The “Breakfast Included” Hotel Scam or a regular occurrence?

We booked the hotel online.
Double-checked the reservation. And It clearly stated: “Breakfast Included”.

Then morning comes. We head upstairs expecting the breakfast we were promised, only to be stopped at the entrance with:
“Sorry, breakfast is not included.”
Suddenly the staff acts confused. They ask us to show proof. They blame the booking platform and say our room type doesn’t qualify. We end up paying again because honestly who wants to deal with hungry kids in the morning especially after a late night.
After this happened to us 3 times in Türkiye, I started wondering: is this just bad management… or a regular tourist scam?
To be fair, not every hotel does this. (Or at least didn’t, the last time I was here 5 years ago). Türkiye has many genuinely hospitable hotels and amazing service. But the pattern is frustratingly familiar in some places:
Online listing says breakfast included
Staff claims otherwise at check-in or breakfast time
Guests are pressured to either argue or pay extra
Many travelers are tired after long flights and don’t want confrontation over a plate of eggs and tea, so they give up. And that’s exactly why some hotels keep getting away with it.
The lesson? Screenshot everything not for the front desk people (They clearly don’t care). But to report it to the booking platform.

A hotel breakfast may seem like a small thing, but when travelers pay for something upfront and get denied later, it’s infuriating and damages trust completely. Hospitality should start with honesty and integrity.