Buying hotel breakfast without having a room?
I'm wondering how common it is for hotels to allow people to pay for breakfast even if they don't have a room. In other words:
Come in the morning
Pay a fixed price in reception
Eat breakfast
Leave
I did some google searches, and absolutely nothing came up.
Do you know of any such hotels and/or what it costs?
Edit: I am curious about this because I often stay at places which don't offer as nice a breakfast as many hotels do, and once in a while it would be nice to have a big meal without having to stay at the hotel for one night just to get a good breakfast.
Best Answer
The answer is very simple,
At "large, posh" hotels you can absolutely come in to the restaurant (for breakfast, lunch or dinner) or the bars (for drinks) simply as a normal person, pay money, and eat/drink.
The full service restaurants in "traditional" hotels are indeed simply "restaurant businesses as such".
Indeed, in most cities the most famous restaurants (for breakfast, or lunch or dinner) are indeed the restaurants situated in a hotel.
If the OP is thinking of, let's say, "hotel chains" such as Ibis in Europe, or Hampton Inn etc in the US. At such "hotel chains", simply no, you cannot generally just arrive and take part in breakfast, it's only a thing for hotel guests. The hotel chains don't really have a full service restaurant, they simply have a process where guests get a breakfast in the morning.
So quite simply,
At let us say "traditional" hotels, sure, the restaurants are full-service restaurant businesses in themselves: of course you can go in and have breakfast, as at any restaurant.
If you're thinking of "hotel chains" (Eg, Ibis, Motel6, etc) no, they simply do not have "restaurants" as such. There's just a facility where guests are fed breakfast. There's no sense in which you can "go in and pay for a meal" (for example, they wouldn't even have a cash register, etc).
If you ask "how to distinguish between the two", the only answer is "ask"!
With typical mid-range chains, it's hard to guess which category a hotel falls in. You just call and ask! "Is the restaurant open for breakfast, or only guests?"
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Can you get hotel breakfast without staying?
Even if you have breakfast included as a guest, you can often pay for extras or for an entirely different breakfast, so it makes sense for the hotel to offer this to non-guests as well. For example, a cold food may be included but people can order warm or cooked-to-order meals.Can you eat at a hotel without staying there?
Yes you can eat in the restaurant if you are not staying at the hotel just give them a ring to book a table.What is it called when you get free breakfast at a hotel?
The best part about staying in a hotel isn't crisp, white sheets or comfy beds\u2014it's the free breakfast. There's no better place to start your day than an all-you-can-eat buffet, after all. But at first glance, there's nothing very \u201ccontinental\u201d about a continental breakfast.Can you eat breakfast at Premier Inn without staying?
Can you have a Premier Inn breakfast as a 'walk in' without staying? Yes, most Premier Inns allow you to buy a breakfast as a walk in guest. Simply present yourself to the friendly restaurant staff who will take payment and find you a suitable table for breakfast.Sneaking into the Marriot Hotel for FREE Breakfast
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Answer 2
Hotels that include the price of breakfast in the room fee (aka breakfast is available to all guests) need to know about how much they are spending per-person to break even on food costs. The managers should know this number, and if you are polite (maybe even calling in advance), it's very possible they will just ask you to pay that per-person amount and let you eat.
I only know of this in more rural areas where the risk of hundreds of people coming in off the streets to eat breakfast is low, though; it's possible this would be a lot less common in more urban markets.
Answer 3
I just wanted to share my experience, I used to have a gym membership at a large hotel chain here in the UK (Village hotels) and they actually advertised breakfast and the walk in price. I have a membership at Hilton and quite commonly use the gym before work and eat breakfast - they offer discounts for gym members.
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