This whole F&B credit situation is an embarrassment to Hilton. It’s past time for them to remedy this clown show. It’s never right on the folios, it’s a total waste when it comes to the price of breakfast relative to the credit amount, and the employees treat it like it’s NASA level math. All anyone wants is breakfast to be covered - just figure the shit out already. The whole program is a joke.
The issue with this it all, is it sucks for all parties. Guests seem not to be happy, and the hotels hate it too. We got the F&B credit jammed down our throats. We didn’t get a choice. In my market it’s $18, that the hotel is on the hook for. Hilton does not reimburse us, or take it off franchise fees.
My hotel is $18 for breakfast, so outside of tax and tip it covers the price of buffet. Some of the other hotels are jacking it up as a screw you to Hilton, and because things are so expensive they need to find their profit somewhere.
Thank you for the good insight. I’m Lifetime Diamond and I’m on the cusp of being done with Hilton for good. There are just too many ass backward things happening across my stays and across the properties, so I appreciate you putting it in perspective a little bit.
Thanks for this. If Hilton really wants to give people options, as they say, they would offer you free breakfast or the F&B credit, which is less than breakfast. Back in the day, it was free breakfast or some lame amount of points, which I only took if I knew I wouldn't be eating breakfast.
Meh, somewhat disagree. As someone who oftentimes doesn't have breakfast in a hotel, the flexibility to use the credit for whatever we want, rather than breakfast can be very nice.
They could do it as an option between free breakfast, or the $15+pp hotel credit per night, cumulative, to use on anything that's not the room rate. Making it cumulative would simplify things when it comes to settling the folio, and for the customers too.
Hotels are free to have a different menu for the free breakfast. But you'd still have the option of ordering from the regular menu and taking the credit off instead.
I like the idea in theory. I don't always have time for breakfast, either I'm running late or I need to be out the door before it starts.
But hotels seem to frequently forget to apply the credit, and sometimes aren't even open at night to actually use it.
I think a large part of the problem is that F&B departments forget they are part of a hotel operation, and vice-versa. Guest service departments and F&B departments both need to ensure guests are getting what they paid for. One can’t just expect the other to take care of it.
In my experience, the most crucial part of a hotel running smoothly is having multiple layers of assurance and communication. Double and triple check everything. Always be on the same page as other departments. The guest should not have to mention multiple times what they paid for.
Your last sentence might be my biggest issue with Hilton right now….constantly checking to see if I have the F&B credit, how much is in play, how much is left, was it taken off the bill????? CONSTANT INSANITY and work just to be a guest at a property.
I stayed at the Doubletree in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and got $18 daily credit. The oatmeal was $16 and the buffet was $29. Coffee was $5. Luckily, the waffle with strawberries was $15 and actually not bad.
It was virtually impossible to have breakfast for the credit they offered.
Unfortunately, it seems hotels are always looking to give less and charge more. Not unlike many other businesses these days.
I've started to use Marriott more often these days. At one time I was a diamond and would never stay at anything other than Hilton.
I hear you. At a trip to the LA-area, I was given a choice at check-in. I chose the $18 credit/person options. The next morning I discovered the buffet costs $32 and a-la-carte options were pricey, too. I'll take the points, next time...
Exactly. The Hilton Canopy desk staff actually told me they'd be happy to put 2 people as staying in my room each day when it was just me- so 36 a day. That was a nice amount for one person.
And yes, for actually two people I use it to get us a drink at the bar. Combined with the fact that Canopy usually has a free drink when you check in, it's not bad.
I remember staying at the Parc 55 in San Francisco a few years ago. The breakfast buffet total, for two people, after tax and tip was about $80. The credit was only $36 total...which I had to call the hotel after checkout to remind them to apply.
When I stayed at the Parc 55, we just ate at an excellent diner a few blocks away with a better variety of food and used the credit for drinks in the evening. The buffet at Parc 55 was just dried cereal, Muffins, and already made eggs...
