The Complete Guide to Marriott Bonvoy Elite Breakfast Benefits

One of the biggest draws to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is the possible inclusion of free breakfast for hotel stays that comes with Platinum Elite status and above. Whenever breakfast is included, it’ll enhance your stay and save you money, which are both great perks.
Marriott Bonvoy’s elite breakfast benefit is a bit complex, since it varies by brand, property type, and geographic region. Therefore, parsing the complicated terms and conditions of the Marriott Bonvoy breakfast benefit is by no means a simple task.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the Marriott Bonvoy elite breakfast benefits at each brand, as well as any other stipulations you should be aware of. 

The Basics of Free Breakfast for Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members
Before diving into the intricacies of the Marriott Bonvoy breakfast benefit for some elite members, it’s important to go over a few details.
If you have Silver or Gold status, you’ll only enjoy breakfast at properties that offer free breakfast to everyone, regardless of status. Otherwise, the breakfast benefit doesn’t apply to you, since it’s something reserved for members with Platinum Elite status and above.
If you’re ever in doubt, your best bet is to reach out to the property in advance to ask about the breakfast benefit for members with your status, or to confirm it upon check-in. This way, you should know exactly what to expect for your upcoming stay, and won’t be surprised or disappointed.
In some cases, a property will go above and beyond, offering breakfast when it otherwise wouldn’t be included. With that said, this article is a guide to the baseline entitlements you can expect to receive at each brand as an elite member.
As a rule of thumb, the Marriott Bonvoy program offers a guaranteed Welcome Gift choice for its three highest elite tiers: Platinum , Titanium , and Ambassador .




Read More









Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status: Guide to Qualifying & Privileges







The Best Ways to Earn Marriott Platinum Elite Status







The Welcome Gift can be a choice among points, breakfast, a food & beverage credit, or an amenity, and the options available depend on the brand. This means that free breakfast may not always be among the choices for welcome benefits, which makes matters complicated.

We’ve opted to include the food & beverage credit in this guide, since it can theoretically result in some form of free breakfast, even if it doesn’t cover the entire meal.
Furthermore, at some properties, breakfast is included for everyone regardless of status, while at others, breakfast isn’t available to anyone, even if you have status. 
To break things down, we’ve separated the complimentary breakfast benefit for elite members down into the following categories, which should help you understand when you can expect to have some form of breakfast included and when you’ll be left to your own devices:

Brands that Provide Free Breakfast to Everyone
Brands that Don’t Provide Free Breakfast to Anyone
Brands that Provide Free Breakfast Based on Elite Status
Brands that Provide Free Breakfast through Lounge Access
Brands that Provide Food & Beverage Credits in Lieu of Free Breakfast

Brands that Provide Free Breakfast to Everyone
Several Marriott brands have free breakfast included for all guests, regardless of status. These hotels tend to fall within the long-term stay categories, and aren’t the most aspirational hotels within Marriott’s umbrella.
Given that breakfast in these brands is free for everyone, the quality of the meal is usually a bit lacklustre. You can expect a basic offering of breakfast sausages, scrambled eggs, bread, and some fruit. This is especially the case in the US, Canada, and Europe.
The following Marriott brands include complimentary breakfast for all guests, with any exceptions noted in brackets:

All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy (included in meal plan)
Element (excluding properties in Asia-Pacific)
Fairfield Inn & Suites (excluding properties in Asia-Pacific)
Residence Inn
SpringHill Suites
TownePlace Suites by Marriott

Fairfield Inn & Suites Montreal – Breakfast
If free breakfast is included with your stay at any of the above brands, you’re free to choose another Welcome Gift, such as extra points or a different amenity.
Brands that Don’t Provide Free Breakfast to Anyone
In contrast to brands that bake free breakfast into their rates, some brands sell luxury rather than value. Many of these brands are amongst Marriott’s most elevated properties, while others function a bit differently than your standard chain hotel.
In the case of Marriott Vacation Club and Design Hotels, they’re timeshare and independent properties, respectively, and are treated in a different manner than the rest of the portfolio.
The following brands don’t provide complimentary breakfast to anyone on the basis of their elite status:

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts
Design Hotels
EDITION
Marriott Executive Apartments
Marriott Vacation Club (including Grand Residences by Marriott)
Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
The Ritz-Carlton (including Ritz-Carlton Reserve)
Sheraton Vacation Club
Westin Vacation Club

To enjoy breakfast at these brands, you can simply choose to pay out-of-pocket, or to book a breakfast-included rate, if available.
The Bodrum EDITION – Breakfast is not offered to elite members, but is included on all cash rates
Alternatively, you can book a room at Bulgari, EDITION, and Ritz-Carlton properties through the Marriott STARS program with Prince of Travel By doing so, you’ll enjoy breakfast during your stay without paying anything extra. Indeed, this is one of the main draws of the preferred partner program.




