Between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens we know who’s had more success on the ice the past few decades. And we know which team made the playoffs this year (said the guy from Toronto). But which team’s star is best at whipping up a hot breakfast?
Holiday Inn Express hotels, part of the IHG hotel family, put hockey legends Guy Carbonneau of the Habs and Doug Gilmour of the Leafs together to see who could use the Holiday Inn Express breakfast table to come up with the best morning meal that would help fuel players to the Stanley Cup, or help get average Canadians off to a great start in the morning. They called it the Holiday Inn Express READIEST Breakfast Challenge Canada.
The new Holiday Inn Express breakfast table has more than 30 items, offering guests a remarkable array of morning options. There are more than 100 Holiday Inn Express brand hotels across Canada, and the brand is growing fast.
For the contest, Carbonneau and Gilmour were tasked with creating a special breakfast using whatever of those 30-plus ingredients they saw fit. In just three minutes.
Guy Carbonneau (L) and Doug Gilmour battle it out in the Holiday Inn Express Breakfast Challenge.
The two hockey legends went head to head in a race to develop the most inventive breakfast creation that was judged based on its deliciousness and creativity. Ultimately, Carbonneau was crowned the winner with his “Power Play Pancake Cup,” made with a fluffy pancake cone filled with fresh scrambled eggs and sausage. This bested Gilmour’s “Gloves Off Breakfast Sandwich,” a biscuit topped with strawberry jam, a sausage patty, scrambled eggs and cream cheese; possibly one ingredient too many.
The video is quite good, with both players hamming it up (sorry about that) and re-kindling some Leafs-Habs history.
I’ve stayed at a number of Holiday Inn Express hotels in the past couple years and thoroughly enjoyed them. They’ve got large, comfortable rooms with all the amenities I need on the road, including great beds, convenient locations, stylish public areas and plenty of in-room outlets to charge my various devices so I can stay on top of the news and plugged into social media.
A stylish and spacious Holiday Inn Express room.
And did I mention the breakfast? I’m a big fan of protein in the morning, as my wife will attest after a day or two of staying in hotels with limited breakfast options. I love that I can get some sausage or bacon and some healthy eggs to get me going in the a.m., along with other treats such as cinnamon rolls or ready-made pancakes. And, of course, day-long, hot coffee that’s always ready when I need it.
“A high-quality, hot breakfast is a key differentiator for the Holiday Inn Express brand and a major driver of guest satisfaction, and we are excited to share the READIEST Breakfast Challenge Canada with fans across the country,” said Jennifer Gribble, Vice President, Global Holiday Inn Express, Mainstream Growth. “We know the Montreal versus Toronto rivalry runs deep. Together with Guy Carbonneau, Doug Gilmour and Mike Johnson, we hope to inspire Canadian fans to fuel up for game day with our new fresh and hot Express Start breakfast.”
To celebrate his big win, Carbonneau is inviting fans to create their own game-day breakfast combo at Holiday Inn Express hotels nationwide. Guests will receive 15 per cent off their stay when they book at holidayinnexpress.com/readiestbreakfastchallenge.
