One of the easiest ways to stretch your vacation budget is by not dining out for every meal. Find out how free hotel breakfast can save you money on vacation, plus some more cost saving tips, here.
For more help planning your trip, check out all of our travel posts.
There are a few things I check for when booking a hotel. The first is free WiFi. I usually have to work when I’m away, so it’s a necessity. Plus, what’s a trip without being able to share it on social media?
The second amenity I look for is a free breakfast. A hotel’s complimentary breakfast really helps stretch my budget.
Because honestly, even on vacation, I’m frugal. I want to save as much as I can. And I’m sure you are too.
If you can save on breakfast, you can spend on other things, like dessert at night or that souvenir that caught your eye.
So, keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how a hotel’s free breakfast can help your vacation, plus simple tips to help you make the most of it.
If you’re reading this post, there’s a good chance that you’re planning a frugal vacation. Those are the vacations we take, so we have a bunch of additional tips in our How To Travel On A Budget that can help you plan.
How Free Hotel Breakfast Can Save You Money On Vacation
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How Much Breakfast Costs When Traveling
Dining out is inevitable when you’re going on vacation. And that can get really expensive.
How expensive depends on where you go for your meals. But, let’s stick with breakfast.
Most people start with a cup of coffee. Even if you end there, that’s $5 — even before they flip that screen around and ask you for a tip. If you want a pastry, that’s another $5. And so now, you’re caffeinated and carbonated and paid $10 for it.
If you go to a fast food restaurant (which I don’t recommend you do on vacation because you can get that at home), you’re paying a little less, but still around $8 or so for a meal with coffee.
And, if you go to a local restaurant (maybe one that’s a tourist trap but is on your list because you’re a tourist, like the Pancake Pantry in Nashville, you’re paying at least $11 for a meal and more than that for a Bloody Mary (it is Nashville, after all). So that’s $25 before a tip.
At the Carolina Dining Room at Pinehurst Resort, dubbed “The Best Breakfast In Golf,” I paid $40 a person for breakfast — and that’s not including any additional drinks.
Now multiply that by the number of the people you’re traveling with and that’s a really big chunk of your daily budget.
That’s why we like booking a hotel with a free breakfast. It saves that entire cost (which, for a couple is at least $20 and for a family of four is at least $40).
And now that you didn’t spend that $5 on coffee first thing this morning, you have that $5 to spend on a coffee when you’re sightseeing downtown and stumble over the cutest coffeeshop (which happens to me all the time).
Why A Free Hotel Breakfast Is One Of The Best Frugal Travel Hacks
The most obvious reason to look for a hotel with a complimentary breakfast is so you don’t pay to have breakfast out in town. So right there, you’re eliminating an entire meal that you have to pay for.
But, it saves you more than just money. It saves you time.
When you wake up, your morning has a little more flexibility built in. You can just mosey on to the hotel’s lobby and get your first cup of coffee. Or get your full breakfast if you’re ready to eat.
You don’t have to worry about figuring out where to eat, getting your car in the parking lot or ordering a rideshare, waiting on a line to get in, reading a menu, ordering your food, then waiting for it to be made and served.
That’s all too much for me to do before I drink any coffee.
Plus, everything at breakfast is included. So if you’re in the mood for eggs, breakfast meats, a pastry, and yogurt, you can just pile that all on your plate. Can’t decide between hot chocolate and juice? Have them both. There’s no extra cost.
If you want multiple drinks at the local breakfast spot down the block from your hotel, you’re getting charged for multiple drinks.
Not at your hotel.
Ways To Stretch A Free Hotel Breakfast
You May Be Able To Skip Lunch
If you eat a large breakfast at the hotel, you might be able to skip lunch later on (and that helps you save at least $15).
When we were in Santee, SC, we stayed at the historic Clarks Inn & Restaurant. Restaurant is in the name, so of course, breakfast at the restaurant was included in our stay.
It wasn’t a buffet breakfast. It was a voucher with six different breakfast options on it that you could choose from daily. The breakfast choices were so hearty and filling, we weren’t even able to finish them. So we had our leftovers packed and brought them back to our hotel room.
That’s lunch right there at no additional cost.
Even with a continental breakfast, if you eat enough to fill yourself, you might be too full to even want to have lunch, which saves you from paying for it.
