Guide to the Breakfast Benefit for Hilton Honors Members

For travelers who use points and miles to cover airfares and hotels, food and beverages can often become the largest out-of-pocket expense as a result. Having a higher tier of hotel loyalty status can not only significantly enhance your stay, but also aid in reducing the overall cost of your travel. Among the most valuable perks of holding elite status with a hotel loyalty program is the free breakfast benefit. 

In this guide, we’ll cover all aspects of the Hilton Honors breakfast benefit, including which Hilton brands provide complimentary breakfast to all guests. Furthermore, we’ll outline the complimentary breakfast options available to Hilton Gold and Hilton Diamond Elite members as a status benefit.

Breakfast Benefits for Hilton Honors Members

The Hilton free breakfast benefit is available to Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members as a choice through the Hilton Honors MyWay benefit. The MyWay benefit offers a range of options, allowing members to tailor their preferences for each Hilton brand.

Depending on the hotel brand and location, the choices may include Hilton Honors bonus points, free breakfast, a food & beverage credit, or complimentary bottled water and snacks.

You can select your preferred MyWay benefit for each Hilton brand individually through the member dashboard on the Hilton Honors website. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll receive the same perk every time you stay at that specific Hilton brand.

For instance, choosing the food & beverage credit or complimentary breakfast at Waldorf Astoria properties ensures you’ll enjoy that benefit indefinitely unless you decide to alter your selection.

At brands where complimentary breakfast is provided to all guests, alternative options are available instead. These may include free snacks, bottled water, or bonus Hilton Honors points. At hotels that don’t provide complimentary breakfast, opting for a food & beverage credit or the free continental breakfast will likely be the most valuable choice available.

To qualify for the complimentary breakfast benefit at Hilton hotels, you must hold at least Hilton Honors Gold status. Earning Hilton Honors Gold status requires meeting one of the following criteria within a calendar year:

• 40 nights (paid or award)
• 20 stays (paid or award)
• Earn 75,000 base points

An alternative method to earn Hilton Gold status is by holding a credit card that grants automatic Gold status. Several credit cards issued in Canada and the United States confer this benefit, which remains valid for as long as you hold the card. 

Both the Canadian and US versions of the American Express Platinum Card and American Express Business Platinum Card provide complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status as a perk for holding the card. 

American Express Platinum Card

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American Express Platinum Card

The American Express Platinum card earns Membership Rewards and offers cardholders a variety of benefits including an annual $200 travel credit, complimentary airport lounge access, an annual $200 dining credit, and instant elite status with many hotel loyalty programs.

In 2024, we awarded this card as the Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access.

BONUS
100,000 Membership Rewards

MINSPEND
$10,000

NET VALUE
$1,401+

ANNUAL FEE
$799

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

US-issued Hilton Honors co-branded cards from American Express (US) also grant varying levels of status depending on the tier of the card. 

The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card (US) and American Express Hilton Honors Business Card (US) both provide automatic Gold status. Meanwhile, the premium American Express Hilton Honors Aspire Card (US) provides automatic Diamond status, which includes all the benefits of Gold status and additional perks.

American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card (US)

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American Express Hilton Honors Surpass Card (US)

The American Express Hilton Honors Surpass card (US) earns Hilton Honors points and offers cardholders benefits such as instant Hilton Gold elite status, a quarterly $50 Hilton credit, and ten complimentary airport lounge passes per year.

BONUS
165,000 Hilton Honors

MINSPEND
$3,000

NET VALUE
$840+

ANNUAL FEE
$150

FOREX FEES
No

EXPIRY
Jan 8, 2025

The Hilton breakfast benefit is relatively straightforward and easy to understand. At virtually all Hilton properties outside of Hilton’s timeshare brand, Hilton Gold members and above will receive free breakfast or a daily food & beverage credit.

Now let’s get into the specifics of what each brand offers and what you can expect on your next Hilton stay.

Hilton Brands Which Offer Free Breakfast to All Guests

Brands that provide free breakfast for all guests, regardless of status, tend to fall into Hilton’s value-oriented and extended-stay brands. Since these properties include free breakfast for all guests, it’s important to set your expectations accordingly.

Generally, you can expect basic items such as scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, cold cereal, toast, and fruit. This is particularly true for properties in Canada and the United States. However, in Europe and Asia, breakfast offerings are usually much more diverse and extensive. 

The following Hilton brands provide free breakfast for all guests:

• Embassy Suites by Hilton
• Hampton by Hilton
• Tru by Hilton
• Homewood Suites by Hilton
• Home2 Suites by Hilton
• Spark by Hilton
• Any all-inclusive locations

Since free breakfast will be included with all stays at the above brands, Hilton Gold members and above will be offered the choice of bonus Hilton points or a complimentary snack and bottled water as a MyWay benefit.

Brands Which Offer Free Breakfast to Hilton Members (Gold Status & Above)

Hilton has broken up the complimentary breakfast benefit to exclude select brands located in the United States from providing complimentary breakfast to elite members. At these select U.S. brands, Hilton Gold members and above will receive a daily food & beverage credit instead of a free daily continental breakfast. 

Therefore, as a Hilton Gold member or higher, you and one guest will receive one of the following as part of your elite status benefits, depending on the location:

• Daily complimentary continental breakfast:
  • At all brands outside the United States 
  • Worldwide at Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) properties

• Daily complimentary food & beverage credit: 
  • At select brands in the United States
  • Worldwide at Motto by Hilton

It’s worth pointing out that Hilton’s partner brand, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), is unique in regard to the breakfast benefit. SLH properties operate independently of Hilton’s loyalty program and are subject to their own set of SLH-specific terms & conditions.