Book with Prince of Travel and Marriott STARS










Book a hotel stay with Prince of Travel through Marriott STARS and enjoy exclusive additional benefits at no cost to you, including:

Daily breakfast for two guests
Room upgrade, subject to availability at check-in
$100 (USD) property credit
In-person welcome and personalized welcome amenity and note
Third, Fourth, or Fifth Night Free at select properties

 


Book Marriott STARS Hotels






Brands that Provide Free Breakfast Based on Elite Status
This is where things get a little bit complicated. As mentioned, the breakfast inclusions vary by brand, property type, and geographic region.
To begin, the following brands provide free restaurant breakfast to Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite members, plus one guest, as a Welcome Gift choice:

Aloft Hotels
Element (Asia-Pacific properties only)
Fairfield Inn & Suites (Asia-Pacific properties only)
Four Points by Sheraton
Le Méridien
The Luxury Collection
Protea Hotels
Sheraton
St. Regis
Tribute Portfolio
Westin
W Hotels

St. Regis Langkawi – Buffet & à la carte breakfast
If you’re staying at a resort property of any of the following brands in the United States, Canada, or Europe, you’ll enjoy complimentary breakfast as a member with Platinum Elite status or higher as a Welcome Gift choice:

Autograph Collection
Delta Hotels
JW Marriott
Marriott Hotels
Renaissance Hotels

Muir Halifax, Autograph Collection – À la carte breakfast
Outside of the United States, Canada, and Europe, you’ll enjoy complimentary breakfast as a member with Platinum Elite status or higher  at the following brands as a Welcome Gift choice:

AC Hotels
Moxy Hotels

As you may have noticed, brands that provide free breakfast to elite members globally are mostly legacy brands of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Ostensibly, this is so loyalists of Starwood brands, which had been historically generous to elite members, would remain loyal.
Brands that Provide Free Breakfast through Lounge Access
Some Marriott hotel brands grant lounge access to Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite members plus a guest. Lounge access is included with your stay, and doesn’t come as a Welcome Gift choice, as long as you have one of the aforementioned statuses.
Executive lounges almost always serve breakfast, so you may choose to have your meal in the lounge.
Elite members can enjoy complimentary breakfast in the lounge at the following brands, when available:

Autograph Collection
Courtyard by Marriott (outside of Canada and the United States)
Delta Hotels
JW Marriott
Le Méridien
Marriott Hotels
Renaissance Hotels
Sheraton
Westin

If there’s no lounge available at an Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, or Renaissance Hotels property, you’ll be provided with continental breakfast in the US and Canada, or breakfast at the restaurant in Europe, as an alternative.
In other parts of the world, you’ll get breakfast in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or if there isn’t one on the property. In any event, you won’t wind up missing out on breakfast.
If there’s no lounge available at a Le Méridien, Sheraton, or Westin property, no alternative is offered. However, since you can choose breakfast in the restaurant as a Welcome Gift choice, you’ll still be covered.
Delta Toronto – Club Lounge breakfast buffet
It’s worth noting that at many of the hotels that offer free breakfast through lounge access may also offer the option to enjoy breakfast in the restaurant, even if the lounge is open. While this is entirely at each hotel’s discretion, it’s a good question to ask when you’re checking in. 
Brands that Provide Food & Beverage Credits in Lieu of Free Breakfast
In lieu of free breakfast, certain brands provide a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit as a Welcome Gift choice for elite members, plus one guest staying in the same room. This means that you’ll receive a $10 (USD) credit as a solo traveller, or a $20 (USD) credit if travelling as a duo.
At the following brands, you can choose a daily $10 (USD) food & beverage credit for up to two people as a Welcome Gift:

