I don't really like breakfast all that much, and, typically, if I'm eating it while traveling, it's because I have an opportunity to eat a local specialty, like a bagel in New York or pain au chocolat in Paris.
So, perhaps unsurprisingly, when Hilton first eliminated complimentary continental breakfast for Gold and Diamond elite members in favor of a daily per-person food-and-beverage credit at U.S. hotels, I welcomed the change and all the new options it opened up for me and my fellow breakfast skippers.
But even for breakfast devotees, the credit still has some advantages that the old system couldn't match.
Here are a few reasons why my enthusiasm for Hilton's approach to "free" breakfast has only grown in the years since the rollout — and why I think more travelers should embrace them.
Related: I tried out the new Hilton Honors 'breakfast' benefit — and I'm a fan
Variety
As a self-professed hotel fanatic, I love nothing more than checking into a property I'm really excited about and exploring it to the fullest during my stay. I'm keenly interested in how hotel teams curate local experiences for guests, and so many of those efforts come through dining — from the design of bar and restaurant spaces to the inclusion of regional ingredients on menus.
With the daily credit, I can explore more options rather than repeatedly visiting the breakfast buffet. On a three-night trip to the Conrad Los Angeles last January, my husband and I used one day's credit on happy hour snacks at the patio fire pits, another on poolside cocktails and a third on lunch at the rooftop restaurant. I came away from that stay feeling like we'd really gotten the most out of our time at the hotel (and, by the way, I'd highly recommend it).