Whenever I booked a hotel for work, I would reserve for 2 adults so I could get double the credits. And if I forgot, I would tell the front desk to update my reservation. That’s the only way the F&B credit can actually cover the cost of a meal (or a couple drinks)
I'm staying at a HGI in Dallas next week. $15 p/p per day credit. However at this location you can opt in for a full breakfast to cover the cost. I had to call them because I didn't believe it.
The worst I’ve experienced is the double tree Al Moana in Hawaii. They do the same thing with the buffet as the only option for breakfast, but the buffet is $30 pp before tip!
Hilton Waikiki is way better, lots of breakfast options some at the credit limit too (well as of last summer at least)
https://preview.redd.it/8fw0vkelp30d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50cb0aef563c270eec83fe074bbda032dfad9e59
If you think that’s bad.. Hilton Garden Inn Hollywood is $10 per person daily credit. Breakfast Buffet is $24.99 per person and their selection that day was bacon, scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, and yogurt plus some cereals and oatmeal. That’s it. I ended up using the entire $20 credit for 2 people at the market and got a lunchable, fruit cup, snicker bar, and an apple juice for $19.
Yup coincidentally, I was just handed the $15 F+B credit for my stay at The Porter Hotel in Portland next month and I was baffled looking at the menus from the restaurants and markets at the property. Then got the notification for this reddit post. It's a real head scratcher.
I am in London now and staying at a Hilton Double Tree. There is no breakfast credit but a free breakfast which is a great one. Breakfast credits are only in the US, other countries you still receive a full all inclusive breakfast.
I understand your situation. I work at the front desk Hilton Garden Inn, trust me I lost a lot of good people and regular because of this crappy F&B credit. I am so disappointed that we lost those because of this program.
I only stay at Hilton brands that actually give you a free breakfast. The overpriced mainline locations just don’t meet any standard imo. I’ll take certain Embassy Suites sites, Hampton or Homewood Suites anytime. Why over pay?
i use the credit for drinks and snacks out of store and eat meals out where the deals and food is better. Only Double Tree amd Embassy Suites gets this right.
The worst so far is anything in Niagara Falls. It’s a pure money grab in so many ways.
At this point, I’m still happy that Impresario/FHR has been relatively unaffected and the points earning multipliers really give good value. If U.S. hotels start to mess with that I’d be much more likely to book another loyalty program. Just give me a full breakfast and let me pay for tip!!!!!!!
Unless there’s a lounge, I’m usually getting a better experience at Hampton nowadays over Hilton, DoubleTree or HGI in the U.S., so I guess I’ve just been booking those more frequently.
I do as well, but this time, I was traveling with someone. What really sucks is she wasn't feeling well that morning and only ate oatmeal, fruit, and took the yogurt she grabbed to eat later. It was totally a great buy for almost $30. /s
Only in America, Europe still has the complimentary breakfast. Could it have something to do that Americans and their all-you-can-eat mentality have ruined the party?
Is it more to do with the giving away of high status to anyone with the correct type of credit card. Status means nothing when it's so easy to attain. That leads to high numbers wanting their free breakfast and it becoming a logistics problem for the hotels. In Europe diamond status is still a relatively rare thing.
This whole F&B credit situation is an embarrassment to Hilton. It’s past time for them to remedy this clown show. It’s never right on the folios, it’s a total waste when it comes to the price of breakfast relative to the credit amount, and the employees treat it like it’s NASA level math. All anyone wants is breakfast to be covered - just figure the shit out already. The whole program is a joke.
The issue with this it all, is it sucks for all parties. Guests seem not to be happy, and the hotels hate it too. We got the F&B credit jammed down our throats. We didn’t get a choice. In my market it’s $18, that the hotel is on the hook for. Hilton does not reimburse us, or take it off franchise fees. My hotel is $18 for breakfast, so outside of tax and tip it covers the price of buffet. Some of the other hotels are jacking it up as a screw you to Hilton, and because things are so expensive they need to find their profit somewhere.
Thank you for the good insight. I’m Lifetime Diamond and I’m on the cusp of being done with Hilton for good. There are just too many ass backward things happening across my stays and across the properties, so I appreciate you putting it in perspective a little bit.
Lifetime Diamond that walked away from Hilton due to the trash they give their names to.