AC Hotels
Courtyard by Marriott
Moxy Hotels

While it could be seen as a cost-cutting measure, the credit ultimately allows for a bit of flexibility. It can be used any time of day for almost any food and beverage offering at the property.
However, its greatest downside is that it barely pays for a coffee and a pastry at most hotels. In some cases, properties ask for an additional fee as an “upgrade” to access a full breakfast selection.
To compound the matter, most hotels won’t let you combine daily credits. For example, for a three-night stay, you’d have to use $10 (USD) each day, and you can’t use $30 (USD) one day and forgo dining on-property the other two days.
Delta Edmonton Centre Suites – Restaurant breakfast
Expect to find a once-per-stay $10 (USD) food & beverage credit for up to two people as a Welcome Gift choice at the following properties in the United States, Canada, and Europe:

Autograph Collection
Delta Hotels
Gaylord Hotels (for only one person)
JW Marriott
Marriott Hotels
Renaissance Hotels

As you may have noticed, hotels under the Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, and Renaissance Hotels brands in the US, Canada, and Europe are also the ones that provide lounge access. Therefore, even though the $10 (USD) credit is per stay and not per night, it won’t impact your breakfast entitlement, since it’s otherwise included.
Summary
Here’s a table to summarize the Marriott Bonvoy elite breakfast benefits at each brand:
Brand Elite Breakfast Rule AC Hotels Yes  as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit All-Inclusive by Marriott Bonvoy Yes for everyone as part of a meal plan Aloft Hotels Yes  as a Welcome Gift choice Autograph Collection US/Canada/Europe: Yes  through lounge access OR as Welcome Gift choice at resorts OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Elsewhere: Yes through lounge access OR in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or non-existent Bulgari Hotels and Resorts No  by default, but often available as a benefit through Marriott STARS Courtyard by Marriott US/Canada/Europe: Yes  as a $10 (USD) food and beverage credit Elsewhere: Yes  through lounge access (when available) OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Delta Hotels US/Canada/Europe: Yes through lounge access OR as Welcome Gift choice at resorts OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Elsewhere: Yes  through lounge access OR in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or non-existent Design Hotels No  by default EDITION No  by default, but often available as a benefit through Marriott STARS Element Outside Asia-Pacific: Yes for everyone In Asia-Pacific:  Yes  as a Welcome Gift choice Fairfield Inn & Suites Outside Asia-Pacific: Yes for everyone In Asia-Pacific:  Yes  as a Welcome Gift choice Four Points by Sheraton Yes  as a Welcome Gift choice Gaylord Hotels Yes  as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy No  by default JW Marriott US/Canada/Europe: Yes through lounge access OR as Welcome Gift choice at resorts OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Elsewhere: Yes through lounge access OR in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or non-existent Le Méridien Yes as a Welcome Gift choice OR through lounge access globally Marriott Executive Apartments No  by default Marriott Hotels US/Canada/Europe: Yes through lounge access OR as Welcome Gift choice at resorts OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Elsewhere:  Yes through lounge access OR in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or non-existent Marriott Vacation Club (including Grand Residences by Marriott) No  by default Moxy Hotels Yes  as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Protea Hotels Yes as a Welcome Gift choice Renaissance Hotels US/Canada/Europe: Yes through lounge access OR as Welcome Gift choice at resorts OR as a $10 (USD) food & beverage credit Elsewhere:  Yes through lounge access OR in the restaurant if the lounge is closed or non-existent Residence Inn Yes  by default Sheraton Yes as a Welcome Gift choice OR through lounge access globally Sheraton Vacation Club No  by default SpringHill Suites Yes  by default St. Regis Yes as a Welcome Gift choice The Luxury Collection Yes as a Welcome Gift choice The Ritz-Carlton (including Ritz-Carlton Reserve) No by default, but often available as a benefit through Marriott STARS TownePlace Suites by Marriott Yes  by default Tribute Portfolio Yes as a Welcome Gift choice W Hotels Yes as a Welcome Gift choice Westin Yes as a Welcome Gift choice OR through lounge access globally Westin Vacation Club No  by default

Conclusion
Marriott Bonvoy provides Platinum , Titanium , and Ambassador Elite members a Welcome Gift which may come in the form of free breakfast or a food & beverage credit. However, the free breakfast benefit across Marriott’s 30+ brands is quite confusing, since it varies by brand, property type, and geographic region.
Some brands don’t provide free breakfast at all, regardless of status, and other brands provide breakfast to all guests.
Hopefully, the above guide helps you understand your breakfast entitlement as an elite member, which can help guide you on the best hotels to choose
The post The Complete Guide to Marriott Bonvoy Elite Breakfast Benefits appeared first on Prince of Travel by Ricky Zhang .