wigstheone
Apr 12, 02, 6:22 am
Reneck Cayen has been watching his travel budget lately, searching the Internet for discounted airfares and hotel rooms and even driving instead of flying to save a couple hundred dollars. But there's one indulgence Mr. Cayen can't resist: room service.
"I know I shouldn't," says the Los Angeles sales executive, who recently ordered French onion soup and bow-tie semolina pasta at the Hilton in San Francisco. "But it's relaxing."
Call it the last luxury. At a time when travelers are still cutting back, a surprising number are splurging on room service, paying top dollar for that table that rolls to the door, for steak served under a silver dome and for butter that comes with little patterns. Wyndham Hotels says in-room dining orders are up 25% at its 200 properties from a year ago, while they've almost doubled at New York's W Union Square during that time. Indeed, this may be one of the bright spots in an industry that's still losing about $60 million a month, prompting some hotels to fatten their menus with even more indulgences.
Analysts say post-Sept. 11 jitters are keeping more guests in their rooms at night -- the traveler's version of nesting. In addition, a weak economy means more people are taking business trips alone instead of with colleagues, and leaving later in the day to get as much work in as possible. "When you arrive at a hotel alone and late at night, it's just more comfortable to eat in your room," says Bjorn Hansen, hospitality analyst for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,4286,SB1018567755837205000,00.html?mod=TOPIC
"I know I shouldn't," says the Los Angeles sales executive, who recently ordered French onion soup and bow-tie semolina pasta at the Hilton in San Francisco. "But it's relaxing."
Call it the last luxury. At a time when travelers are still cutting back, a surprising number are splurging on room service, paying top dollar for that table that rolls to the door, for steak served under a silver dome and for butter that comes with little patterns. Wyndham Hotels says in-room dining orders are up 25% at its 200 properties from a year ago, while they've almost doubled at New York's W Union Square during that time. Indeed, this may be one of the bright spots in an industry that's still losing about $60 million a month, prompting some hotels to fatten their menus with even more indulgences.
Analysts say post-Sept. 11 jitters are keeping more guests in their rooms at night -- the traveler's version of nesting. In addition, a weak economy means more people are taking business trips alone instead of with colleagues, and leaving later in the day to get as much work in as possible. "When you arrive at a hotel alone and late at night, it's just more comfortable to eat in your room," says Bjorn Hansen, hospitality analyst for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,4286,SB1018567755837205000,00.html?mod=TOPIC