Breakfast amenity

Inna22
Level 10
Chicago, IL

Breakfast amenity

I have decided to pilot offering breakfast at one of my places to see if it boost my booking rate. While doing my research, I came across a number of properties that had the breakfast amenity box checked but no mentioning of breakfast in the description or reviews. When I enquired with a few of them, they all said they just provide quick cook cereal packets and that’s it.  Aside from my full breakfast pilot, I would love to just be able to through some Cheerios in the cupboard and to be able to check off one more amenity but I feel like all I will be asking for is negative reviews. I personally would have been really mad if I booked a place with breakfast and just found dry cereal in the cupboards, not even milk for it particularly when travelling with children. However all these hosts had wonderful reviews. Do any of check off the breakfast box and only provide some snacks, do you ever have to deal with upset guests because of it and do you think you are getting more guests? Thanks

65 Replies 65
Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

PS I'm not going to encourage the squirrels. They steal all my tulips!

Lizzie
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

I feel your pain @Huma0, I have three squirrels that live outside my home. They ate my tomatoes last summer... 😞


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Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Lizzie 

 

I tried netting, potting grit and all manner of things to keep the squirrels at bay (my cats are pretty useless at chasing them away most of the time). Nothing worked, but I found that chilli flakes do deter them. You have to keep  topping them up though as they can get washed away after a time.

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Huma0

 

It's included in my listing that breakfast is provided.

 

I usually always shop in advance and have a choice of 2 supermarkets within walking distance and a fruit and vegetable shop along my walks.

 

Longer term guests I  tend to msg and ask if they have any milk preferences however as I'm a milkaholic I always have plenty on tap so to speak and it simply doesn't get a chance to go off.... though I miss fresh milk from the farm with cream on top that we had as children..

 

I also churn through fresh fruit so that's never an issue with waste & am fortunate I have friends who have fruit trees to!

 

Fruit like grapes and plums can be stored in a bowl in the fridge wrapped in a tea towel to help keep it fresh.

 

Perhaps ask if guests would like breakfast when they msg, however one must bear in mind they may prefer to go out.

 

Cereals tend to keep well here, you can clip a peg or clip on the packet to keep it fresh or transfer them to a sealed container/ jar.

 

I'm not a huge cereal eater myself.

 

I also tend to have free flowing fresh frozen fruit that is easily sealed & stays in the freezer for when it's required.

 

Now about the avocados... whilst they are now out of season so off the menu, I have been fortunate to have had 5 in a bag and 2 packets  x 5 = 10 avocados for $5.50 NZ over summer ....;)

 

I did think of you all here in Commuinty Centre as we ate them...

 

Avocados

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Avocados/m-p/821736?advanced=false&collapse_discussion=t...

 

 

 

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Helen427 

 

It sounds like you have  good system going with little food waste, which is great.

 

I am reluctant to offer breakfast though. Besides that I don't have time (the first thing I'm doing in the morning is dealing with my work emails), I don't think that many guests would partake of it and increasing the price to cover the costs could put off guests who don't want breakfast anyway. Some of my guests have breakfast here before heading out, but just as many don't.

 

I have noticed widly varying preferences for breakfast. I also host many, many Asian guests and noticed that most prefer to eat dishes from their own cuisine only. They come very well equipped, even bringing rice cookers (I have one so they don't need to do this!). Then there are all the allergies and preferences to deal with. People seem to have so many these days!

 

I do think it totally depends on the location though. Besides all the local choices for supermarkets and cafes, it takes about 10 minutes by tube from my local station to get into the heart of London with unlimited choices of places to eat and drink. In the countryside, I would think offering a proper breakfast is a must.

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Wendy117@Alan475 

 

As a resident of New Zealand who has hosted a few of our Australian friends & your neighbours across the ditch, who have eaten breakfast in my home, I'm proud to say when I open the cupboard door where the cereal is kept, "Ah, I hope you don't mind but most of my breakfast cereal range is currently Australain products!", always brings a smile, however I do also provide a selection of New Zealand foods including home made jams or locally grown fresh fruit.

 

All the best

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

U.S. hosts need to be careful in their listings when it comes to providing 'special services'. Hosts that go all out and provide actual meals (maybe even cook for their guest!) will be seen by the IRS as offering 'special services', which requires you to file your Airbnb earnings on a Schedule C versus a Schedue E; and a Schedule C filing means you also must pay 15.3% Self Employment taxes (this comes directly from an attorney who wrote a book on the subject and spoke directly with the IRS about this - I spoke with this attorney directly as there are so many different opinions among hosts and even by CPA firms about this).

