Hotel Guests Now Expect Breakfast on the House

Approximately one-half of hotel guests, whether vacationing or on a business trip, expect a free breakfast as part of their room rate, according to a study data from YPB&R, an international advertising agency specializing in serving travel and leisure clients.

As part of their hotel

Business travelers' attitudes toward free breakfast are even more pronounced in measuring hotel pricing and value. More than three in five business travelers (65%) surveyed find a hotel or motel that provides a complimentary breakfast included with the hotel's nightly room rate very or extremely desirable.

The data, from YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners National Leisure Travel Monitor and its business counterpart, the YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners National Business Travel Monitor, also indicate:

* Seven out of ten leisure travelers (71%) enjoy trying new dishes and foods when they go out to lunch or dinner during a trip. Three-quarters (74%) of business travelers, perhaps reflecting their ability to use an expense account when dining out, say they enjoy trying new dishes and foods during a business trip.

"Leisure and business travelers are telling us they are in a more experimental mood when it comes to dining out during a trip," said Dennis Marzella, executive vice president of strategic marketing for YPB&R, the international advertising agency that collaborates in the annual study. "Life enriching experiences like travel, good restaurants, theater, and other activities rank high as an aspiration among both leisure (64%) and business travelers (68%)."

* More than one-half (52%) of business travelers say they prefer to dine in restaurants outside the hotel in which they are staying. "This suggests an excellent opportunity for full-service lodging establishments to increase their share of food & beverage spending by developing more imaginative restaurant concepts. The need is clearly there -- 54% of these travelers report they want a diversity of restaurants on premise. Business travelers are also likely to be responsive to more stylish, fast, casual restaurants in mid-scale properties," Marzella said.

* Confusion reigns about nutritional information available these days. Leisure travelers (70%) and business travelers (64%) are in almost perfect agreement in responding that they are confused about what one should or should not eat. Still, 68% of business travelers and 66% of leisure travelers expect to make more of an effort to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle this year. "Expect traveling consumers to be receptive to more healthful, upscale casual-dining establishments like the Seasons 52 restaurant concept launched by Darden Restaurants in the past few years," Marzella noted. "Also, there is rising opportunity in `smaller box' upscale, fast, casual versions of tasty, on-the-go cuisine that is good for you," he said.