The Hyatt rumor mill is abuzz with rumblings that Hyatt Place, a select-service brand with over 400 hotels around the world, is rolling back one of its beloved perks: free breakfast.
TPG was alerted of the potential changes from a handful of readers and across a number of social media posts iterating that those guests were recently charged for breakfast at a Hyatt Place location when they otherwise expected it to be free.
Right now, the Hyatt Place website states that “Hyatt Place hotels offer everything you need for a work/life balance,” and that includes “free breakfast with your stay at most locations.” Emphasis here on most.
“At the moment, a limited number of Hyatt Place hotels in the U.S. are piloting new grab-and-go menu options while others are testing a rate plan that allows guests to book a stay that does not include breakfast. World of Hyatt Globalists continue to enjoy a free breakfast at all Hyatt Place hotels globally,” a Hyatt spokesperson told TPG in a statement.
Related: Is this the best Hyatt Place in the world? Inside the fantastic Hyatt Place Kyoto
Further, Hyatt clarified that more than 40 hotels are participating in the pilot.
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“For guests at hotels that are piloting a rate plan option that does not include breakfast, guests are informed of the various rate options when booking, and are reminded again at check-in, and via collateral in hotels. Guests who booked before this alternative rate plan was first offered at these hotels in September still receive breakfast with all rate plans,” the Hyatt spokesperson told TPG.
One hotel that appears to be participating in the pilot is the Hyatt Place Niagara Falls, where booking options for a mid-November stay for one adult show a member rate of $104 and a member rate that includes breakfast costing $118, implying that breakfast is $14 (without taxes and fees).
Toggle the number of adults in the room to three, and the rate member rate changes to $129 while the member rate with breakfast goes up to $164, resulting in an additional $35 charge for breakfast — or $11.67 per person (again, without taxes and fees).
TPG called the hotel and was told that breakfast costs $11 per person if added at the hotel for a reservation that wasn’t booked to include breakfast.
For many travelers, especially those with multiple family members, having breakfast included in the nightly hotel rate is a huge perk and cost saver. So much so, in fact, that TPG previously tested the top 10 most influential hotel chains offering free breakfast to determine which ones are worth going out of your way for. At the time, Hyatt Place and its offerings came in ninth place.
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