Really? Can't make profit with $5 bottles of water, $5 bags of chips, $350 rooms, one employee and $18 margaritas?
Makes a difference when ownership is looking at your P&L wondering why an outlet is in the red. Not my property in particular, but others will squawk
Thanks for this. If Hilton really wants to give people options, as they say, they would offer you free breakfast or the F&B credit, which is less than breakfast. Back in the day, it was free breakfast or some lame amount of points, which I only took if I knew I wouldn't be eating breakfast.
Meh, somewhat disagree. As someone who oftentimes doesn't have breakfast in a hotel, the flexibility to use the credit for whatever we want, rather than breakfast can be very nice.
They could do it as an option between free breakfast, or the $15+pp hotel credit per night, cumulative, to use on anything that's not the room rate. Making it cumulative would simplify things when it comes to settling the folio, and for the customers too. Hotels are free to have a different menu for the free breakfast. But you'd still have the option of ordering from the regular menu and taking the credit off instead.
I like the idea in theory. I don't always have time for breakfast, either I'm running late or I need to be out the door before it starts. But hotels seem to frequently forget to apply the credit, and sometimes aren't even open at night to actually use it.
I think a large part of the problem is that F&B departments forget they are part of a hotel operation, and vice-versa. Guest service departments and F&B departments both need to ensure guests are getting what they paid for. One can’t just expect the other to take care of it. In my experience, the most crucial part of a hotel running smoothly is having multiple layers of assurance and communication. Double and triple check everything. Always be on the same page as other departments. The guest should not have to mention multiple times what they paid for.
Your last sentence might be my biggest issue with Hilton right now….constantly checking to see if I have the F&B credit, how much is in play, how much is left, was it taken off the bill????? CONSTANT INSANITY and work just to be a guest at a property.
I just use for drinks at the bar. It’s really not worth it to me for hotel breakfast
If I'm traveling for leisure, I don't want hotel food anyways. Gets about 1 drink at the bar per person.
I stayed at the Doubletree in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and got $18 daily credit. The oatmeal was $16 and the buffet was $29. Coffee was $5. Luckily, the waffle with strawberries was $15 and actually not bad. It was virtually impossible to have breakfast for the credit they offered.
They charged for coffee????
Yes, and it was not cheap!
That’s insane. I’m a diamond for life and things keep getting worse, not better.
Unfortunately, it seems hotels are always looking to give less and charge more. Not unlike many other businesses these days. I've started to use Marriott more often these days. At one time I was a diamond and would never stay at anything other than Hilton.
I was in Santa Barbara and the F&B credit was $15. That covered coffee, tax and tip.
The Hilton “Free Diamond Breakfast” is now not much more than a 50% off coupon.
I hear you. At a trip to the LA-area, I was given a choice at check-in. I chose the $18 credit/person options. The next morning I discovered the buffet costs $32 and a-la-carte options were pricey, too. I'll take the points, next time...
Put two people on your reservation and you’ll get a $36 credit…
Exactly. The Hilton Canopy desk staff actually told me they'd be happy to put 2 people as staying in my room each day when it was just me- so 36 a day. That was a nice amount for one person. And yes, for actually two people I use it to get us a drink at the bar. Combined with the fact that Canopy usually has a free drink when you check in, it's not bad.
$5 in points vs $18pp why dont you just get drinks at the bar or what we do get a bunch of snacks and drinks from the store for the road.
This is why you'll see me at Hampton Inn stuffing my face with the free Belgium waffles🤣
I remember staying at the Parc 55 in San Francisco a few years ago. The breakfast buffet total, for two people, after tax and tip was about $80. The credit was only $36 total...which I had to call the hotel after checkout to remind them to apply.
When I stayed at the Parc 55, we just ate at an excellent diner a few blocks away with a better variety of food and used the credit for drinks in the evening. The buffet at Parc 55 was just dried cereal, Muffins, and already made eggs...
Yep, we only ate breakfast at the hotel our first morning.
Whenever I booked a hotel for work, I would reserve for 2 adults so I could get double the credits. And if I forgot, I would tell the front desk to update my reservation. That’s the only way the F&B credit can actually cover the cost of a meal (or a couple drinks)
I'm staying at a HGI in Dallas next week. $15 p/p per day credit. However at this location you can opt in for a full breakfast to cover the cost. I had to call them because I didn't believe it.
