Quick trip to Boston. Fly one way on United and 449 back to Chicago.

[Steve4031]

I LIKE the shower in the bedroom. Knowing I didn’t have to worry about getting to it before someone else at Toledo was a plus. Then there’s more room to get dressed, etc.

We departed Toledo 34 minutes late and are on the markers of 29 which is an 1:03 late.

 

[pennyk]

I LIKE the shower in the bedroom. Knowing I didn’t have to worry about getting to it before someone else at Toledo was a plus. Then there’s more room to get dressed, etc.

We departed Toledo 34 minutes late and are on the markers of 29 which is an 1:03 late.

I also use the in room shower rather than go downstairs. After I am finished, I dry the shower and try to make sure the shower head is no longer dripping.

 

[Steve4031]

I didn’t do all that. Lol. But I’m lazy.

we had a good run going into Chicago. Now stopped east of calumet river drawbridge. 29 made it past ahead of us.

 

[Steve4031]

100 was pulling us. That’s why I saw so many photographers out.

 

[Old MM]

Overall a good adventure!

 

[OBS]

I've never had a redcap at Boston offer me a ride on a golf cart. I suppose they have them for people who have trouble walking, but I've never seen one.

They use wheelchairs....no carts in Bos.

 

[Cal]

100 was pulling us. That’s why I saw so many photographers out.

The foamer in me is jealous

 

[jiml]

Nice report Steve.

 

[trainman74]

The Hilton downtown fanuiel hall is expensive and underwhelming. The biggest issue is that the hotel does not even have a full service breakfast restaurant. The “restaurant” serves egg sandwiches and pastries. I scolded the manager at length that this didn’t cut it. I’m stated I wasn’t trying to get a reduced rate, and that I didn’t want one. I just want to register my opinion.

Could you tell if this was supposed to be a temporary situation due to Covid-19, or the regular state of affairs? A lot of hotels have cut back on their breakfast offerings and blamed it on the pandemic.

 

[jiml]

Could you tell if this was supposed to be a temporary situation due to Covid-19, or the regular state of affairs? A lot of hotels have cut back on their breakfast offerings and blamed it on the pandemic.

Without derailing the thread, this is a huge problem with chain hotels right now - especially if one has status and breakfast is one of your benefits. They all say it's temporary, while still charging $300 a night.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Full service restaurants in most hotels have got to be loss leaders, but traditionally the chains have seemingly bitten the bullet, accepting it as a cost of doing business. I bet that era is over.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Could you tell if this was supposed to be a temporary situation due to Covid-19, or the regular state of affairs? A lot of hotels have cut back on their breakfast offerings and blamed it on the pandemic.

Without derailing the thread, this is a huge problem with chain hotels right now - especially if one has status and breakfast is one of your benefits. They all say it's temporary, while still charging $300 a night.

Full service restaurants in most hotels have got to be loss leaders, but traditionally the chains have seemingly bitten the bullet, accepting it as a cost of doing business. I bet that era is over.

On my most recent trip the cheapest hotel was $250 (plus taxes and fees) with the others charging between $300 and $400. None of these brands were luxurious before the pandemic but are even more generic now. The breakfast is technically back but it's microwaved egg loaf, stale potato chunks, doughy waffle mush, kiddie cereals, and cafeteria coffee. Even if it's free who wants to wake up to that?

 

[Steve4031]

This was not a Covid situation. This was a case the Hilton not meeting standards. I will vote with my wallet.

 

[Dakota 400]

On my most recent trip the cheapest hotel was $250 (plus taxes and fees) with the others charging between $300 and $400. None of these brands were luxurious before the pandemic but are even more generic now. The breakfast is technically back but it's microwaved egg loaf, stale potato chunks, doughy waffle mush, kiddie cereals, and cafeteria coffee. Even if it's free who wants to wake up to that?

But, it's better than "breakfast in a bag" to be eaten in one's room.

 

[trainman74]

But, it's better than "breakfast in a bag" to be eaten in one's room.

On the road trip I did in August, that's what one hotel was offering. I brought the bag back up to my room... only to discover that one of the items was a breakfast burrito that needed to be microwaved, and there wasn't a microwave in my room. (There was one in the breakfast area in the lobby.)

Hilton has switched one of their elite benefits from "free continental breakfast" to "daily food/beverage credit" (the amount varies according to chain and location). I stayed at two Hilton family hotels on that road trip, and neither one applied the credit without me having to ask for it.

 

[pennyk]

On the road trip I did in August, that's what one hotel was offering. I brought the bag back up to my room... only to discover that one of the items was a breakfast burrito that needed to be microwaved, and there wasn't a microwave in my room. (There was one in the breakfast area in the lobby.)

