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What does your hostel serve for breakfast?

General Hostel Operations

Josh started this discussion 16 years 1 month ago

I'm asking because in some countries people eat a very small breakfast, and in other countries (like the USA) breakfast is a significant meal. I'm wondering if some backpackers are unsatisfied when they find out that free breakfast is a few slivers of bread and some jam, or if they just accept that it's a different culture and make do.

Here's a list of reviews on Hostelworld that talk about free breakfast:
http://www.google.com/search?q=reviews+%22free+breakfast%22+site%3Ahostelworld.com&num=100

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aboriginalhostel

16 years

There is no such thing as "free" breakfast. If you include it in the room rate, you have to raise prices for the rooms.

Or else, you can at least keep the old prices instead of lowering 'em down! ;) It's not that much of a cost comparing to it's value...

There are always people who check out very early or plan to sleep in and then they ask for a refund for the breakfast they don´t eat which you can´t give because it´s "included".

There are always such people but then we can always say there is no refund because it is free. Costs them nothing, so refund is nada. I'm not charging extra, Free breakfast is an option which they can use or not. It is promotional which does not have a set value, just like free luggage store or free wifi... does anyone want refunds because they don't use it? Or because of linen included? :D

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Rucksack Brian

16 years

There are five hostels in my city. Three of them offer free breakfast while my sister property and I do not. (Two of those three have their own restaurant) I don't know how many times I have been asked to include a free breakfast.

Now I could raise the room rate by a couple euros per night and throw in a basic breakfast, which guests would HAVE to pay for even if they sleep through it. Instead, I can tell them about a place that serves a monster American-sized breakfast for 3€ that they can buy if they WANT to. As a backpacker myself, I don't think I could raise the rates for breakfast in good conscience knowing that there's such a good deal five minutes away. When I explain it to them this way most of them thank me for keeping the rates low and giving them the choice. Obviously not every hostel has the luxury of a cheap local breakfast joint, so the in-house breakfast becomes much more important. If you can recommend a good place though, you can keep your guests satisfied.

Incidentally, I receive no incentives to send people to that restaurant other than the fact that they take great care of my guests and everyone else.

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JAY

16 years

I prefer to do an all inclusive which is easier to manage for Desk people.
An other reason is the V.A.T
In France Accommodation V.A.T is 5.5%
Food is 19.6%
If I include in the price room/bed and do a free breakfast I only have to pay 5.5% V.A.T

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santa klaus

16 years

Crazy - in Germany, it´s 7% VAT on food and 19% on everything else. Exactly the other way round.

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aboriginalhostel

16 years

If I include in the price room/bed and do a free breakfast I only have to pay 5.5% V.A.T

There's a trick though:

You can sell your breakfast as included on the price, or without breakfast and cheaper but still both would be under the same VAT.

If you sell breakfast individually, only then you have to pay different VAT and have to be adjusted to restaurant standards. Your accountant should know it better though, referring to different zoning laws...

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santa klaus

16 years

Maybe we should sell our rooms as included in the breakfast and then only pay 7% on BOTH! :D

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aboriginalhostel

16 years

Maybe we should sell our rooms as included in the breakfast and then only pay 7% on BOTH! :D

Sure you could... but then you have to refer to standards as individual food retailers as restaurants with HACCP, you should advertise as breakfast is your major profile, and you have to convince the authorities about the whole thing is a true concept... Maybe selling breakfast individually, without the accommodation? Or just simply calling yourself as Bed-n-Breakfast instead of a hostel?

How about Breakfast IN bed? :D

Nothing is impossible, but some things don't worth the efforts...

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santa klaus

16 years

Sure you could... but then you have to refer to standards as individual food retailers as restaurants with HACCP

We do this already. They come regularly to inspect our fridge or if there´s some dirt somewhere.

Breakfast IN bed, exactly! We´ll tell them our customers don´t use the beds to sleep in them, they EAT there. :D

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aboriginalhostel

16 years

Breakfast IN bed, exactly! We´ll tell them our customers don´t use the beds to sleep in them, they EAT there. :D

Why not? If you can sleep in the IKEA after a tiring shopping, you could have a free nap and then have a huge breakkie in bed in the morning! :D

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santa klaus

16 years

Cleaning up the crumbs would cost more than we save on VAT though. :D

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