Hotel Breakers remodel?

I will be staying at Breakers in early August and have been reading that it is already looking pretty dated! Feels like it just had its remodel. Should they start renovating again? Also can’t believe how expensive it is! We got two adjoining rooms for one night and it was 900 bucks! I’ve stayed in much nicer hotels for less than that.

Full refresh/renovation is supposed to happen at least every ten years, according to my architect BIL who does that sort of thing. To that end, if they haven't updated, it's overdue.

Well sounds like they are overdue seeing as the renovation last I believe was in 2016.

It was overdue a few years ago when we last stayed there, and was overpriced (relative to the quality and amenities) even when it was new and shiny in 2016. But, the location can't be beat, and so long as they're filling rooms at the rates they're charging, hard to blame them for charging what they do.

But again, you're paying for location. Being steps from the park holds a ton of value, and being right on the beach doesn't hurt either. But $450/room/night is kind of crazy IMO.

Especially with rooms that don’t even have a coffee maker. Also they just need to axe Fridays already. That place sucks.

Out of curiosity, when was the last significant room renovation pre-2016? Discounting the new rooms added with the Tower & West expansions, weren't a lot of the furniture and fixtures up until 2016 essentially 80s vintage if not even earlier?

And we've definitely discussed at length on this forum how quickly hotel rooms can become threadbare and worn out with heavy repeated use, and a ten-year cycle does seem fair for most places. I've seen much of the same with a number of convention hotels at which I've stayed over and over again.

The only thing Breakers offers is location. We stayed there in 2022 and the room was... fine. Certainly not $400/night fine. Service is awful. Housekeeping is questionable.

Was if fun? Sure. Was being on the beach nice? Yes. But I wouldn't stay there again. Our next trip we spent a few nights at the Holiday Inn on the causeway for half the price. Rooms were nicer, cleaner, and breakfast was included. And I don't feel like we missed out on anything by skipping Breakers this time.

Agreed! I went there last Thursday and the food (at Fridays) was trash. Nice cocktails, but disgusting food. Get rid of it and put a Yard House there.

Yard House would be great! Also I have always wondered about that Holiday Inn! Looks nice and is close enough for sure….

I love Breakers, you pay for the location and not having to leave or drive home. Even though I only live an hour away we've stayed there 5 nights so far this season with another 8 planned. Sure, we have stayed at much nicer hotels many times for a cheaper price but to me its still worth it. Regular rooms were over $900 per night for the 4th of July with lakeview suites being around $1300. The hotel was completely sold out, value is with each individual. To me it was worth it for Friday evening alone when a storm rolled in and I stood in the lake until the lightning started. All I had to do was walk a few hundred feet to our room and change, ready for the rest of the evening in minutes. Had I not been staying at Breakers we would have left, its now a memory I will never forget.

A renovation would not hurt and I would be a huge fan of it but at this point I do not think Breakers is in need of a major renovation. By the occupancy rates I have seen so far this year I do not see much of an incentive for them to do one.

Yeah, we also place a lot of value on the location. There's something more "vacation-y" about parking the car for a few days. But the problem for us was the rapidly declining quality of Fridays. It was never good, but it was at least passable, albeit wildly overpriced. But the last few times we went there the food was terrible and the service not much better.

I'm all for the vacation-y feel, it's just that Breakers isn't very good at it. What's frustrating is that they're sooooo close. It wouldn't take much to make it a great place. Even at this price point I can get past the basic rooms if everything else is up to snuff, but it's not.

But as long as people are willing to pay it won't change, and the prices will remain high.

I could also overlook the basic rooms if the efficiency at check in and overall level of service was better. Surf Lounge and the new Starbucks are great, as are the pools. But I've waited 45-60 minutes to check in at peak times and I swear they send someone to buy bedding and towels at the Dollar General on Cleveland Road.

It's the avrage room , no coffee ect. that keeps our family almost always going to the Holiday inn down the road. the rooms are way better, coffee, decent breakfast, the Thirsty pony and a very quick 5 minutes up the causeway. After the last remodel and expansion we stayed there a couple of trips but the family wholeheartedly preferred hotels outside the park and have been to many in the area. The only real benefit is early resort entry and the 10 minute walk. We have all the bells and whistles with our passes so our prestige passes cover most of that stuff. Our three night stay next week is $480 total and breakers would have been $1320, ouch! We do 3 trips per year on average and saving $2 grand plus on hotels a year just makes sense. I agree that if it were a once in a lifetime trip then Breakers would be the way to go but as a regular visitor and knowing the way around Sandusky we cannot justify tha added cost for the 10 minutes it may save us.

Cartwright:

...and I swear they send someone to buy bedding and towels at the Dollar General on Cleveland Road.

Funny you mention that. We checked in around 7:00pm. Went to the room and there was no bedding for the sofa bed. Called the front desk, told them we're going to the park. We return around 10:30 and still no bedding. Call down, somebody will be up. After 45 minutes I went down to the front desk.

"We're working on it, but we're out of blankets."

WTF. It's a random Wednesday night and I'm paying $400/night in Ohio to beg for bedding? Nearly an hour later bedding arrived. I guess the DG is open late!

In this industry there shall be no extras. Welcome to Nickle and Dime Family Fun Center. Also with how new construction is I’m not sure a renovation would last another 10 years, it would probably all fall apart in 5.

projectx:

Went to the room and there was no bedding for the sofa bed. Called the front desk, told them we're going to the park. We return around 10:30 and still no bedding. Call down, somebody will be up. After 45 minutes I went down to the front desk.

Yeah, I've had this exact issue at both Breakers and Express over the years. Heck, I had this issue once when I checked in the Friday afternoon before Opening Day Saturday.

I don't mind the cost, but if you're going to charge that much, the bed and bedding better be great, and the room better be clean. I don't even mind if the furniture is a little dinged up. Still, I can stay at Coronado Springs (WDW) often for $200/night, and those rooms are nice. Epic pool and great bars/restaurant.

People gotta sleep.

Jeff nailed it. I don't mind paying a premium price for a great product, but Breakers is mediocre. I mean I paid just north of Breakers rates for Hard Rock Universal during Thanksgiving week. That is peak crowds, in a much better hotel, with service that's in a different league, a killer pool, exceptional poolside food/drink service, the same walking distance to the parks, oh... and it came with Express Unlimited for all five of us.