How to Get Some of the World's Most Expensive Hotel Buffet Breakfasts for Free

Sept. 03, 2019

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3 min read

How to Get Some of the World's Most Expensive Hotel Buffet Breakfasts for Free

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Luxury hotels have some of the most extravagant breakfast buffets you will ever see. This is especially true in Asia and the Middle East. Endless options from fresh fruits and smoothies through to a full fry-up, sweet and savory, eggs any way you can think of and different stations with dishes from around the world.

Park Hyatt Majorca Breakfast. (Photo by The Points Guy)

As you might expect, these breakfasts don't come cheap. Buffet breakfasts at major five-star hotels can easily be $50 or more per person. The St Regis New York, one of the most expensive and aspirational properties in the Marriott Group, lists its buffet breakfast at an eye-watering $55 per person.

You may never dream of paying that much for a hotel breakfast no matter how opulent it is — especially in a city like New York, where you could easily grab a good coffee and a bagel from a local deli for under $10.

Hilton Cape Town breakfast (Photo by The Points Guy)

But there's a way to receive a full buffet breakfast for free every morning of your stay. The key is choosing a hotel that provides free breakfast for elite members.

Each loyalty programme has a slightly different rule when it comes to the breakfast benefit for their elite members. Here's a summary of the major programs:

Hilton Honors: Gold and Diamond Hilton Honors elites can select free breakfast for themselves and one additional guest on their reservation at the following brands: Canopy by Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Curio – A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts.
Marriott Bonvoy: Platinum/Titanium Elites can receive free breakfast at most of the more than two dozen different hotel brands, although it is a little complicated ‚ read the full TPG Guide to Marriott Elite Status Breakfast Benefits.

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St Regis Puerto Rico. (Photo by Nick Ellis/The Points Guy)

World of Hyatt: Globalist members receive free breakfast on paid or award stays. The lower level Discoverist and Explorist elite tiers don't get free breakfast by themselves, but members can earn two Club lounge certificates starting with 20 annual Hyatt nights per year. You can apply the certificates to stays at Hyatt hotels with a Club lounge, where you can enjoy free breakfast (and more).
Radisson Rewards: Platinum members receive a free continental breakfast in North America with a full breakfast at properties outside of North America.
Accor Le Club: Platinum Members and one registered guest can receive free breakfast in the Asia-Pacific region only.

Some individual hotels can elect to stray from their associated programme's breakfast policy, especially with resort properties. For example, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort doesn't offer free breakfast for its elites. If you have an upcoming stay and are planning to take advantage of the free breakfast benefit as an elite, it could be worthwhile to run a quick search in advance of your stay to ensure the property allows elites to brekkie for free.

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