No Breakfast?

No Breakfast?

First off yes I know hosts are under no obligation to provide breakfast. But I do think they should be. If you're going to be considered a b&b you should have to provide at least both b's. I'm not saying you have to go all out with a full breakfast buffet that would be nice. But at least maybe some pastries and orange juice. Just like I can't open a shoe store if I don't sell shoes there if it's going to be a bed and breakfast it should have to provide both.

38 Replies 38

As a follow-up I've been to a few airbnbs that are really cheap and don't provide breakfast. Still kind of sucks but I understand it. What I don't understand the properties that are super expensive and if I'm paying you more than a hundred bucks a night on top of all the exorbitant hidden fees yes I think a croissant is perfectly reasonable to ask for lol.

@Christopher1295  You might consider that some jurisdictions prohibit the serving of food without proper food safety handling training, health inspections and licensing. Many hosts prefer not to do that, and aren't required to. 

 

Airbnbs can be any type of dwelling, including yurts, the host may not be on site, there may not be cooking facilities, or any other type of service provided. 

 

A Bed-and-Breakfast establishment requires compliance with a whole different set of regulations. 

 

If you want a place that serves breakfast, you should read the listing information and make your selection based on that amenity. 

I honestly wish they would have just called it an air b or something or home hotel. Having the second b really is false advertising. Yes I know some places do provide breakfast but if you're going to be on a bed and breakfast website you should have to provide breakfast. I'm not putting anyone down just stating my opinion. On a different accounts that I can unfortunately not find I have stayed at four different airbnbs. And only one of them provide any sort of breakfast and that was just coffee. I will say one of the other ones had a refrigerator in the room with some snacks in there. That's nice. I'm just talking about going the extra mile. Again like I've said before my big issue is with those people who have a really expensive listing and no breakfast included. A lot of them say things like well you get access to the whole house it's all yours while you're here. Yeah but by the time I spend that much money I won't be able to afford food lol.

I would honestly advise you to stay in a true bed and breakfast.  As was said earlier, to serve food requires several legal compliances like health inspections,  food licensing, etc.  I provide a sweet bread for my guests so they have a treat upon arrival or to have as a morning treat with coffee.  I’ve had treats left from hosts in other Airbnbs but never breakfast and don’t expect it.  

Brian2036
Level 10
Arkansas, United States

@Christopher1295 

 

NO.

 

Your demand would put Airbnb out of business. (Whether or not that would be desirable is another issue.)

 

I do understand your point that the name of the company may be somewhat misleading, but Airbnb does list some properties that offer breakfast and that is sufficient to deter any claims of false advertising.

 

Guests who want breakfast can search for listings that offer it.

Why would the bare minimum requirements to be on Airbnb that you actually provide a bed and a breakfast put them out of business? Some listings would just have to step up their game a little bit. Again I'm not talking about a buffet just a croissant and a cup of orange juice would be nice lol.

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Christopher1295 As your profile suggests you have never been an Airbnb guest (or at least never had an Airbnb review) I suggest you stick to hotels.

No, I have. Can't remember my account info so I just made a new one.

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Christopher1295  Airbnb is just a business name. It doesn't mean hosts need to provide breakfast, although some do, either a cooked one, or just leaving some breakfast foods  for guests.

 

Some hosts used to provide breakfast and stopped, because for one thing, a lot of perishable food went to waste, as guests weren't actually interested in breakfast ( my guests aren't- they might have a coffee here, but they are anxious to get to the beach, plus they like to check out the enormous number of eateries in my touristy town).

 

For another thing, you might not be a fussy person, but hosts who have provided breakfast have had guests expecting to have their personal food criteria catered to. Gluten-free, lactose free, vegan, whatever. 

 

And as others have pointed out, in many jurisdictions, hosts would be running afoul of health regulations if they served food. 

 

@Christopher1295  Congratulations Sherlock, you discovered what one of the B's in the website's name originally stood for.  But what about the first three letters? They represent the AIR mattress that the founders were renting out in their living room, which as legend would have it originated the whole concept. So if you really feel like being pedantic, I guess you'd expect every AIRbnb listing to have an inflatable bed as its sleeping surface.

 

Maybe some poor fool out there feels truly misled that most Airbnb listings are not actually B&Bs. I guess the same person would be shocked to learn that amazon.com doesn't sell rivers in Brazil, and heaven forbid someone invites them to a Lemon Party.

 

In all seriousness, though, I've experimented with offering breakfast but ultimately found that it is just not enough of a selling point in my location and price range to justify the extra work and expense involved in providing it. But I'm in a place with dozens of cafes and restaurants in stumbling distance, and my target guests are self-sufficient, independent travelers who aren't too lazy to cross the street get their own stupid pastry or whatever gluten-free vegan thing they want. I've always offered the means for people to make their own coffee and tea, which maybe 1/3 of guests enjoyed, but when you're catering to a generation raised on Starbucks, you find that most of them are happier to spend a few bucks on a specialty drink in a cafe. Far and away the most popular freebie I've offered visitors is a cold beer.

 

If the traditional B&B experience is important to you, of course you can still find that on this website - just use the "Breakfast included" search filter. But it's not economical for anyone hosting only one or two guests at a time to cater to whatever peculiar tastes they might have, so if you really want an inclusive breakfast to be part of your holiday experience, you're much better suited to chain hotels. 

 

But I feel like I shouldn't have to use the filter. The way y'all are explaining this it would be like if there's a restaurant called Burger world. And they said hey just cuz we're called Burger world doesn't mean we need to sell burgers. I understand a lot of people want to make money on Airbnb on the cheap. Meaning provide as little and expect a big return. I'm not as upset about it for people who have their listing and it's reasonably priced. My big point is towards those who have a really expensive listing and don't offer breakfast.

@Christopher1295  A listing being "really expensive" has nothing to do with you being able to expect breakfast.  It might be really expensive because it has a pool and a hot tub and very high end appliances, and a surround sound entertainment system. 

 

I don't understand what you're on about- hosts have given you several very reasonable explanations for why they don't provide breakfast, and have pointed out that there is a filter you can use to find listings which do provide breakfast. All of which you have ignored.

 

And if a croissant and orange juice is that big a deal to you, it hardly seems like a major inconvenience for you to pick those things up and bring them with you.

 

If a host left a carton of orange juice in the fridge for me, it would still be there full and past the expiry date when I left a week later, because I don't like orange juice. Which gets back to the wasted food and guest food preferences issues.

 

@Christopher1295  Your analogy is flawed, it would only work like 'burger world' if Airbnbs didn't offer beds...since the primary thing that is on offer is a place to stay/sleep, not a place to eat.  I also actually doubt that most guests even want a breakfast because that would be some level of intrusion on a daily basis.

How do you know what is in the name Airbnb?  Bnb could stand for bed and books, bed and bed, bed.and bar, bed and boots, bed and bring you own.  It’s a name and while you assume it means bed and breakfast, it doesn’t make it so.