According to Which? members, Travelodge has the worst quality and worst value of breakfasts out of all UK hotel chains. In our recent survey, the chain only got one star for breakfast quality, and two stars for price.
Travelodge charges £7.65 for a hot buffet breakfast (or £6.65 if you book it online). Alternatively you can pay £4.50 (£4.05 online) for a ‘breakfast bag’ – a cereal pot, muffin, croissant, jam and fruit juice.
So what do you expect for breakfast when you stay in a UK chain hotel, and how much are you willing to pay for it? Should the price of a breakfast be included in the room price, or do you like to have a choice? Perhaps you just want a quick cuppa, or you’re on holiday and don’t want to get out of bed early.
I stayed at the Marriott hotel in Durham recently and decided not to have breakfast as I had an early morning meeting. I didn’t think I could manage a full English at that time of the day, preferring instead an orange juice and bacon toastie. Perhaps I should have, though, because the hotel’s quality of breakfast scored five stars in our hotel survey. Instead I ended up walking the neighbouring streets for ages trying to find a café that was open at 8am.
The perfect breakfast
When it comes to hotel breakfasts, I think one of the best I’ve had was at the Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, Scotland. It did help that it was a gorgeous morning, and the staff offered to serve us outside. If you’ve ever been to this beautiful part of the Highlands, you’ll know that the mountains surrounding you are breathtaking. Not only was the breakfast hearty, but my plate wasn’t piled too high, the food was as I requested (no egg or tomato, but a little extra haggis!) and it was warm and served in the right order!
I realise now that I can be a bit fussy when it comes to the first meal of the day. I want my tea served first before I start on any cereal or muesli. And I don’t want my toast until my hot breakfast is ready. Far too often I find toast arrives early and just sits on your table getting cold. What I do want cold, though, is the milk. Nothing puts me off my cornflakes more than room-temperature milk. And I’d like a choice of some fruit too, please!
So, am I the only one with dos and don’ts at the breakfast table? Surely I can’t be. What do you want from a hotel breakfast? Have you had any hotel breakfast nightmares?