Author: Deirdre McDonald 

Breakfast is undoubtedly my favourite part of a hotel stay.  There is nothing quite like the anticipation of pondering breakfast choices, particularly when the menu showcases innovative dishes, local suppliers and seasonal produce.  A carefully considered breakfast offering is key to the guest experience, with the capability to augment a pleasant stay to an exceptional one, reflecting positively on reputation.

We see a trend towards lifestyle hotels and with this a growing focus on the ground floor and hotel food and beverage outlets. We know that breakfast is the food offering that the majority of our guests will experience.  As one of the final guest touchpoints of the customer journey, breakfast service provides an opportunity to differentiate your property from competitors, creating brand advocacy.

Some considerations and food for thought for your summer breakfast offering:

• A dedicated team member to provide an authentic good morning, setting the tone for breakfast service – a valuable opportunity to interact with guests.
• Seasonal breakfast options to support sustainability within your food offering and to provide variety for regular and repeat guests. This can be achieved effectively through seasonal breakfast specials or a breakfast dish of the day.
• Highlight homegrown produce and local suppliers on the breakfast menu. A local food experience is of growing importance to guests.
• Innovative plant-based options to exceed expectations of vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian guests.
• Consider locally roasted and speciality coffee as part of your breakfast offering.
• When weather permits, breakfast, picnic style can be a nice alternative for guests to enjoy, particularly for resort style properties and those with an outdoor dining space.
• Measuring breakfast conversion can be an effective KPI to monitor in the form of sleeper to breakfast uptake ratio. Measuring the number of guests taking breakfast as a percentage of the overall number of guests in house.

Breakfast is the most commonly consumed food and beverage offering during a hotel stay.  To differentiate and add personality to breakfast think creatively, embracing current food trends to provide a standout experience. Think local or seasonal foods, plant-based dishes and quality produce over quantity. Guests benefit, as they enjoy a more unique breakfast experience contributing to a more memorable stay which in turn supports online reputation and guest loyalty.

Ballymaloe House Hotel, County Cork