Breakfast Variety

Best Western Duncanville Inn & Suites illustrates the regional and market differences that Best Western encourages.

est Western has more than 4,200 hotels in 80 countries. These independent hotel owners, while enjoying the backing of a powerhouse marketing, sales, and research team, retain the freedom to make choices based on their individual markets. This dynamic is most apparent in the only food and beverage program centralized throughout the brand: breakfast.

“Best Western is so huge that we serve a diverse group of members as well as guests, so our breakfast program must be flexible. We recently updated the program and have set minimum standards for breakfast. Hotels are free to go above and beyond those standards, just not below them,” says Ric Leutwyler, senior VP of brand quality and member service.

Together with market and general trend research, Best Western’s roundtable discussions with key manufacturing and distribution partners, such as Kellogg’s, Coca-Cola, and Smucker’s, prompted them to change breakfast standards by presenting more choices and offering eggs. Now each property is required to serve two types of sliced breads; a choice of bagel, English muffin, or sweet bread; jellies and jams; three types of dry cereal; one warm cereal option like oatmeal, grits, or Cream of Wheat; orange juice and one additional juice; two fruits, at least one fresh; regular and decaf coffee; two teas; dairy and nondairy creamer; sugar and two substitutes; two milks; and one egg type. These “requirements” are not regarded as intimidating to members because they represent scads of options and a broad foundation that can be built upon.

“Guests have been really positive about the egg offering, as well as the variety of items served. They say the selection surpasses their expectations and goes beyond what other hotels are doing,” Leutwyler says.

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. But with so many options, how do hotels make informed choices? Leutwyler agrees that there are mixed tastes in every market, so Best Western identifies trends by doing competitive analyses and industry research. The results are made available to members to empower them to make educated decisions. Furthermore, the freedom isn’t restricted to foodservice. Hotels are in full control of the design of breakfast rooms, furniture, serveware, and the vendors they use.

“We say to members, ‘Here are your minimum standards, trends in your area, suggested (but not mandated) vendors, best practices, and your local codes.’ They take the information and guidelines and put their own regional personality into breakfast,” Leutwyler says.

The Best Western Carmel Bay View Inn perfectly exemplifies regional personality. Set in the pastoral, oceanfront town of Carmel, California, the hotel is minutes away from championship golf courses, white beaches, posh shops, art galleries, and restaurants.

“Our guests are best described as leisurely travelers,” says Diane Spadaro, operations manager. “They come here to enjoy Carmel’s quaint and peaceful setting, so we offer an idyllic, Old World sort of environment. Our breakfast room and breakfast itself epitomize this theme.” Like walking into a French countryside café, the breakfast room’s décor includes light wood cabinetry with earth-toned granite countertops, a ceramic tiled floor, wrought iron chandeliers, reproductions of Quimper ceramics, and Pierre Deux tablecloths on small rounds with matching chairs. Splashes of blues and golds are accented with bud vases of fresh flowers on each table.

“We carry this French Country theme to our complimentary breakfast,” says Spadaro. “We’ve met the minimum standards Best Western sets, but we’ve built on those to include a selection of freshly baked goods from a local bakery.” Tempting items such as lemon poppyseed, blueberry, honey bran, Morning Glory (carrot, raisins, and nuts), banana nut, and chocolate cream cheese muffins are served alongside an assortment of bagels (like cinnamon raisin and poppyseed), as well as bear claws, apple or cherry turnovers, and assorted Danish pastries. Instead of a heavier egg item, Spadaro says a healthy hard-boiled egg offsets the sweets to suit guests who may not want to indulge.

“We grind French roast coffee beans for a fresher, richer coffee and offer spiced apple cider and hot chocolate for a cozy variation on the standard hot beverage selection,” Spadaro says.

On the other end of the spectrum, the new Best Western Duncanville Inn & Suites on the outskirts of Dallas has an ultra-contemporary look geared toward Dallas business travelers.

“We go after the Gen X corporate set as well as younger Baby Boomers,” says Pankaj Lad, GM and part-owner of the hotel. “In this market, the classic, traditional look is on the way out.”

Echoing this sentiment, the breakfast area is decorated in oranges, reds, and greens with geometric-patterned carpeting, cherry cabinetry with black granite countertops, modern wall hangings, square tables with futuristic upholstered chairs, and a flatscreen TV. Lad says his guests need to stay connected, even while they eat, so the area was designed around the room’s centerpiece. In fact, it looms just above the serving area. As for the food, that also is in tune with guest preferences.

“A hot complimentary breakfast makes a difference in beating out competitors, so we offer a rotating choice of meat (like sausage links or patties and bacon), egg patties (think McDonald’s style), and hot biscuits that guests build into sandwiches. We also have a waffle batter dispenser and Texas-shaped waffle iron so guests can make their own waffles. These are extremely popular.”

“We found they want more sugar-free items like syrup, oatmeal, and cereal—even a sugar-free hot chocolate. I have another, more rural hotel, and no one has ever asked for sugar-free. Duncanville’s market consists of a more health-conscious demographic, so we made the changes necessary to please them. What’s important to us is that we have the freedom to make those changes.”

Ashley Brown Allen is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B