AUSINSIGHT

I'm currently staying at a mainline Hilton property. I was just told by the front desk associate and later the manager when I inquired for more information that they forbid uber eats and other external delivery services for security reasons and required all guests to meet any delivery person in the lobby. I've never had a problem with this before and was curious if anyone else had heard of this. Suffice to say it gave me a horrible taste for Hilton in my mouth.

Qwkynuf

I suspect that it is more of a property policy than a corporate one. I have run into this at half a dozen Hilton family properties and about as many IHG properties in the US. It seems most common when they have an on site restaurant that they would like to "guide" you to.

I make it a point to remove those hotels from my future stay list - if I had *wanted* to leave my room, I wouldn't have ordered in! And I also let the on-duty manager know at check out that they have lost further business (and why).

If it was really about security they could require the delivery person to wait at the front desk while the clerk calls my room to verify that I was expecting a delivery and to give me a heads-up that it is on the way up.

I suppose I could give a pass to hotels which require a room key to use the elevator, but I tend to avoid those places anyway, because they either have other security issues or are in a downtown area where they rape guests for parking a car.

writerguyfl

Neither of the hotels where I worked allowed delivery people to go unescorted to guest rooms. These were not Hilton-branded hotels.

While you're welcome to disagree, I see this policy as a very good thing. It helps protects both the hotel and the guests.

kool43

I also have seen quite a few 'full service' properties do the same thing. It is about revenue. Revenue only.

PayItForward

Room access should be restricted to Guests and staff. Has properties ever allowed parcel delivery to guests directly at their rooms? I belive they too require either guests to meet delivery in person or it gets left at the FD. FD can then have the item sent to your room. All these could either be free or chargeable.

:D!

Is this an American thing? I can't imagine getting outside food delivered to my room in a hotel. If I really wanted food delivered, I would wait for the driver on the road outside the hotel, not even in the lobby.

Amelorn

Very. Given that the typical American hotel can't conjure much more than a mediocre club sandwich, burger, or caesar salad, it's not surprising that some of us might want something...better.

RCTP

Have stayed in a couple of hotels in the APAC region (not just Hilton group) and all have the same policy. Not just food actually, but any form of delivery requires the guest to receive the package at the lobby. Ie non-hotel guests are not allowed up to the rooms.

I like this policy as I know the hotel isn't letting any Tom dick and Harry in for any reasons other than being a guest.

joejones

A few Hamptons and HGIs that I have stayed at provided menus and phone numbers for local delivery joints right in the room. No room service there, so no lost revenue for them.

jeffandnicole

Why is it people have a single incident, and then love to act as if it's a Worldwide policy?

Elevators to the different floors are supposed to be for hotel staff and guests only.

There is nothing that qualifies a delivery person to be a delivery person. Many a crime have been committed by someone claiming to be something (like a delivery person). Once they are on the elevators, they can access any place in the hotel wthout restriction.

If this unrestricted access at one hotel puts a bad taste in your mouth for all of Hilton, so be it. You're going to find the same restrictions at many other hotels around the world.

And it has nothing to do with hotel revenue. They aren't prohibiting you from bringing food in...they're just prohibiting you from getting it delivered to the room. Go to the lobby and enjoy a beer with your delivery person while you eat the food ...they don't care.

jamesteroh

A lot of hotels have that policy and I think it's good they don't allow unescorted guests in the elevators and like hotels that require a key card for the elevator and the lounge and I have encountered this at Hyatt and SPG as well.

I like what they did at a Ramada in West Hollywood I was at recently. I had food delivered and the front desk called and asked if it was ok to send the delivery person up in the elevator and I said it was fine. Saved me the hassle of putting my shoes on and going down and meeting the guy and it was secure for the hotel since I gave the ok (I doubt a criminal would be able to know a certain room placed a food delivery at that time).

I sure wouldn't refuse to stay at a hotel again over that policy if there were no other problems.

Doc Savage

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. If they had banned it completely, that would be out of line.

Just walk down to the lobby. You'll get a little exercise.

thbe

From my point of view the hotel is right not to le delivery service staff to the hotel room. It's ok to pick the food up in the lobby. And that's not special at Hilton.

BTW: I frequently use food delivery in hotels and I'm not an US citizen. Even good hotels with some restaurants don't offer all kinds of food. And when I want to eat i. e. sushi, why should I eat a club sandwich of a duck cantonese? I stay in hotels far too often to compromise on that.

diningdecadence

yeah most of the ones i've stayed in recently have swipe to get up to the floor. hasn't stopped me ordering and meeting the delivery person in reception though.

YoungSoloTraveler

Uber Eats must be destroying the Hotel food model. But its quite reasonable to pick up at lobby. I don't want some random food delivery person going walking through the halls.