DiningBuzz! - Bad Room Service Experience

Hello Followers

I just had the worst room service experience ever, cold food, waiter not smiling, waited 40 minutes for my food (order was not complete). I travel quite often and am sick and tired of the standard food and service provided by all hotels.

Imagine you had a chance to change the "room service menu" that most hotels offer (whilst staying realistic ...).

What type of room service food would you want to have? / What would "WOW you as an in-room diner?

Recall a recent example whereby a hotel in-room dinign experience exceeded your expectations!!!

I look forward to your stories.

What would "WOW you as an in-room diner?


Your post reads like a marketing survey. However, I'll bite. You know what would wow me? Not being charged an inflated price+delivery fee+taxes+in room dining surchage+gratuity, which can turn eggs and bacon into $30 or more.

I'll tell you for $100.

decent chefs hate room service. when the weather gets bad, half the hotel orders burgers or equal at 12:30.

particularly at conference hotels set up that breakfast bar, with eggs prepared to order, to avoid the 500 orders at 7am for breakfast. they hire freelance cooks fot the egg frying.

my complaint with room service is with the hotels that do not pick up the dirty dishes until the night shift. the halls stink of bacon and eggs.

I would make the menu prices not confiscatory.

Never liked room service, such a lazy thing that has always been the fancy of over-excited teens. If someone want food they should move their fat behind and do it the proper way. :)

thanks much appreciated

I travel a lot and stayed in many places but not a bad experience yet.

Pricing would be the thing that stands out most to me. There is really no reason that the same pasta dish on room service should cost double what it does in the restaurant.

I like dining out, I normally do so. However if I am feeling under the weather, why on earth would I go and sit sneezing over everyone in the reastaurant? Or if I am working, it makes more sense to order food in, than to go out for an hour or more. People with young children find it useful, as do those who travel with pets (even service animals).

I'd like to see price points closer to delivery food prices - after all, it is pretty much the same thing, with an elevator replacing the car for delivery purposes. I don't mind a delivery charge, but doing things like delivery charge + 22% gratuity + convenience charge on top of already inflated prices, annoys me.

The one that REALLY bugs me tho, is hotels who have taken coffee / tea making facilities out of the room, and have you 'call down' for it.

Your post reads like a marketing survey. However, I'll bite. You know what would wow me? Not being charged an inflated price+delivery fee+taxes+in room dining surchage+gratuity, which can turn eggs and bacon into $30 or more.Quite a few luxury all-inclusive hotels in the Caribbean include in-room dining in the all-inclusive rate.

Price aside, most room service is blah. I order it maybe twice a year. When you figure, conservatively, it is going to be at least 15 minutes from the time the food leaves the kitchen until you start eating, not too much is going to hold up. Pancakes? Mushy. Waffles? Soggy. Omelet? Probably OK from the warmer. Hash Browns? Soggy. Hamburger? Getting cold, and the bun is soggy. Fries? Limper than you after the excitement of a room service dinner. Salad? Probably just fine. Same with cold sandwiches. They probably can also serve a decent piece of cake, if the restaurant has a decent piece of cake.

Price aside, most room service is blah. I order it maybe twice a year. When you figure, conservatively, it is going to be at least 15 minutes from the time the food leaves the kitchen until you start eating, not too much is going to hold up. Pancakes? Mushy. Waffles? Soggy. Omelet? Probably OK from the warmer. Hash Browns? Soggy. Hamburger? Getting cold, and the bun is soggy. Fries? Limper than you after the excitement of a room service dinner. Salad? Probably just fine. Same with cold sandwiches. They probably can also serve a decent piece of cake, if the restaurant has a decent piece of cake.

Some of the best french fries I've had were room service! I loved the mini bottles of ketchup and mayo that came with them too - but the fries were really hot, fresh and delicious! I had to stop myself ordering seconds!!!

I really don't expect to be "wowed" by room service. Like others, I'd like to see pricing on par with the hotel restaurant, minus the ridiculous gross-up for "delivery". Isn't that what I'm tipping for?

I want my food in a timely fashion and I want the order to be correct. That's really it. Oh, and hot (or cold), as appropriate. I don't have high expectations when I order, but I want a decent burger or club sandwich or pizza. And if the hotel can't do it right, then subcontract it out to a local sandwich/pizza joint that can. Or, better yet, give me a directory (like Seamless Web) where I can place orders from folks in the area who deliver to the hotel.

I haven't had a bad room service experience, but I rarely order it (and when I have it's been at 5-star hotels). The exception is when I go on vacation, before I meet up with my tour group. I travel by myself, so I'd rather read a book in my room while I eat than sit by myself in a restaurant.

Pricing is my main deterrent to ordering it otherwise.

Hello Emma, thank you for your reply, I appreciate it.

Thank you for taking the time, really appreciate.

I agree with you, get the basics right.

So for which property/company do you work, or on who's behalf are you conducting this marketing survey?

When I used to travel for work, I almost always travelled alone. I very much dislike eating alone in restaurants because the servers almost always snub single diners. So I use room service. It's not lazy as one of the posters said, it's convenience. When I travel for business, I want to either work while I eat or watch tv to depressurize from work.

I do agree with the posters who said the extortionist prices are the worst thing.

Here is an example of room service done right: The Savage River Lodge in Maryland is all cabins. There is a common dining room, but they're happy to deliver food to your cabin also. They advertise as being dog-friendly, but can't allow dogs in the dining room. So when we went with our dogs, we were impressed by the brilliance of their delivery service. They bring the food in a large basket that keeps it hot for the drive up the hill. Two servers work together; they bring the basket into your cabin, set the table formally, pour your wine if you ordered a bottle, light a candle if you want, and slip out the door. The food quality was definitely in the fine dining category. If a rustic cabin/lodge in the mountains can do this, then Hilton/Marriott/etc has no excuse.

Ive had some ordinary Room service experiences but most have been ok

I prefer to get take away from a decent nearby restaurant and bring it back to my room

With google maps etc it's not hard to find nearby places