Greymo, I agree. Free "breakfast" doesn’t mean free food for the day. Shame on them.

In the US, offering free breakfast, whether it be just fruit and cereal or something more elaborate, is considered a big deal. Often it’s not worth eating for reasons mentioned above.

In Europe, it’s the norm. I love the custom as practiced over there. Fresh bread or rolls, pastries, preserves, sometimes cheese and cold cuts, fruit and coffee…a great way to start the day. I stayed at a little pensione on Lake Como and they brought out a huge local prosciutto…it was delicious with their fresh bread and coffee!