updated 2019

All photos in this post supplied by Hyatt and Getty Images

When families book hotel stays, many parents choose hotels that provide complimentary breakfast for guests. Business travelers also keep their company travel expenses in check by choosing business hotels that offer breakfast. The bottom line, complimentary breakfast in hotels saves the guests money.

I've heard from readers in the past saying they don't always eat breakfast in the hotel because the hotel breakfasts are usually not very good in this select-service market.  Some say they would rather explore the area they are visiting by dining in local restaurants.  However, too many travelers, hotel breakfasts are convenient, and for many, it is a morning necessity. The Hyatt brand wants its guests to enjoy its complimentary breakfast and are taking it up a notch by offering a new innovative breakfast experience that puts the power of breakfast in guests’ hands with customizable Build Your Own Breakfast Bowls and Greek Yogurt Parfaits.




I've stayed in both Hyatt Place and Hyatt House, and on those stays, I thought the brand did breakfast service well.  When we were redoing our hardwood floors in our Raleigh home before putting it on the market to sell, I spent three nights at the Hyatt Place near the PNC Arena. The kids and I looked forward to breakfast each morning. It saved us money plus I didn't have to cook breakfast. 

Expanding on the “You’ve Come Too Far to Settle Now” platform, the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands are inspiring guests to elevate their on-the-go routine with convenient dining choices that flex to meet their needs. The new Hyatt Place “Build Your Own” complimentary breakfast reminds guests not to settle when it comes to toy the most important meal of their day. With the customizable breakfast bowls and Oikos® nonfat Greek yogurt parfaits, guests are sure to find the right balance to fit their morning routine – from premium ingredients, such as cage-free eggs and all-natural bacon and sausage, to more indulgent ones, including a warm caramelized banana yogurt topping.




The launch of these new breakfast offerings was celebrated with the first-ever #WhySettle Battle of the Breakfast Bowls cooking contest at Hyatt Place New York/Midtown-South. Hosted and judged by Katie Lee, American cookbook author, host of Cooking Channel’s Beach Bites and co-host of Food Network’s The Kitchen, the cooking contest invited five student chefs from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) to create the next iteration of the Hyatt Place Build Your Own Breakfast Bowls – in under 30 minutes! Submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges, including Lee; Chef Mark Krystopa, director of culinary operations for Hyatt Place and Hyatt House; and Ksenia Avdulova, founder of @BreakfastCriminals, a digital platform dedicated to starting your day right.



The winning breakfast bowl, The Nomad Bowl, created by Brooke DiResta, featured premium ingredients including; soft-boiled cage-free egg, toasted ancient grains with kale, sausage crumbles, and charred lemony asparagus ribbons. In addition to winning the coveted title of #WhySettle Breakfast Bowl Champion, Brooke also received $10,000 to continue pursuing her culinary passion  Brooke's winning bowl will appear on the 2018 Hyatt Place Build Your Own Breakfast Bowls menu.

Alongside the new breakfast experience at Hyatt Place hotels, Hyatt House hotels also recently introduced the new “Omelet of the Day,” enhancing the current made-to-order Omelet Bar by giving guests daily breakfast inspiration while on the road.



Additionally, the Hyatt Place and Hyatt House brands introduced new for-purchase menus in Knowing that traditional meals are evolving and consumers are changing their eating habits, the two brands incorporated new bar bites and shareable items into their menus, including street tacos, charcuterie boards, crafted sliders and more.

“Our guests are at the center of everything we do. We know they are looking for meals with high-quality ingredients and we want to be able to give them the opportunity to customize their dining options so that we can make every visit – from a one-night stay to a week – feel personalized and unique,” said Chef Mark Krystopa, director of culinary operations for Hyatt Place and Hyatt House.

Cooking for a family is always a challenge for moms. The problem is that with hectic schedules, you have very little time, and you have a lot of different palates at the dinner table. Will will eat most anything I place in front of him. Liza is a carnivore. And a seafood lover. She would do well on a paleo diet, but losing candy would kill her.

Jack, on the other hand, prefers his food in a restaurant.  There are only a few things that I make that get his thumbs up. He still loves my broccoli, tofu meal, and last week, I managed to make some darn good farmer's market butter beans that got his seal of approval. Other than that, he pretty much dislikes most items I place in front of him unless it is bacon, eggs, pancakes, steak, plain pasta, a stir-fry, tacos, or a Joey burger,

I got the following recipe a Hello Fresh kit when I was a regular customer a few years ago, and everyone loved it. I buy frozen shrimp a lot from Whole Foods/Amazon prime, so it makes it very easy to put this meal together in minutes.

A Hello Fresh Recipe

I think the panko crust on top of this dish made it even more delicious.

Instructions

Wash and dry all produce. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.


Zest lemon until you have 1 tsp zest, then cut into halves. Cut one half into wedges. Mince or grate garlic. Thinly slice basil leaves. Core, seed, and thinly slice bell peppers.


Toss bell peppers on a baking sheet with a large drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.


Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add panko and toast, stirring, until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Once water is boiling, add farfalle to the pot. Cook, occasionally stirring, until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Scoop out and reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.


While pasta cooks heat a large drizzle of olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add to pan and cook, tossing, until almost opaque, 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, tossing, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.


Toss pasta and bell peppers into the pan with shrimp. Add lemon zest, 2 TBSP butter, half the basil, pasta water, and a squeeze of lemon. Bring to a boil and let bubble, occasionally stirring until a sauce has formed 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon (to taste).


Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with panko and remaining basil. Top with a large drizzle of olive oil and serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.

Update: This bill was passed and signed into law by Governor Cooper. In N.C. as of July 1, 2017 you can have an alcoholic beverage with Sunday brunch beginning at 10 a.m. 



As I told you earlier this week, my family rarely goes to brunch unless I'm traveling. I went to brunch locally a few weeks ago on a Sunday in downtown Raleigh and ordered a bloody mary. I ordered that drink for a few reasons. Personally, I love the tomato-based, spicy cocktail. I rarely drink them so it was a treat for me. Also, mimosas and bloody marys are a traditional part of a brunch menu. I was at Pizza La Stella to help promote the restaurant's brunch menu for future visitors to N.C.  That's what I do. I market experiences.