Hotel operations

"Is breakfast included?" means four different things

Breakfast is the single most frequent pre-arrival question and the one most often answered with a word. "Included" tells the guest nothing about whether it is a buffet or a pastry, whether it ends at nine or ten-thirty, whether their flight at six means they miss it entirely, or whether a child eats free. Each of those is a fact the hotel knows and most websites answer none of them.

Say what it is, not only that it exists

A hot buffet, a continental spread, a plate brought to the table, or coffee and a croissant are four different products and guests have a strong opinion about which they are paying for. Describe it in one sentence and the expectation arrives correct. The disappointment at eight in the morning is not about food, it is about a word that was doing too much work.

Serving hours decide whether it is worth anything

Breakfast from seven to nine is useless to a guest with a nine-fifteen meeting and perfect for one catching a train. Publish the hours, publish the different hours at weekends, and publish what a guest leaving before service can have instead. That last answer is usually yes to something, and almost never written down.

Children, diets and the rest of the day

Whether children eat free and up to what age, whether there is anything for a guest who does not eat what the buffet offers, whether lunch and dinner exist at all, whether the kitchen closes before a late arrival lands. Each of these is asked before booking by the guest for whom it is decisive, and each one is a published fact or a lost booking.

Never confirm that a specific requirement can be met

A guest asking whether the kitchen can handle a severe allergy needs a person, not a policy. The assistant can say what the kitchen normally offers and that the request will reach the kitchen; it must not say that the requirement will be accommodated, because that is a promise about a particular morning and a particular chef.

Frequently asked questions

What should a hotel publish about breakfast?
What kind it is in one sentence, the serving hours including weekends, whether it is included or charged and at what price, what an early departure can have instead, and the position on children. Those five answer nearly all of the traffic.
Why is "included" not enough?
Because it covers a hot buffet and a croissant equally, and the guest has a firm view about which they booked. The disappointment at breakfast is not about the food; it is about one word carrying four meanings.
Can an assistant confirm that a dietary requirement will be met?
No. It can describe what the kitchen normally offers and pass the requirement on. Confirming it is a promise about a specific morning and a specific kitchen, and the guest for whom it matters is the guest who cannot afford a wrong answer.
What about guests leaving before breakfast opens?
The answer is usually yes to something, and it is almost never published. A packed bag, coffee from the lobby or an earlier opening on request are all common, and a guest who finds out in advance books with more confidence.
Which languages can a guest ask in?
English, Hebrew and Russian, detected from the message. Breakfast questions arrive from guests in transit who are reading on a phone, and that is the worst condition in which to parse a second language.

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