Is It Possible To Get A Free Hotel Breakfast Without Being A Guest?
If you're anything like me, you hate paying for extras at hotels. Having add-on costs for things like parking and resort fees can be frustrating if you're traveling on a shoestring budget. And then there's the cost of food. Even if you know the game-changing rule to find more affordable food when you travel, dining costs can add up quickly. Another way to keep costs down is to stay at a hotel that includes a free breakfast. While there can be some sketchy breakfast buffets at some hotels, it's often a quick and easy way to get some food to get your day started. And if you're not staying at such a hotel, you might be tempted to just pop into one to grab a quick bite.
I was on a trip recently when I realized the hotel next to mine had a free breakfast while mine didn't, and I seriously considered just popping in to grab a bagel and maybe some eggs. Would anyone stop me? I didn't try it, but I understand the impulse. And if social media is any indication, there are plenty of people who have done it. It is, however, stealing. If you are trying this, the main recommendations people had on social media were to look like you belong and play it cool. Don't choose a fancy hotel; go for something more mid-range, and don't keep going to the same place day after day.
It may to harder to snag hotel breakfast as a non-guest outside the U.S., and everywhere it's stealing
Some Reddit commenters noted that it might work best to try getting a free breakfast as a non-hotel guest in the U.S., with more places in Europe and the U.K. potentially asking for your room number. There is also the fact that the breakfast area might be in a section that requires a hotel guest room key to get into; in that case, you'd have to time it just right as someone else was leaving to be able to get in.
If you get caught out trying to get a free breakfast as a non-hotel guest, at the very least, there's definitely the embarrassment factor to consider. On the more serious side, the cost of the breakfast is built into the hotel room charge, so if you're not a guest and you eat the breakfast, you're stealing. So it seems to be a matter of just because you could, does it mean that you should?