Approximately one-half of hotel guests, whether vacationing or on a business trip, expect a free breakfast as part of their room rate, according to new study data from YPB&R, an Orlando-based advertising agency specializing in travel and leisure clients.As part of their hotel selection decision-making process, 49 percent of leisure travelers and 53 percent of business travelers say getting a free breakfast is very or extremely influential in their hotel choices. Business travelers' attitudes toward free breakfast are even more pronounced in measuring hotel pricing and value. More than three in five business travelers (65%) surveyed find a hotel or motel that provides a complimentary breakfast included with the hotel's nightly room rate very or extremely desirable.The data, from the soon-to-be-released 2007 YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners National Leisure Travel Monitor and its business counterpart, the YPB&R/Yankelovich Partners National Business Travel Monitor, also indicate:--Seven out of ten leisure travelers (71%) enjoy trying new dishes and foods when they go out to lunch or dinner during a trip.--Three-quarters of business travelers, perhaps reflecting their ability to use an expense account when dining out, say they enjoy trying new dishes and foods during a business trip. "Leisure and business travelers are telling us they are in a more experimental mood when it comes to dining out during a trip," said Dennis Marzella, executive vice president of strategic marketing for YPB&R. "Life-enriching experiences like travel, good restaurants, theater, and other activities rank high as an aspiration among both leisure (64%) and business travelers (68%)"--More than one-half (52%) of business travelers say they prefer to dine in restaurants outside the hotel in which they are staying. "This suggests an excellent opportunity for full-service lodging establishments to increase their share of food & beverage spending by developing more imaginative restaurant concepts. The need is clearly there. --54 percent of these travelers report they want a diversity of restaurants on premise. "Business travelers are also likely to be responsive to more stylish, fast, casual restaurants in mid-scale properties," Marzella said.