 

This may be why what types of breakfasts are provided are not elaborated on by certain hosts who know of this tax issue. I myself provided coffee, tea, and a box of biscottis and a box of individual servings of oatmeal, along with a box of hot chocolate. This does not qualify as providing 'special services' as I was not serving the guests breakfast myself (or cooking for them). Thus, this allowed me to file on a Schedule E. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Inna22  What about messaging some of your past guests (the nice ones, of course) and say you are thinking of adding breakfast as an amenity to your listing, and solicit their feedback on whether if that had been available when they booked your place, if they would have partaken of it? 

I think providing breakfast depends on many factors (I don't even get up up early enough to prepare a guest breakfast, nor do I want to). If I provided breakfast, most of the food would end up going to waste, as my guests seem to want to get up, maybe have a cup of coffee or tea, then hit the beach. I don't drink milk, so that would get tossed, and I can only eat so much fresh fruit myself if the guests didn't touch it. And I've always been terrible at cooking eggs- they always just end up scrambled, or whole but with the yolks broken 🙂 So it depends on your location and what guests seem to do when there- do they hang out in the mornings, getting a late start, or do they get up and out?

Then of course, there's the gluten intolerant, the lactose intolerant, the sugar-free, the oh, I'm allergic to bananas, etc. etc. And those who get up and eat breakfast at 7 am and those who roll out of bed at 10 and don't eat until 11. All factors to consider.

@Sarah977  I agree with all of this.  We have toyed with the idea of offering one free meal per stay.  So if say they were getting in late and wanted a cold supper or a cheese/fruit platter, or if they wanted one night during their stay to come back to a 'tea and sandwiches' type of meal or do a breakfast for them on the last day....but, just typing that feels complicated and there is no way to make such an offer on the amenities, and organizing it could end up a nightmare, so, we stick to a lot of pantry items and usually leave some kind of cookie/patries for them on the last day.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Inna22  I could volunteer to be your first guest from hell after adding the breakfast amenity. 

 

I wouldn't touch the milk at all, or yoghurt if it was fat free or 2%- I only like full-on fat.

I don't like citrus fruit, which means I wouldn't drink orange juice or grapefruit juice.

My eggs have to be browned on the outside. (My ex said Sarah likes her eggs like hockey pucks). If there's any part of the yolk or white that looks wet or shiny, it nauseates me.

I like my toast semi-toasted. If you put a big lump of butter on it, I won't want it. It has to be thinly spread.

I hate instant oats- they're mushy- I like whole oats barely cooked.

If there's cooked raisins in anything, I'll pass. Same for walnuts or pecans.

I only like cream in coffee. If the only choice is milk, I'll drink it black, but won't enjoy it.

 

Most people would probably be easier to please, though 🙂

 

@Sarah0, you are welcome😆 

In fact I was lucky and my guests even with special diet didn’t leave home hungry:) I had frutaríans and vegans, people with diabetes and not tolerant to lactosa. And normally it is possible to find something that they can eat to start the day:) 

@Yulianna0  Thanks for the invite- that's nice that you've accommodated all these different eating styles..

I would never, in fact, expect a host, a friend or family member I was staying with to try to please my food fussiness, or my late sleeping habits. If I were a guest and saw that the host provided breakfast, I'd likely message them when booking, telling them to not bother on my account- that as long as there was some dark roast coffee and coffee cream, I'd be happy and deal with my own breakfast.

@Sarah977, in fact people do that. If they have some specific needs they just ask not to bother:) And I had a funny situation: one girl was trying to play princess. I didn’t pay attention. But her boyfriend did and he made the conclusions:) 

YES!

Right after @Sarah comes,

I'll have your know that full-on fat yogurts exacerbates my heart condition.

Really are you trying to kill me?

I must have citrus fruit but grapefruit juice conteracts my medication.

You are still trying to kill me!

Over cooked eggs are basically inedible! 

Toast must be from fresh bread. No butter, remember my heart. Only virgin olive oil from Tuscany.

While you're making the  whole oats make sure you put in raisins and walnuts - but NEVER pecans.

You must have soy milk for my decaf coffee.

I just saw the expiration date on your sugar package... . YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL ME!

 

Oh, @Paul154 , very easy solution: don’t eat!😆 I’m afraid that as soon as I will get such a capricious guest I’ll pronounce it in a loud voice, not incide me. Food kills? Stay hungry!