Frugal travel tip: If you don’t or can’t skip a meal, but you still want to save, we have a great post with ways to save on food when you’re on vacation.
You Can Save On Snacks
If your hotel’s breakfast has fresh fruit, you can take a piece of it to go. That’ll save you about $3 to $5 when you’re looking for a snack later.
When my mom and I were on a trip together, we both grabbed a piece of fruit to take with us on a hike we were planning on doing. When we were in the middle of the hike in the wood, obviously with no stores around, we were able to take a break.
This is good when you’re sightseeing too because now you have a snack — a free snack, mind you — handy rather than trying to find a grocery or convenience store to buy something to eat.
If you don’t like fruit, you could take a bagels with cream cheese to go instead (that’s my aunt’s go to) and eat that when you’re hungry.
Frugal travel tip: For more ways to save on snacks, check out that linked post.
You Can Grab A Coffee To Go
Many complimentary breakfasts will include coffee and other hot beverages. If you’re checking out after breakfast, you can always grab a coffee for the road.
If you’re driving home or to the airport, you might want that extra jolt of caffeine. So grab that at breakfast instead of the closest coffeeshop to save yourself at least $4 — and to save yourself some time on the road since now you don’t have to stop.
I you’re like me and you enjoy coffee when you’re strolling around town, this is perfect too. Grab a to go cup of coffee and go explore. That’s better than spending time walking around town, trying to find a coffeeshop.
Fun travel tip: I actually make a hotel mocha instead and take that to go. That way, I feel like I’m having a coffeehouse drink without the $7 price tag.
Hotels That Usually Offer Free Breakfast
Holiday Inn Express is our go to hotel because it always has a free breakfast included. Holiday Inn does not.
We’ve found free breakfast at the TownPlace Suites Marriott, Embassy Suites, Home2 Suites, Hyatt House (the one we stayed at in Charleston even had a made-to-order omelet station), and the Best Western. We got it once at the EconoLodge too, although that was not our favorite.
I know Staybridge Suites and Homewood Suites usually offer them as well, although we’ve never stayed at those.
Most high-end hotel chains don’t offer a complimentary breakfast (which is wild to me because you’d expect a higher price tag to come with more perks than budget hotels have).
Some higher end chains will offer complimentary breakfast or a breakfast credit to higher tier guests.
But, of course, this can vary by location as well, so you definitely need to check the hotel’s website before booking.
And, just keep in mind that there’s a difference between a full hot breakfast buffet, which includes hot items and breakfast meats (usually a choice of bacon or sausage, plus eggs, potatoes, waffles, oatmeal, toast, etc.), and a continental breakfast (a light breakfast of cold, mostly shelf-stable items like pastries, baked goods, fruit, yogurt, and coffee).
When Paying More For A Hotel With Breakfast Is Worth It
Before you book the hotel, look under the amenities to see if a complimentary breakfast is listed.
The hotel might be a little more expensive than another option, but let’s do the math. Breakfast for two at a diner is about $30, including food and a coffee. So even if the room rate of the hotel you book is $5 a night more than another hotel without breakfast, it’s worth it. You’ll be saving $25 a day.
When we were booking our hotel in San Antonio, I paid an extra $9 a day for vouchers for breakfast at the hotel. I figured even if we just got a nice cup of coffee in the hotel before starting our day, that was worth the $4.50 each.
Well, it turns out that the breakfast vouchers were actually good for a coffee and full, hot breakfast entrée at the hotel’s restaurant. We got $20 breakfasts each every morning. Eggs, waffles, toast, meat, and coffee.
And the coffee was so good. We each had a cup, and a refill, and the waitress even offered us a to go cup of it so we could take coffee back to the room while we were getting ready for the day.
More Frugal Amenities To Look For:
Staying at a hotel with free breakfast options is such a good travel hack. But, it’s not the only thing we look for when we’re booking a hotel.
For more, we have a huge list of Hotel Amenities That Save You Money When Traveling to help your stretch that budget.
Which of these How Free Hotel Breakfast Can Save You Money On Vacation is most helpful to your vacation budget?
Rebecca
Wednesday 3rd of October 2018
Stayed at a hotel that offered instant oatmeal packets and while I was planning to eat them in the room, I ended up having them for a late night snack. Rooms with microwaves and bottled water is great too. Oh and coffee pots.