Hotels.com® has unveiled its inaugural Room Service Report which surveyed hotel partners around the world to uncover what’s considered “in” when it comes to in-room dining, from the most popular to the most unusual orders. It also touched on etiquette and proper attire (i.e. have some) for folks answering the door when room service is delivered.
The list of most unusual guest requests includes “diet” water (oh, those H2O calories!), melted ice cream (apparently waiting for it to melt was not an option), blowfish, cockle popcorn (which is??) and a raw fish caught by a traveller who wanted it cooked to order.
Hotels.com said top global properties are pushing the boundaries of room service to go beyond food, offering in-room concerts, breakfasts delivered by canoe, and even robot-operated room service (more below).
Burgers in bed
Globally, burgers are the most popular item (40%) and the staple is likely to stay on menus year-round, ranging from the classic diner version all the way up to a 24K gold brioche bun burger with a $1600 USD price tag (zero calorie water included).
Food preferences are also evolving year over year with vegetarian and vegan requests more popular than keto, dairy-free or gluten-free orders at 42% and 33% respectively, for travellers who prefer to opt for a mouth-watering non-beef patty alternative.
To dine in or out
Almost half of travellers tend to choose restaurant service over room service for celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries and tend to order fancier dishes when dining out.
The report found the most popular time for Canadian in-room diners is bright and early, between 7-10 a.m. for breakfast. When asked about etiquette, hotel workers said they prefer guests not answer the door while naked. A perfectly reasonable expectation for folks on both sides of the door.
More than one-half of respondents (52%) plan to keep offerings the same or expand room service menus and hours in the next year to meet the growing demand.
Revelling in room service
Participating hotels revealed a third of their guests (30%) will go all-out when ordering in, spending on average, over $100 on a single room service order.
More than half (54%) of hotels said guests travelling for business tend to order more room service compared to leisure travellers.
Canadian hotels said champagne or sparkling wine is the most expensive item on their room service menus.
Despite the popularity of food service apps to facilitate the process (or stymie it), 75% of hotels surveyed said that room service demand has stayed the same or increased over the past year.
