breakfast in hotel or not

Almost certainly there will be eggs on offer at some cafes. The big question is whether there will be suitable cafes near your chosen hotel. Have a search on Mr Google for cafes near your hotel and look at the menus.

We like just rolling out of bed, dressing casually, and getting that morning coffee and tea asap. In many hotels, you can smell the fresh- baked bread as soon as you awake. If it's raining or cold, it's great to stay nice and warm and remain indoors for breakfast. Also , if you two awake at different times, one doesn't need to wait for the other.
Have a great trip!

I’ll just give my opinion on hotel breakfasts in Europe. I love them. Like your travel partner I need some form of protein in the morning. Yes, you are going to breakfast with a bunch of other tourists, but they are tourists from all over the world who can provide great conversation, insight and tips on where to go. Ive never been in a hotel breakfast room that I haven’t picked up a tip or two or three! It’s always very different from my normal American breakfast- with meats, salmon, porridges, pastries, coffees as well. The other reason I like it is that I’m not wasting time hunting for a cafe along the way to my first destination. I will be traveling with 2 additional people this year (it’s usually my sister and me) and am anticipating 4 different ideas and choices (and inability to make a decision!) on where to stop which could add to the waste of time. Lastly , yes probably more expensive but I can start the day with a pretty large, protein and fiber filled breakfast and then can hold off for a late lunch/ early dinner which can save some money. Yep, I’m a fan!

There is certainly convenience involved. so i am a fan of hotel breakfast. There is also a price point involved. Many hotels will list what it cost for breakfast a la carte. Compare that to going to a cafe. In Vienna a coffee will be 3+ euros, each. If you drink two cups, go figure. Then your eggs or pastry or whatever. Each running up the price. Easy to hit 20 euros per person at a cafe.
In a cafe or bakery, you will have many choices, for which you WILL make a choice. A a hotel breakfast, well, you can try piecemealing a slew of different things. Breads and pastries alone. Not to mention varied other things, fruit, yogurt, jams, cheeses and perhaps some things you never even heard of. Mix and match. Go for it.
In the cafe, not so much unless you don't mind running up the bill.
Watch your thread as there will be negatives on the hotel breakfast thing. Consider your options.

Does your fellow traveler expect eggs-made-to-order?

We generally opted for hotels with breakfast. We stayed mainly in three star hotels. The contents and quality varied from hotel to hotel and country to country. There is no guarantee that there will be eggs available at the hotel.

We chose hotel breakfasts for the convenience; it allowed us to start the day without having to search out a venue. For some, however, experiencing different places is part of the joy of travel.

I generally skip hotel breakfasts, which typically aren't great value for this budget traveler. It's easy to get a good coffee in a cafe or bar near any hotel, and there'll typically be a good bakery nearby too- especially in Vienna. If we are offered breakfast in a hotel, I typically travel with resealable plastic bags... usually you can assemble a couple of sandwiches and some fruit for later. I know this isn't the response you're looking for... but there you are. :)

Hotels in Austria will undoubtedly offer a selection of thin-sliced meats and sausages with their breakfasts. Eggs, not so certain, but it would be worth asking a potential hotel before booking if that’s a possibility.

As for assembling sandwiches and loading up on fruit or other items at a hotel breakfast, I remember a sign at a hotel in Zermatt 22 years ago, “No Pik-nik.” Places since then, including in Poland this Spring, and in France and Germany last year, clearly indicated that the breakfast provided was intended for what you’d be eating at the table that morning, and not a take-away for later. Incidentally, eggs (often do-it-yourself soft-boiled) were available all those places, but those weren’t in Austria.

I typically travel with resealable plastic bags... usually you can assemble a couple of sandwiches and some fruit for later. I

and when folks do that the hotel has to raise the price... I prefer lower prices thanks

I prefer the hotel breakfast and the varied choices offered.

Going out looking for a cafe is a waste of time as pointed out above, and I rather doubt your "fellow traveler" is going find eggs offered in a cafe.

On the other hand , you can tell your "fellow traveler" to go alone in trying to find such a cafe. Maybe that isn't such a good option.

