GUEST`S PREFERENCES FOR DIFFERENT FOODS AT HOTEL’S BREAKFAST: RESULTS OF AN ON-LINE SURVEY

Abstract

Consumer choice and satisfaction are very important for the hotel industry. For guests, food has a big impact on satisfaction and so does breakfast. The objective of this work is to know what the preferences of guests in a hotel breakfast are and how this varies according to their characteristics. An online questionnaire was sent using social media to hotel guests (n=626). Most respondents live in Europe (62%) and they prefer fruit juices (37%) and pastries (37%) while non-European residents suggested fruits (58%) and dairy products (39%) as the main preferences. Respondents aged over 55 years old have also preferences for fruits and dairy products, whereas guests aged 18-34 prefer pastries. For families traveling with children, bread was preferred for breakfast. Moreover, guests between the ages of 18 and 34 prefer lactose-free foods; and vegans or vegetarians or guests between the ages of 35 and 54 prefer gluten-free foods; whereas those 35 or younger prefer sugar foods. Most women prefer lactose-free food and non-Europeans give more importance to low-carbohydrate food while Europeans prefer lactose-free food and vegetarians or vegans. Breakfast is a meal valued by guests. Knowing the preferences of the guests following the profile of each one will be an asset for hotel projects that can satisfy and retain their customers. As far as we are aware, this is the first assessment of travellers about their preferences in hotels breakfast.