New Hyatt Place survey looks at ways travel affects American breakfast habits

Posted on 18 February 2019

As Americans gear up to travel in 2019, a new survey from the Hyatt Place brand found that the more people spend their time away from home, the more likely it is that they will eat the proverbial “most important meal of the day.”

The survey of 1,507 respondents, which was conducted by Toluna on behalf of the Hyatt Place brand, looked at a range of breakfast habits among those who travel at least six times or more per year (frequent travelers) versus those who travel five times per year or less (infrequent travelers). The findings are as follows:

A majority 63 percent of respondents who identify themselves as frequent travelers indicate they eat breakfast at least three or more days per week
45 percent of infrequent travelers indicate the same
Nearly half (49 percent) of frequent travelers indicate they eat breakfast more often while traveling, while 40 percent of infrequent travelers indicate the same
For those who indicated why they eat breakfast more often while traveling, frequent travelers were most likely to credit extra time as a key factor for “why,” while infrequent travelers were most likely to credit someone else making it for them as their main reason “why”
Eating breakfast tops the list of things frequent travelers would do with an extra 30 minutes in the morning, while infrequent travelers were more likely to choose sleep
A majority (53 percent) of all Americans, and nearly two-thirds of frequent travelers (63 percent) have chosen a hotel because of its breakfast offering
Nearly half (49 percent) of frequent travelers describe breakfast as being made up of their favorite foods, compared to 36 percent of infrequent travelers
One in three frequent travelers have met someone new while eating breakfast at a hotel
Eggs/omelets are the go-to breakfast choice for Americans overall (26 percent), followed by breakfast sandwiches (15 percent) and then pancakes (8 percent)

Recently, the Hyatt Place brand unveiled a new elevated regional breakfast experience at Hyatt Place hotels across the U.S. Guests have the option to choose from a variety of high-quality breakfast offerings that draw from food culture from five regions across the country, including the Atlantic, South, Heartland, Southwest, and West Coast. In addition to the regional breakfast rotations, Hyatt Place hotels in the U.S. will offer cage-free scrambled eggs, cage-free hard-boiled eggs, all-natural bacon and sausage, Oikos® Greek yogurt, fresh-cut fruit, steel cut oatmeal, rosemary-garlic potato medley, and artisanal breads, including banana yogurt bread and zucchini spice bread.

“Leisure and business travelers alike expect high quality and flexibility when it comes to their culinary experiences, and as this survey suggests, both components play a direct influence on their breakfast eating behavior on the road,” said Brian Contreras, corporate director of culinary operations, Americas, Hyatt Place and Hyatt House. “The new Hyatt Place regional breakfast offerings directly address guests’ needs and expectations by featuring fresh, regionally sourced ingredients that are sure to satisfy a myriad of food preferences.”