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10-28-2017 05:30 PM
Earlier this year, Everett Potter of USA Today wrote about the five myths regarding hotel room service. Thought some of you would be interested in reading what his thoughts were.
There’s nothing quite like hotel room service. Be it an indulgence or a necessity, few things seem better suited to serve a jet-lagged traveler than a freshly delivered breakfast tray or a late-night sandwich.
While seasoned road warriors may have their room service routines down to a science, many of us pause before picking up the phone to order. Maybe it’s the fact that room service food can seem incredibly expensive, take forever to get to the room, and is often tepid and less than tasty when it finally arrives.
Here are five myths about room service.
Room service menu prices are identical to those in the hotel’s restaurant.
It sure doesn’t seem that way. John Mariani, the legendary food critic and author of Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet Newsletter, says that “they are usually somewhat higher plus they add a massive service charge and very often, a gratuity.”
Larry Olmsted, author of the bestselling Real Food, Fake Food, falls into that higher-priced camp as well, noting that “in many cases, the exact same dishes are priced higher on the room service menu than in the hotel restaurants.”
The culprit may be the add-ons that make room service seem like an expensive indulgence. Alexander Lobrano, a Paris-based food writer and restaurant critic whose newsletter is Hungry for Paris, says that room service prices “aren't usually that far off those of prices in the restaurant.”
He insists that it is those extras that can make for an expensive tab when you order that club sandwich or bowl of pasta and have it sent up to your room. What drives the prices up “is the fine print of service charges, tray charges, and other ways of making you pay for the pleasure of private dining, something that most hotels have pretty much fallen out of love with because it's logistically complicated.”
Those fees, adds Olmsted, might include “a service fee comparable to what you would tip downstairs, plus an ‘in-room dining’ surcharge, often in the $5-12 range, means it almost always costs more to dine in.”
Room service food is just as fresh as I’d get in the restaurant.
Ah, not exactly. Lobrano points out that “most room service items are at least partially pre-prepared, since the room service kitchen or area of a larger kitchen dedicated to room service needs to work ahead of time. And if you really want to see what's pre-prepared or dead easy to slap together, study the night owl room service menu, since those are designed so that anyone can prepare their dishes easily.”
Mariani agrees, noting that whatever is being made “is usually not made from the same quality of ingredients. For example, it will be chicken roll versus freshly roasted chicken. Or it has been prepped in advance as much as possible. There is usually a separate brigade of cooks, most of whom loathe being on room service duty, especially at 3 a.m.”
The freshness debate aside, there’s also the very important matter of what it tastes like when it arrives. Olmsted says “it might be made just as fresh but it is practically guaranteed to take longer to reach you, meaning it is far more likely to be cold. And in most cases your entire meal is served at once versus one course at a time, exacerbating this problem.”
You must tip the hotel employee who delivers room service.
Every hotel is different but what doesn’t change is being vigilant in examining the bill. It’s often a three-tiered system of service add-ons, starting with an extra room service fee that is not negotiable. Then there’s a gratuity that may be automatically added, often in the vicinity of 18%. That may or may not be negotiable. Then there’s a blank line for a “tip,” which is essentially a second chance to tip on the room service charge. It all adds up fast.
The problem, says Olmsted, is that with a built-in gratuity, “you never know whether the staffer actually gets it. You certainly do not need to tip when two fees are added, service charge plus delivery charge, but I usually do it anyway to avoid guilt.”
So does Lobrano, who says that “I'd always rather err on the side of generosity than caution when it comes to tipping.”
Room service won’t do special orders.
They may like you to order off the menu, but hotel kitchens can accommodate you better than you might think. As a rule of thumb, room service is generally only offered at better hotels, and just like better restaurants, they will usually accommodate customers as best they can.
The solution may be to keep it simple, says Lobrano, who says that “I find most room service kitchens are happy to oblige a request for simpler food than what's found on their menu. To wit, a good grilled cheese sandwich with some soup, or spaghetti with just butter, Parmesan, and a squirt of lemon juice.”
Hotels restrict food delivery services to encourage guests to use room service.
Many hotels now freely allow food deliveries from outside the hotel. In fact, in less expensive hotels, there are often restaurant delivery brochures in guest rooms. Of course, the dirty secret that the more expensive hotels don’t want to 'fess up to is that outside delivery is typically far cheaper than the room service they have on offer. But hotels discourage it for other reasons besides lost revenue.
“For security reasons, many big-city hotels don't want their corridors filled with food deliverers and are also wary of the mess that ordered-in food leaves behind,” Lobrano says. “But an increasing number of business hotels will allow food delivery, and I find the best way to sway an undecided front desk is to say I'll eat my ordered-in meal in the bar with a glass of their wine — no one's ever refused this request.”
10-28-2017 06:36 PM
@World Traveler,
Very interesting article however I love to have room service for breakfast. There is nothing better than staying in a fab hotel room, reading the complimentary newspaper while zipping your coffee by the pot and toasts or croissants🌻In this particular meal I do not think that they overcharge that much
10-28-2017 06:52 PM
@CHIP62You got that right!!!
I can count the times on 1/2 hand that I have had "dinner" room service.
"Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."
10-28-2017 06:58 PM
I am not a fan of room service and have only used it a few times when aid had no choice. The best room service meal I have ever had was in Cambodia, of all places. It was really fresh and inexpensive too.
10-28-2017 08:06 PM
@CHIP62 Me too! I'm not a coffee drinker, but love hot chocolate and something light to eat in the room.
10-28-2017 08:10 PM
@Carmie I had pretty good food in Cambodia too; however, I was with a group of people, so the hotel served us quite well.
I do remember walking down the streets and eating fruit from the vendors, except for one that really stunk, very smelly. Can't remember the name, but I believe it was pinkish in color and the skin was prickly. Others thought it tasted good, but I couldn't get near it because of the odor.
10-29-2017 10:54 AM
10-29-2017 05:12 PM
I've had room service many, many times. It's convenient for business travelers. However, it's not great. Even in 5 star hotels, room service is lacking. It is alway expensive, usually not very good and if you order a hot meal, it's not always hot. Plus, often times the menu selection is pared down to boring.
10-29-2017 05:33 PM
I will order room service a lot when I'm traveling for work if I have to be up super early. Many of our meetings start at 7 am Eastern time and I am on the East Coast. This way I can eat and get dressed at the same time and sleep in a little longer.
If it's on the West Coast, 7 am is not an issue for me as I'm usually up way before that anyway.
My favorite thing to do when I am on personal travel is to order room service on my last day before my flight out. This way I can relax, get dressed, pack and eat and then be on my way for an afternoon flight.
10-29-2017 06:33 PM
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