Why Breakfast Matters for Chinese Tourists

The Chinese-speaking call centers for Hotels.com, an online hotel reservation company, are inundated with one question: What's for breakfast?

"Whether or not someone travels can boil down to something as simple and often overlooked as whether or not they can have congee for breakfast," says David Roche, president of Hotels.com, adding that a similar trend was seen among Japanese tourists.

Being able to get their own kind of food is one of the top concerns for outbound mainland Chinese travelers, a group that is estimated to reach 100 million in 2020 by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. And the issue seems to be an Asia-specific phenomenon. "This is not a concern amongst our American or European customers," says Mr. Roche.

Taking the cue, top-end hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London, which boasts restaurants from celebrity chefs Daniel Boulud and Heston Blumenthal, offer a full Chinese breakfast of noodles. And guests can choose between chicken or fish congee at the Shangri-La Hotel Paris, should Western alternatives not appeal.

But is an omelet and yogurt--and no congee--enough to cancel a stay at a specific hotel?

It has happened, confirms Mr. Roche, who says he thinks that with mainland Chinese travelers venturing farther overseas than Asia, there's a sense of security knowing they'll have a taste of home. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.