Hilton has switched one of their elite benefits from "free continental breakfast" to "daily food/beverage credit" (the amount varies according to chain and location). I stayed at two Hilton family hotels on that road trip, and neither one applied the credit without me having to ask for it.

I stayed at a Hilton Curio in Roanoke in July, along with other AU/OTOL members. The dining room served a very nice cooked to order breakfast and the bar served very nice local beers. I charged both my beer and my breakfast to my room. The food and beverage credit offset my charges. However, one in our group (that I know of) did not have the credit applied (and he is Hilton Diamond). He had to phone Hilton to receive the credit, because he did not realize the error until he arrived home.

Steve, I enjoyed my breakfast, did you?

 

[MARC Rider]

Latches Hotel in Brattleboro last year abandoned the lousy continental breakfast they offered and gave a $5 credit to the Works Cafe up the street. Much better quality coffee and pastry, and I didn't mind paying the difference for the bagel and lox sandwich I had, which was as good as anything in New York.

On my Pittsburgh trip last Jube, the hotel (AC by Marriott) didn't offer any food service at all, which was OK, because I checked out at 4:30 AM in order to catch the eastbound Capitol Limited.

On my Boston-Albany trip in June, the Courtyard by Marriott in the Back Bay had no food service, and I don't think ever did. The Fairfield Inn in downtown Albany had meal-in-a-bag stuff you could take up to the room, and microwave the sandwich if you wanted.

On our road trip to Maine, the Marriott Residence Inn in Riverhead NY had a flex-meal style breakfast buffet, the Home2Suites by Hilton in Portland had the usual cheap motel buffet (with the waffle machine), the Marriott Residence Inn in Tewksbury/Lowell, MA had what looked like a typical motel buffet (they were closing it up when we checked out, as we slept in and didn't leave until after 9), and the Hampton Inn in Matamoras, PA had a pretty typical Hampton Inn breakfast, except that perhaps the quality of the hot foods wasn't up to the usual standards.

In fact, even before COVID, I don't recall ever staying at a place that served an exceptional free breakfast. Most of the fancy downtown hotels served very nice breakfasts, if you want to pay $20 -$30 for it. The other places either don't have any food service, or just a basic buffet breakfast, continental, with maybe a few relatively low quality hot items. These are usually perfectly fine for starting a travel day, as I usually only eat some fruit and a bowl of cereal with yogurt or milk and coffee for breakfast. A good bagel is always a nice treat, and I wish some of these buffets would serve more nutritious and substantial boxed cereals, like Raisin Bran, Grape Nuts, or Shredded Wheat.

But generally, I pick a hotel for location, then quality of the rooms, and don't really care so much about the "free" food.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I've made 4 trips this year where I stayed in Hotels or Motels, and the only one that had a Free "Full" Breakfast, the Best Western in Palestine,TX where I rode the Texas State Railroad Train.

Others were La Quinta in Dallas, where Breakfast in a Bag was a Cup of Yogurt,a Kind Bar and an Apple, just Terrible!,The Holland Hotel in Alpine where the Very Good Cafe in the Hotel was Closed, and the Farefield Inn & Suites by New Yorks Penn Station in May which had a Breakfast in a Bag that wasn't bad looking, but I skipped it and ate @ the Cafe in the Metro Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall which had a really good a LA carte selection of food and drink to choose fun.( they have sense added Hot Food and Adult Drinks to the Menu).

 

[Dakota 400]

the Marriott Residence Inn in Tewksbury/Lowell, MA had what looked like a typical motel buffet (they were closing it up when we checked out, as we slept in and didn't leave until after 9

A pet peeve of mine when I travel! Why must I arise earlier than I want to do so in order to take advantage of their "free" breakfast? Some, not all, remain open until 10:00 A. M. on the week-end.

the Courtyard by Marriott in the Back Bay had no food service, and I don't think ever did.

Maybe a loss due to Covid? I have yet to stay at a Courtyard whose Cafe was not open for breakfast and a light dinner. Courtyard offers an omelet that is really good in my opinion.

I wish some of these buffets would serve more nutritious and substantial boxed cereals, like Raisin Bran,

Agree; sometimes a Fairfield Inn will have a dispenser of Raisin Bran, but, it's not consistent across the brand. Maybe the choices of what is offered is up to the decisions by the franchisee?

 

[Steve4031]

I stayed at a Hilton Curio in Roanoke in July, along with other AU/OTOL members. The dining room served a very nice cooked to order breakfast and the bar served very nice local beers. I charged both my beer and my breakfast to my room. The food and beverage credit offset my charges. However, one in our group (that I know of) did not have the credit applied (and he is Hilton Diamond). He had to phone Hilton to receive the credit, because he did not realize the error until he arrived home.

Steve, I enjoyed my breakfast, did you?

Sure did.