Why You Should Rethink Indulging In Complimentary Hotel Breakfasts

One of the greatest joys of staying in a hotel is the complimentary amenities that come with your reservation. Some guests love reveling in the Olympic-sized pools and in-room hot tubs, while others find pleasure in fancy toiletries, plush towels, and bed linens made of fine cotton. But many travelers can probably agree on the same thing: Hotel breakfasts are always a nice treat. The morning buffet, featuring everything from crispy waffles and fresh fruit to tender, fluffy eggs, offers an unbeatable start to the day. Before you go ahead and make a mini tower out of pancakes on your next hotel stay, you might want to exercise caution. Not all hotel breakfasts are as delightful as they seem, especially if you're in a more budget-friendly establishment.

"If your hotel serves like a hot continental breakfast, whatever, eggs, waffles, stuff like that, don't eat that s***!" advised Brandi Augustus, who has worked in the hotel industry for over a decade, in a TikTok video that has since gone viral. While she mostly worked front desks and night audits, she's been employed at enough hotel chains to uncover a disheartening pattern. According to her, the corporate and management higher-ups "don't give a s*** about breakfast."

The reason? An alarming lack of sanitation in some establishments. From recycling waffle batter to using the same cleaning cloth across the board, certain hotels cut corners on essential hygiene standards when preparing the breakfast spreads we've come to love.

Not all hotel breakfasts are made equal. In the viral TikTok video, Brandi Augustus shed light on dubious practices she's encountered during her time in the hotel industry. For instance, she revealed that in some places, waffles are often not freshly made. "The waffle station. Check the waffle maker and see if the waffle maker is even clean, okay? Because oftentimes, it's not," she explained. "That waffle batter gets reused until it starts to smell like beer."

The cleanliness issue extends to other things, too, with some utensils and furniture being wiped down with the same paper towel throughout the night. "I remember when that man [audit trainer] told me to only use one paper towel to clean everything all night. Disgusting. He said it was environmentally friendly instead of using a rag, a sponge, or even multiple paper towels to clean things like bowls, spatulas, and the table," she added.

Many users shared their experiences in the comments, corroborating Augustus' claims. "She's not lying!! I worked at IHG for years and they don't want ya changing food after hours setting out, that's waste ... pancake batter is saved too," one wrote, while another said, "This is way true for Best Western." In an interview with Newsweek, Augustus explained that this has become a pervasive problem because health department inspections rarely scrutinize the breakfast preparation process. "Nobody ever checks how breakfast is set up," she noted. "They just check how it's operated."

Of course, it's not like you can avoid hotel breakfasts altogether. Brandi Augustus endorsed establishments with an actual chef and even gave the two thumbs up to Double Tree hotels. In the comments section of her viral TikTok video, she also noted that Embassy Suites usually has stellar breakfast spreads, calling it the "best" she's had so far.

Now, if you happen to find yourself facing less-than-ideal breakfast options in hotels, you may want to avoid the waffle station, as Augustus noted, as well as supposedly hot foods that have cooled to room temperature. "If the hot table isn't properly heated by steam or a hot water bath, then the food cools down to the danger zone," Randy Worobo, a food science professor at Cornell, told Insider. Wilted vegetables are also a no-go, along with anything raw. Per the CDC, avoiding fresh salads and pre-cut fruits is another way to dodge potential health risks.

To err on the side of caution, skip the hotel breakfast spread entirely and go for pre-packaged treats instead. Reach for the boring — and likely safe — stuff, like milk in a carton, sealed yogurt, and fruit cups. Or better yet, dine elsewhere. There just may be an IHOP down the street.