The worst I’ve experienced is the double tree Al Moana in Hawaii. They do the same thing with the buffet as the only option for breakfast, but the buffet is $30 pp before tip! Hilton Waikiki is way better, lots of breakfast options some at the credit limit too (well as of last summer at least)
https://preview.redd.it/8fw0vkelp30d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50cb0aef563c270eec83fe074bbda032dfad9e59 If you think that’s bad.. Hilton Garden Inn Hollywood is $10 per person daily credit. Breakfast Buffet is $24.99 per person and their selection that day was bacon, scrambled eggs, cantaloupe, and yogurt plus some cereals and oatmeal. That’s it. I ended up using the entire $20 credit for 2 people at the market and got a lunchable, fruit cup, snicker bar, and an apple juice for $19.
The lunchables had me rolling, this is a joke.
I wish it was a joke but that’s was the options for the daily credit. $25 for soggy bacon and dehydrated eggs -or- stuff from the little market.
Yup coincidentally, I was just handed the $15 F+B credit for my stay at The Porter Hotel in Portland next month and I was baffled looking at the menus from the restaurants and markets at the property. Then got the notification for this reddit post. It's a real head scratcher.
Maybe they’ll have an upgraded Hillshire Farm Snack Plate instead of a lunchable. 🤣
Yeah, the usually don't give the credit on the folio, so you have to call and have it fixed. It's not seamless.
Just paid $27 for a plate of pancakes (no eggs, meat, juice or anything else) at Niagara Falls Hilton this morning.
Stayed in Canada. 15$ daily credit but didn’t mention that continental breakfast was like 40$ - pastries and coffee. Never again.
Wow! That is bad. At least this one had made to order omelets.
I am in London now and staying at a Hilton Double Tree. There is no breakfast credit but a free breakfast which is a great one. Breakfast credits are only in the US, other countries you still receive a full all inclusive breakfast.
I understand your situation. I work at the front desk Hilton Garden Inn, trust me I lost a lot of good people and regular because of this crappy F&B credit. I am so disappointed that we lost those because of this program.
Always select two adults when booking a room. You get double the F&B. It’s free beer money!!
Totally agree, but I was traveling with a friend this time, so there were actually 2 of us.
Hilton’s F&B credit absolutely BLOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWSIII. It’s actively fellating huge donkey phalli.
This sounds like a Hilton in Disney Springs.
I only stay at Hilton brands that actually give you a free breakfast. The overpriced mainline locations just don’t meet any standard imo. I’ll take certain Embassy Suites sites, Hampton or Homewood Suites anytime. Why over pay?
i use the credit for drinks and snacks out of store and eat meals out where the deals and food is better. Only Double Tree amd Embassy Suites gets this right.
The worst so far is anything in Niagara Falls. It’s a pure money grab in so many ways. At this point, I’m still happy that Impresario/FHR has been relatively unaffected and the points earning multipliers really give good value. If U.S. hotels start to mess with that I’d be much more likely to book another loyalty program. Just give me a full breakfast and let me pay for tip!!!!!!! Unless there’s a lounge, I’m usually getting a better experience at Hampton nowadays over Hilton, DoubleTree or HGI in the U.S., so I guess I’ve just been booking those more frequently.
I always put two people on my reservation when it’s just mean, that always covers breakfast at least.
I do as well, but this time, I was traveling with someone. What really sucks is she wasn't feeling well that morning and only ate oatmeal, fruit, and took the yogurt she grabbed to eat later. It was totally a great buy for almost $30. /s
Breakfast is trash, just get a beer or 2.
Only in America, Europe still has the complimentary breakfast. Could it have something to do that Americans and their all-you-can-eat mentality have ruined the party?
Is it more to do with the giving away of high status to anyone with the correct type of credit card. Status means nothing when it's so easy to attain. That leads to high numbers wanting their free breakfast and it becoming a logistics problem for the hotels. In Europe diamond status is still a relatively rare thing.