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Marriott's portfolio of hotels and resorts is massive, with more than 8,700 properties across almost 40 brands! Since each brand features unique benefits and offerings, it can be confusing to figure out what your next stay might look like. For example, will you get free breakfast thanks to your status? Or perhaps breakfast is free for everyone at your brand?
Here's everything you need to know about how to get free breakfast on your next Marriott stay.
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Marriott Breakfast: Brands With Free Breakfast for All
The broader Marriott Bonvoy portfolio comprises nearly 40 distinct brands of hotels and resorts. Some offer complimentary breakfast to everyone who books a night, and some don't. But of all the brands, six offer a universal free breakfast:
- City Express by Marriott (including City Express, City Express Junior, City Express Suites, and City Express Plus)
- Element by Westin (free breakfast unavailable in Asia Pacific hotels)
- Fairfield Inn & Suites (free breakfast unavailable in Asia Pacific hotels)
- Residence Inn by Marriott
- SpringHill Suites by Marriott
- TownePlace Suites
Occasionally, you'll find a hotel brand not on this list that offers complimentary breakfast. Those instances come on a property-by-property basis and are general exceptions to the rule. Generally, these properties are located outside of the U.S. and Europe — and there are plenty of exceptions.
But for the ones on the list, you can expect free breakfast regardless of your Marriott elite status and the type of room you paid for.
Does Courtyard by Marriott have free breakfast?
You won't find free breakfast at Courtyard properties, even if you hold Bonvoy elite status. However, Platinum, Titanium, and Ambassador Elite members can elect a food and beverage credit to offset the breakfast cost.
On stays within the U.S., Canada, and Europe, the credit is worth $10. The credit you'll get in all other locations depends on whether the Courtyard location has a lounge.
Eligible elites can enjoy daily breakfast if the property has a lounge. If the lounge is closed, the property will offer daily breakfast in the hotel's restaurant for you and a companion instead. At Courtyard properties without a lounge, Marriott will grant you a $10 food and beverage credit for yourself and one additional guest.
Get Free Marriott Breakfast via Elite Status
The majority of Marriott's brands offer some form of free breakfast via the elite status welcome gift. Thus, if you have Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite, Titanium, or Ambassador status, you can select complimentary breakfast or a food and beverage credit at check-in. Unfortunately, Silver and Gold elite members won't enjoy free breakfast or credit as a welcome amenity.
One of the fastest ways to Marriott Platinum Elite — the lowest tier that affords access to the breakfast-related welcome amenity — is by applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. As long as you have this card, you'll retain Marriott Platinum Elite — no stays or elite night credits required!
When you consider what breakfast costs at Marriott properties, it's easy to see how the $650-annual-fee card (Rates & Fees) might pay for itself after enough travel, and that doesn't include all the other benefits it offers.
- Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when the stay is booked with a Qualifying Rate at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, subject to availability upon check-in.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection*, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. *Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Related: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card Card Review
Properties offering complimentary breakfast as a welcome gift
Several properties grant complimentary breakfast courtesy of the welcome gift — more on how this works shortly. At the following properties, you can elect free breakfast instead of a sum of 1,000 Bonvoy points:
- Aloft Hotels
- Autograph Collection (resorts)
- Citi Express (City Centro locations only; all other City Express properties offer free breakfast)
- Delta (resorts)
- Four Points by Sheraton
- Four Points Flex by Sheraton (formerly Four Points Express)
- JW Marriott (resorts)
- Le Méridien
- Luxury Collection
- Marriott (resorts)
- Protea Hotels
- Renaissance (resorts)
- Sheraton
- St. Regis
- The Luxury Collection
- Tribute Portfolio Hotels
- Westin
- W Hotels
In most cases, the benefit applies to the person named on the reservation (the elite member) and one additional guest.
Properties offering a food and beverage credit
Other Marriott properties afford “free breakfast” through a $10 food and beverage credit. Sometimes, the amount will vary by the property you stay in and where the property is located. However, free isn't always free, as the credit won't always cover the cost of the bill.
You'll find the choice of a food and beverage credit welcome amenity at the following properties:
- AC Hotels
- Autograph Collection (hotels)
- Courtyard
- Delta Hotels by Marriott (hotels)
- Gaylord Hotels
- JW Marriott (hotels)
- Marriott (hotels)
- MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy
- Moxy Hotels
- Renaissance (hotels)
You can enjoy the credit each day of your stay, and it's good for you, plus one additional guest. Note that your credit will expire if it goes unused. You can't combine credits from multiple days of your stay and cash in all at once.
