily tuck a DIY sandwich and fruit into your bag for lunch on the go.
They can get a bit ‘same old’ after a few days. iStock
Like one commenter, who defended hotel buffets, said, “I like to make a couple waffles and see what kind of psychotic sandwich I can make with all this stuff.”
One downside does come when you’re staying in a hotel for more than a few days; it’s easy to get tired of the same offering. “The eggs, sausage, hash, mushrooms and tomato trope gets old after the second morning,” a nine.com.au team member said when we polled the office about breakfast buffets.
Also, perhaps some ground rules around decorum need to be set. “I hate how people at hotel buffet breakfasts turn into bumbling fools who seem like it is their first day on earth,” another colleague added.
“They get in the way, take forever, cut in line, grab tongs like it is every man for himself and that they are starving to death and will die if they don’t get to the bacon first.”
What is going on with these toasters? iStock
Now, contents of the buffet aside, there’s one burning question about hotel breakfast that needs to be answered. As one nine.com.au staffer put it: “With all the technology with have at our disposal, surely those toasters could be a little faster? We’ve collectively lost years of our lives to waiting for toast to pass through that machine.”
So, let’s stop whining about powdered scrambled eggs and crowded buffet lines, and instead focus on improving hotel toasters.