My opinion is to stay where you want to stay and eat where you want to eat. If the higher cost hotel is your preferred hotel, you don't have to eat breakfast there just because it's included. You can still eat breakfast in cafes. You're on vacation; in the grand scheme of life, it's not that big of a deal if you are "double paying" for breakfast for a few days.

All hotels I have been offered booking options for rooms with or without breakfast.

I have never seen a breakfast buffet in a hotel without eggs.

You can get anything in a café or bakery what you want, but you pay per item. Usually locals eat a Viennese breakfast in a café, which has nothing to do with a full American breakfast.

Generally, there is no refill for coffee or drinks in cafés or restaurants.

I skip hotel breakfasts if that is an option because they are costly and tempt me to eat more than I should in an effort to get my money's worth. I find the quality of breakfast buffets ranges from very good (especially in Norway) to a carb-heavy spread that seems to have come from a low-end supermarket. I don't eat ordinary supermarket bread products at home and don't like consuming them as part of a $20 hotel breakfast while I'm on vacation.

My egg preference is for hard-boiled eggs (sometimes available on hotel buffets) or well-done scrambled eggs. My luck with the latter is not good, and I often suspect I'm looking at powdered eggs.

And don't get me started on the limp bacon.

Although I don't often take the time to seek out a cafe for an American-style breakfast, I've seen places offering omelets.

It depends on the hotel and the breakfast offering. We prefer made to order, or a really diverse buffet with breads, fruits, yogurts, oatmeal, along with eggs, meats, cheeses, fresh squeezed OJ, and good coffee. We tend to stay in 4 star hotels, and we eat most breakfasts in the hotel, but we also grab a few out and about at favorite places. I find that a good breakfast out of the hotel costs as much as in the hotel, so it isn't a simple $ issue, it is about convenience and quality that matters to us. And the hotel breakfasts where we stay in Paris, our most frequent destination, is all you can drink coffee, not what you typically find at a cafe or restaurant, so that makes the hotel an even better deal for us, cost-wise.

You pay for convenience, as with most things in life. And in this case you're also getting a buffet, so quantity and variety.

You do you.

Hotels in Austria will undoubtedly offer a selection of thin-sliced meats and sausages with their breakfasts. Eggs, not so certain...

For a recent stay at the Mercure Biedermeier in Vienna, there were not just eggs, but an omelet station with a chef preparing according to your request. I found that hotel breakfasts in Vienna are not cheap...

Particular about eggs go to a restaurant or Cafe that serves them. I enjoy Hotel, Gasthof/Gasthaus/Pension breakfest, but they do vary. You can always ask. Some have a better system than others. Some with cook to order cook. Some with order slips, some will ask, some make it almost a darn secret. You have to ask in some cases. Don't be shy. American style/catering hotels generally have American style breakfast. Don't expect a 2-3 star hotel to have much choice. There are great surprising places out there though.
Any good Cafe or resturant worth their salt can make a breakfest egg dish that you want. Just be prepared to pay for it.

Just spent several days at Boutique Das Tyrol, Vienna. Much preferred their breakfasts which were cooked to order over a buffet where you never know has been using tongs or their fingers. I always choose the breakfast option with the hotel as I cannot be bothered searching for local cafes then having to return to hotel afterwards

In Vienna this desire at breakfast of getting the cook to order eggs does indeed exist...I was there in June. In Austria it is a feature of its large sumptuous breakfast buffet.

This is in Vienna , ca. a 15 mins. walk from Schoenbrunn, get off at tram stop "Hietzing" on the 60 line or take U-4 (?), the hotel iis part of the Austria Trend chain , 4 star very nice, genteel old school style and decor, historic and spacious.

The Austria Trend hotels are located in the major cities there, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, etc

If I decide to stay a few nights in Salzburg which I have not done in ages, this Austria Trend Hotel will be it, checked it out this time.

Would I go back to this Austria Trend Vienna hotel if doing a multi-night stay, say 7-10 nights ,absolutely, if the average daily rate were acceptable, ca. 140-155 Euro or so.

The Austria Trend Savoyen has a great breakfast and is in a much better location.