Hotel breakfast

[Tirq3]

Firstly I know this is pretty minor!

I decided to treat my DD7 to a night away by the seaside in a hotel for half term. I’m on a low income so had to save up for it but really wanted to do something special as we can’t afford a proper holiday this year.

I chose the hotel carefully based on the facilities and menu etc. and decided to pay extra for breakfast after checking the menu online. DD won’t eat a cooked breakfast but they listed a selection of pastries and fresh fruit salad among the options which she will eat as well as cereal. I checked the breakfast options again with the receptionist when we checked in and she showed me the same menu.

We went down to breakfast just now and were told they didn’t have any pastries. So I asked if we could have a fresh fruit salad and they pointed at a bowl of tinned fruit cocktail. I asked if they had fresh fruit as per the menu and they looked really put out and said they would check if the kitchen could do that, then came back ten minutes later saying they couldn’t. (I was perfectly polite by the way)

AIBU to be a bit annoyed? Clearly fresh fruit is not something they ever usually have so I think it’s misleading to put it on the menu. I wouldn’t have bothered opting for the hotel breakfast if I’d known I’d be paying £15 for a bowl of Rice Krispies.

YANBU

I have a bit of a bugbear with UK hotel breakfasts. I've stayed in so many who just assume everyone wants a big fry up and offer little to those who don't.
Last year in Norfolk, stayed in three different quite expensive hotels. None of them offered cereal "there's no demand", one had some sickly sweet granola. None of them offered fresh bread rolls and butter/jam. I ended up with just toast at all three places.

I think £15 was always going to be expensive for pastries, fruit & cereal tbh.

I'd have pushed for a full refund of the breakfast price. That's so shoddy, especially as you checked a couple of times. They lied, simple as that. I'd ask for the manager or owner's contact details and write to them explaining what happened. And leave honest reviews online.

Hm, I think fresh fruit is to differentiate from dried fruit? I wouldn’t mind or notice the tinned fruit salad.

Yes they should have refunded. £15 is good if your getting fresh squeezed orange juice, nice selection of pastries, yogurt and fresh fruit. For tinned fruit and nothing else it’s rubbish.

Definitely leave a factual review, OP

This kind of thing is why I don't stay in UK independents any more; no doubt some are superb, but overall I've found the standards just aren't there

At least you got some kind of breakfast though ... the very last place I stayed in had changed hands, and the new owners had altered it to room only while still using the previous one's listing (which promised the lot) on various websites

How annoying! Did they have pictures of the fruit on their website? I would definitely complain. Is it a chain hotel by any chance? If so you'll definitely get something back.

Was it a spa related hotel in a salty town? Had a very similar experience. The website made it seem lovely but it most certainly wasn't.

Don't be ridiculous, of course it isn't.

How can you not notice the a tinned fruit salad from a fresh fruit salad?!

They are very different and not the same at all!

I just wouldn’t register or care? Obviously if someone asked which it was I could tell you, but I wouldn’t notice

I don't think you're best placed to judge then.

Fresh fruit is a must for many.

The point of mumsnet is to give opinions. I’ve given mine. I’ve explained why I think this, so the OP can ignore it if my reason isn’t relevant. I’m not ‘judging’, just commenting that personally it wouldn’t matter to me.

Fresh fruit is fresh fruit. It’s neither tinned nor dried.

YANBU. That's really shit especially as you double checked.
I'd be annoyed.

Complain on trustpilot

What a shame. Yes, it is misleading, especially given that the receptionist reaffirmed the available selection..

I would be pretty cross and I’d complain and ask for a £15 refund immediately.

I would ask them to provide the breakfast on menu or a refund. Hope you enjoy rest of Holiday!

Yes - this.

You booked breakfast on the strength of their promised menu. You checked twice that nothing had changed. Then you found there were no pastries or fresh fruit. Nobody wants to pay 15 quid for a 37p tin of fruit salad in syrup.

Nowadays many people have strict dietary requirements for one reason or another and most establishments recognise this. They advertised this particular menu, they should make sure they can supply it.

We had more choice last time we stayed in a travelodge. Think it was £10.

£7.50 each. if you went out to Pret, that's two croissants and a small freshly squeezed OJ or one savoury breakfast pastry and a coffee. It's not bad value all things considered.