Despite this, some Hilton loyalty benefits like free breakfast, upgrades, late checkout, and enhanced earning rates are extended to Hilton Elite members at SLH properties. However, SLH properties do not offer a MyWay benefit selection for Hilton Gold or Diamond members. As a result, Hilton Honors Gold and above members will receive daily complimentary breakfast at all SLH properties worldwide. 

With the above categories in mind, let’s break down how each of these benefits work in practice.

Hilton Properties Within the USA: Daily Food and Beverage Credit

At Hilton properties located in the United States that do not provide free breakfast to all guests, a daily food & beverage credit is offered instead. The daily food & beverage credit applies to the member and one additional guest staying in the same room. The credit doesn’t accrue or rollover from one day to the next if unused; any portion of the daily food & beverage credit that isn’t used will be lost. 

The daily credit is applicable at all participating food & beverage outlets at the hotel, this can include restaurants, bars, grab-and-go markets, room service, and the executive lounge. The food & beverage credit can be utilized across multiple outlets over multiple transactions within the same day. The credit will be automatically applied against all eligible food & beverage charges made over the course of a day, up to the total daily credit amount. 

At U.S. properties with an executive lounge that serves complimentary breakfast, Hilton Gold and Diamond members who have access to the lounge won’t receive the daily food & beverage credit. However, Hilton Gold members who are not upgraded to executive lounge access will receive the daily credit.

The daily food & beverage credit at properties in the United States varies depending on the hotel brand. The credit applies per night of stay for the member and up to one guest as follows:

• $10 per day per person (max $20 for two guests): 
  • Hilton Garden Inn

• $15 per day per person (max $30 for two guests): 
  • Canopy by Hilton
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts 
  • Signia by Hilton
  • Curio Collection by Hilton
  • DoubleTree by Hilton
  • Motto by Hilton (worldwide)
  • Tapestry Collection by Hilton

• $25 per day per person (max $50 for two guests):
  • Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
  • LXR Hotels & Resorts
  • Conrad Hotels & Resorts

In select high-cost markets, the daily food & beverage credit is raised to $18 per day, up to a total of $36 for two guests. This applies to Hilton’s full-service brands listed in the table above and includes the cities of Boston, Chicago, District of Columbia, New York City, San Francisco, Key Largo, and Key West, County of Los Angeles, and the state of Hawaii.

The daily food & beverage credit can be seen as either a positive or negative, depending on your preferences and travel habits. For some, the added flexibility is a plus, as it allows you to use the credit at any time for anything other than breakfast. You can even spend it on evening cocktails at the hotel bar if that suits you better.

The major drawback to a daily credit is that it often doesn’t fully cover the cost of a meal, leaving you to cover the remaining balance. This can especially be the case when staying at secluded luxury resorts, where food and beverage costs often border on extortionate.

Furthermore, you might run into a scenario where certain third-party dining venues may not participate in the daily credit program. Therefore, it’s advisable to confirm beforehand whether the establishment accepts the credit prior to placing an order.

Hilton Properties Outside the USA: Daily Continental Breakfast

At Hilton properties outside of the United States, the breakfast benefit offering is extremely consistent. With the exception of Hilton Grand Vacations and Motto by Hilton, Hilton Honors Gold and above members will receive a daily complimentary breakfast at all brands. This benefit is provided either as an elite status MyWay benefit or as a brand amenity at properties offering free breakfast to all guests.

The following brands offer complimentary continental breakfast based on elite status at its locations outside the United States:

• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
• LXR Hotels & Resorts
• Conrad Hotels & Resorts
• Canopy by Hilton
• Curio Collection by Hilton
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Hilton Garden Inn 
• DoubleTree by Hilton
• Signia by Hilton
• Tapestry Collection by Hilton
• Small Luxury Hotels of the World (worldwide)

The daily complimentary breakfast benefit applies to the elite member and one additional guest registered to the same room. Both guests will enjoy a daily free continental breakfast throughout their stay. The free breakfast is available exclusively in the hotel’s designated restaurant or executive lounge (where applicable). However, room service may also be offered at the hotel’s discretion.

As per the Hilton Terms & Conditions, hotels outside of the United States that provide a daily free breakfast as a status benefit are at a minimum required to offer at least a continental breakfast. However, many international hotels exceed these minimum requirements. Based on my experience, Hilton Gold and Diamond members are typically extended access to the full breakfast buffet in Europe and Asia, which is often exceptional.

Hilton Hotel Brands – Breakfast Benefit Summary 

Here’s a reference chart summarizing the breakfast benefits available at each Hilton hotel brand (in alphabetical order):

Conclusion

As a Hilton Gold or Diamond member, you can expect to receive either a free breakfast or food & beverage credit at effectively every Hilton property worldwide. While the breakfast benefit varies by brand and location, the core offering remains consistent. 

In the United States, members will receive a daily food & beverage credit ranging from $10 to $25 per person per day instead of a complimentary continental breakfast. Outside the United States, elite members will receive at minimum a daily continental breakfast. However, at Hilton properties abroad, you’ll typically find significantly more generous breakfast options, which often includes access to the full hotel buffet or an à la carte item from the restaurant.

Whether you prefer the simplicity of a complimentary continental breakfast or the versatility of a food & beverage credit, knowing what to expect at each brand and location can help you make a more informed decision that best suits your travel needs. 

Frequently Asked Questions