Hotel Breakfast: Continental, American, English

How Many Types of Breakfast Are There in Hotels?

There are several options of breakfast usually available in hotels. The breakfast offered is generally dependant on the type of hotel you are staying at, may offer English, Continental or American style breakfasts. These styles can still vary from Hotel to Hotel as some places will prioritise certain foods in each group other others than others prioritise. For example, for an English, some places will focus on the traditional fried breakfast but in some places, black puddings may be available but in others fried bread might be, but some places won’t do the black pudding.

What Do Hotels Serve For Breakfast?

Hotels usually like to vary their choice to meet a wide variety of needs and dietary requirements while also either capturing the culture the hotel is placed around or showcasing a globally inclusive selection. Catalonia Hotels &  Resorts offer a good selection of breakfasts, with breakfast included in your stay. Below we will discuss the main 3 breakfasts that hotels offer.

Continental Breakfast

This breakfast originated in Britain. The continent to Britain means the mainland of Europe which includes places like France, Italy, and Germany. This option is designed to be an attractive alternative to the full English which can be quite a large breakfast. This type of breakfast usually consists of bread, pastries (e.g Croissants, nice jams, different fruits, cereal, coffee and usually a selection of juices. The contents of this style breakfast allow it to become a buffet, so hotels often offer this option because the customer can serve themselves and choose from their selection.

Some hotels will offer a relatively small amount of options, but some can even offer cheeses and cold meats. For some this breakfast would be the perfect option, it’s very light, and you can usually choose how much you have. Some people will find this breakfast quite disappointing especially if the options are limited to croissants, fruit, and coffee. This style is also very attractive to other cultures besides the British because it covers a lot of the staples other countries include in their breakfasts, although this might not be the right breakfast choice for a traditional English person. The other thing about this breakfast is that it’s mostly cold food and some people much prefer a hot cooked breakfast, especially in winter.

American Breakfast

This breakfast is an in-between option of these three types of breakfast. It consists usually of fried eggs, bacon, toast with butter, jelly or jam, pancakes with syrup or butter, and coffee. This option still isn’t as heavy as the traditional English, but it does have warm components. It can function as a self serve, but mostly this style of breakfast would be ordered to the kitchen, this is because the eggs and bacon are usually fresh, and in particular to order hotels will make the pancakes from scratch as well so that the butter will melt. This style is popular because it does contain protein-based foods which make you fuller for longer, usually, you can ask for a small or large portion. However, I would not categorise this breakfast as being a light option.

English Breakfast

The full English is a traditional hearty meal. This breakfast includes sausages, toast/fried bread, tomatoes, mushroom, beans, bacon, eggs (fried or scrambled), black pudding, and tea/coffee/fresh juice. It is very protein-rich and would definitely sustain the average person for the entire morning, some people even eat this around 11 am and then skip lunch it is that sustainable. All components are freshly made usually to order and are all hot foods. You can usually opt for a smaller portion if you don’t manage heavy breakfasts well, but some places can offer monster portions for those who are all about breakfast.