How the Marriott Platinum breakfast benefit works
You'll receive a choice of welcome amenities when you check in at your Marriott Bonvoy hotel. At properties that don't already offer free breakfast, that might include complimentary breakfast in the hotel's restaurant (or a food and beverage credit) or a small sum of Bonvoy points. The free breakfast or credit value is worth more than the Marriott points in virtually every instance.
The default welcome amenity option is points. If you are not asked about your preference, you must let the receptionist know you'd like to choose a complimentary breakfast or a food and beverage credit.
Marriott breakfast: Lounge vs. restaurant
Select Marriott brands (and most of the properties within them) have club lounges. Platinum Elites and higher or those who booked a room with lounge access are entitled to visit the lounge and eat breakfast there.
However, there are a few caveats you'll want to be aware of. Let's break them down by brand:
- Autograph Collection, Delta Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Renaissance Hotels (not resorts)
- In the U.S. and Canada: If the lounge is closed and there's no alternative, get a complimentary continental breakfast in the property restaurant.
- In Europe: Get breakfast in the property restaurant if the hotel/resort doesn't have a lounge or alternative.
- Courtyard by Marriott (outside the U.S. and Canada)
- Get restaurant breakfast if the lounge is closed.
- Le Méridien, Sheraton, Westin
- If the lounge is closed, there is no alternative; guests are covered by choosing breakfast as the welcome gift.
Most properties that don't offer complimentary breakfast for all guests feature an in-house restaurant. That's where your hotel or resort will direct you for breakfast if lounge access isn't included in your stay or if you aren't an eligible elite member.
And generally, if the hotel doesn't provide the welcome amenity, you're entitled to compensation at participating properties. This covers you in case there's no breakfast to be found. At international hotels and resorts, the property will pay the dollar amount in local currency.
Get Free Breakfast by Booking a Certain Room Type
Another avenue for enjoying Marriott breakfast without paying for it each day — assuming you don't hold an eligible elite tier and aren't staying at a property already offering breakfast — is to book a specific room type. At certain properties, Marriott will bundle bed and breakfast into a package.
Sometimes, bundling will make sense; sometimes, it won't. It's largely dependent on your willingness to pay and your breakfast needs.
Otherwise, you might find more value in paying the minimum for a standard room and checking out a nearby breakfast joint. You also could pay out of pocket for breakfast once you arrive at the hotel. You might spend less out of pocket than if you pre-pay for breakfast by purchasing a packaged rate.
Select rooms will also include lounge access, providing another path to breakfast. Depending on the nightly rate, this might be worth booking. But again, consider the rate you'll pay for a room with lounge access and compare it to the cost of eating elsewhere — or paying in cash at the property.
Which Marriott Brands Don’t Offer Free Breakfast to Anyone?
Other Marriott brands don't offer anyone free breakfast — even to Bonvoy elite members. Thankfully, these brands are few and far between, but don't arrive thinking your morning cup of coffee will be on the house here:
- Design Hotels
- EDITION
- Marriott Grand Residence Club
- Marriott Vacation Club
- The Ritz-Carlton
- Ritz-Carlton Reserve
- Sheraton Vacation Club
- Westin Vacation Club
Additionally, you won't find free breakfast at other “aparthotel” brands, such as:
- Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy
- Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
- Marriott Executive Apartments
- Sonder by Marriott Bonvoy
These longer-term properties have kitchens, so you can make your own breakfast. However, you'll need to stop at a supermarket to stock your fridge. Unfortunately, Marriott does not offer free groceries as a welcome amenity.
Final Thoughts
Marriott's breakfast policies are confusing. However, you can easily discern whether or not you'll get free breakfast on your next Marriott stay by asking the following questions:
- Are you staying at a property that offers free breakfast to all guests? If so, you get a free breakfast, no matter what.
- Are you staying at a Design Hotels, EDITION, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Ritz-Carlton, or Ritz-Carlton Reserve property? If so, these properties don't offer free breakfast to anyone — even elites.
- Do you have Marriott Platinum Elite or higher? If so, you can choose complimentary breakfast or a food and beverage credit — depending on the property — at check-in or visit the lounge and eat there if your hotel/resort has one.
- Do you have Gold Elite or Silver Elite status? If you do, you don't have formal breakfast benefits.
If you're still unclear about what benefits you'll have before booking, it might be worth the time to call the property and ask what you can expect. The hotel or resort can give you the lay of the land before you book. That way, you're not surprised when you show up.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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