How Hotel Groups Are Reducing Breakfast Waste at Scale

Breakfast is the most universal food and beverage offering in hotels, and also the largest contributor to food waste. The Think Hospitality Breakfast Blueprint Whitepaper highlights how leading hotel groups are tackling this challenge at scale, turning breakfast into a platform for measurable environmental impact.

Hilton’s Green Breakfast initiative provides one of the most comprehensive examples. Across 13 hotels serving 1.8 million breakfasts annually, Hilton implemented a pilot focused on both pre- and post-consumer waste. The programme combined waste-tracking technology, data-led buffet redesign, smaller plates and guest communication nudges.

The results were significant. Hilton reduced total food waste by 62%, saving over 422,000 meals and reducing CO₂e emissions by 726 tonnes. Pre-consumer waste fell by 76%, while post-consumer waste dropped by 55%. Bread, pastries, scrambled eggs and porridge were identified as the biggest waste offenders.

Accor Hotels has taken a similar but complementary approach. With food waste accounting for over half of operational waste, Accor is transitioning from unlimited buffets to hybrid models that balance guest satisfaction with waste reduction. Trials across European properties delivered waste reductions of up to 39% per cover within a year.

Technology plays a central role in these transformations. AI-powered tools such as Winnow and Orbisk enable kitchens to track waste in real time, while sound design and layout optimisation help manage flow and reduce congestion.

Importantly, these initiatives have not harmed guest satisfaction. In many cases, satisfaction scores improved alongside waste reduction, demonstrating that sustainability and experience are not opposing forces.

The whitepaper reinforces that scale is not a barrier to sustainable breakfast. With clear priorities, measurement and team engagement, breakfast becomes one of the most effective areas for meaningful change.

This article is adapted from the Think Hospitality Breakfast Blueprint Whitepaper, featuring global hotel sustainability case studies.