Photo: Dragon Images (Shutterstock)
Like movie theaters or in-person shopping, hotel room service was already declining in popularity before the pandemic all but killed the practice completely. For years now, hotels have been steadily cutting back or all-out eliminating their room service options. In 2016, for instance, the American Hotel and Lodging Association reported that only 22 percent of U.S. hotels even offered room service.
With on-demand meal-delivery apps now so normalized, hotel-specific room service hardly seems worth the exorbitant costs. So while hotels are cutting back on traditional room service, they’re pivoting to make sure they get a cut of however we order food. Here’s what to know about getting food delivered to your hotel room door without room service.
Look out for hotels partnering with food delivery apps
Just because room service is in decline, it doesn’t mean hotels think you’ve stopped dining in your room. Instead of sitting back while delivery apps drop off order after order in their lobbies, chances are your hotel has a food delivery partnership in place. To name a few: Hyatt is partnered with Go Puff, IHG is with Grubhub, and Marriot Bonvoy has UberEats. What this means for you: room service has been replaced by the third-party apps you use at home.
Take advantage of the hotel collaboration
You might not get room service, but you should still try and get the most out of your hotel stay. Instead of going through the Doordash or UberEats app on your phone, order through the hotel’s app, website, or in-room portal. This way you can ensure you don’t miss out on potential rewards from the partnership, like hotel points you can redeem in future bookings.
Get the same room service experience
If you want that classic room service feel, use the in-app messaging to work directly with your delivery person and see if they’re able to deliver right to your door. Otherwise, you might have to pick up your order in the lobby—not exactly the picture of decadence that room service used to bring.
Don’t forget to tip
When it comes to hotel staff, when and how much to tip is a source of confusion for a lot of travelers. Luckily, you’re probably a lot more familiar with the protocol for tipping delivery people. We recommend tipping 20% and in cash.
If you don’t want to use third-party apps
Your hotel’s partnership with their food delivery app of choice is your best bet for getting food delivered to your room. However, if you’re willing to sacrifice a sense of luxury to save some cash, most hotels have grab-and-go options available to bring back to your room.
And finally, if the thought of picking up the hotel phone and getting food delivered on a literal silver platter is a non-negotiable for you? Well, we advise that you research or call your hotel ahead of time to make sure that they even offer room service as an option anymore.
