Hotel meal plans: room only, B&B, half board and full board
Room only has no meals, B&B adds breakfast, half board adds dinner, full board covers three meals and all-inclusive adds drinks. How to price and sell each.
Hotel meal plans describe which meals are included in the room price. Room only includes no meals. Bed and breakfast includes breakfast. Half board includes breakfast and one other meal, usually dinner. Full board includes three meals a day. All-inclusive adds drinks and usually activities on top of all meals.
What are the main hotel meal plans?
Meal plans, also called board basis, tell guests what they get to eat as part of their booking. They are common in resorts and leisure hotels, and many city hotels sell at least a breakfast option. Travel agents and booking sites often use short codes, so it helps to know them.
| Meal plan | Common code | Meals included | Typical guest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room only | RO | None | City and business guests, guests who want to eat out |
| Bed and breakfast | BB | Breakfast | Most leisure and business travellers |
| Half board | HB | Breakfast and one other meal, usually dinner | Leisure guests who explore by day |
| Full board | FB | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Remote resorts, families, guests who stay on site |
| All-inclusive | AI | All meals plus drinks, often snacks and activities | Resort guests who want one fixed price |
In North America you may also see the terms American plan, meaning room plus three meals a day, and modified American plan, meaning breakfast and dinner but not lunch.
What is the difference between half board and full board?
Half board includes two meals a day. Usually that is breakfast and dinner, and less often breakfast and lunch. Full board includes three meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Drinks with meals are usually charged separately on both plans unless the hotel says otherwise.
Half board suits guests who spend the day out and want dinner back at the hotel. Full board suits resorts where there are few places to eat nearby, or families who want to keep costs predictable.
Be precise on your booking engine. Say which meals are included, where they are served, and whether there is a set menu or a buffet. If dinner is a set menu with a supplement for some dishes, say so before booking, not at the table.
What does all-inclusive usually mean?
All-inclusive normally covers lodging, meals and drinks, and often snacks, entertainment and some activities, for one fixed price. The details vary a lot between hotels. Some exclude premium drinks, à la carte restaurants or motorised water sports.
If you sell all-inclusive, treat it as its own rate with its own clear list of what is and is not included. Guests compare all-inclusive offers closely, and unclear terms lead to complaints at check-out.
How should hotels price meal plans?
The simplest and most transparent way is to start from your best available rate for room only, then add a supplement per person, per night for each meal plan. This keeps your room price consistent and makes it easy to see what each meal adds.
Follow these steps:
- Cost each meal. Work with your kitchen to find the cost per adult and per child for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including staff and waste.
- Set a selling price per meal that covers that cost and a fair margin.
- Decide child rules. Set age bands, and whether children are free, discounted or full price.
- Build each plan from room only plus the meals it includes.
- Decide whether to add a bundle saving. Some hotels price half board or full board slightly below the sum of the separate meals to encourage guests to choose it.
- Check the total against similar hotels for the same dates, and against what guests would pay to eat nearby.
A worked pricing example
Example: a resort sells a Deluxe Room for 2 adults at $150 per night room only. It sets meal supplements of $20 per adult for breakfast, $30 for lunch and $40 for dinner. Children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult meal price.
| Plan | Calculation for 2 adults | Price per night | Add 1 child (6 to 11) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room only | 150 | $150 | $150 |
| Bed and breakfast | 150 + (2 x 20) | $190 | $200 |
| Half board | 150 + (2 x 20) + (2 x 40) | $270 | $300 |
| Full board | 150 + (2 x 20) + (2 x 30) + (2 x 40) | $330 | $375 |
Examples use US dollars; the same maths works in any currency.
The child column adds half of each adult meal: $10 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner. For a 3-night half board stay for 2 adults, the total is 3 x $270 = $810 before taxes and fees. All figures are an illustration only. Use your own costs and market.
How do you sell meal plans on your booking engine?
Guests choose meal plans in two ways: as separate rate plans they pick on the room list, or as an upgrade they add after choosing a room. Both work. What matters is that the price difference is clear and the total updates straight away.
- Show the difference per night. “Add breakfast for 2: $40 per night” is clearer than two long rate names.
- Explain what is included in one or two lines: meals, venue, buffet or set menu, drinks.
- Handle children properly. Ask for children’s ages so child meal prices apply correctly.
- Show the full total with taxes and fees before the guest pays.
- Offer upgrades later. A guest who booked room only may add breakfast before arrival.
In goDirects, you can set breakfast, half board and full board meal plans per room on your booking engine. Add-ons and experiences can be priced per stay, per night or per person, with child prices, so you can also sell extras such as a celebration dinner. Totals with taxes and fees are calculated on the server. Guests can view and manage their booking in the guest dashboard.
For more ideas on raising spend per booking, read hotel upselling ideas and selling add-ons and experiences.
Meal plans can also give guests a reason to book on your website. Some hotels include breakfast on direct bookings, or offer half board at a better price to signed-in loyalty members. Before you do this, check your OTA contracts, as some include terms on rates and packages. Our article on rate parity explains the basics.
Meal plans also affect your reporting. When a rate includes meals, split the price into room revenue and food revenue using a fixed rule agreed with finance. Otherwise your ADR will look higher than it really is. See ADR, RevPAR and occupancy for how these KPIs work.
Meal plan checklist
- Each plan has a clear name and lists exactly which meals are included.
- Drinks policy is stated for every plan.
- Child age bands and meal prices are set.
- Supplements are priced per person, per night and checked against cost.
- Meal plan prices are consistent across channels unless a direct-only offer is allowed by your contracts.
- Kitchen and front desk receive meal plan details for each arrival.
- Package revenue is split into room and food revenue for reporting.
To see meal plans, child prices and add-ons on your own booking engine, book a demo.
Frequently asked questions
Does half board include drinks?
Usually not. Half board normally includes breakfast and dinner, with drinks at dinner charged separately. Some hotels include water, tea or coffee. Because practice varies, state your drinks policy clearly on the booking page so guests know what to expect before they arrive.
Is half board always breakfast and dinner?
Most often, yes. Some hotels offer breakfast and lunch instead, or let guests choose lunch or dinner each day. If you offer a choice, explain how it works, for example whether guests must tell the restaurant by a certain time each day.
Should I charge children for meals?
Many hotels set age bands, such as free for young children and a reduced price for older children, with adult prices from a set age. Choose bands that fit your guests and your costs, and show them clearly. Your booking engine should ask for children’s ages so the right price applies.
Is full board or all-inclusive better for a resort?
It depends on your location and guests. Full board suits resorts with limited outside dining where guests want meals covered but are happy to pay for drinks. All-inclusive suits guests who want one fixed price for everything, but it needs careful costing, especially for drinks.
Can guests add a meal plan after booking?
Yes, if your process allows it. Many hotels let guests upgrade from room only to breakfast or half board before arrival or at check-in. Offering this by email before arrival is a simple way to add revenue without changing the room price.