At some hotels, room service is drastically different than it was three years ago, and managers generally agree the changes have been for the better.
Much of the evolution of in-room dining during the pandemic has focused on guest safety and convenience, as well as cost.
John Beck, general manager of the Crowne Plaza HY36 in New York, said the landscape of room service has completely changed. The ease of ordering food on apps such as DoorDash and UberEats means hotel room service is now competing more with other local restaurants.
“You can get any food you want delivered to the hotel, delivered to any hotel, whether from the best restaurant in the city or a nice dive spot,” he said, adding that it's forced hotel food-and-beverage directors to think of more casual ways of providing in-room dining.
Room service at Crowne Plaza HY36 did away from the traditional white tablecloth and metal cover presentation in favor of linens that resemble a picnic. Beck said he's seen hotels transition to using fully disposable bamboo plates and silverware.
“The pandemic, that two-year reset we've had, really revolutionized [the presentation],” he said.
Not all hotels are abandoning tradition, however.
Matthew Ross, director of food and beverage at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, said his hotel made the switch to paper products early in the pandemic, but is now providing the white-tablecloth, old-world European room service its guests were more accustomed to.
Veronica Beltran, director of food and beverage at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville, said her hotel has toed the line between tradition and adopting new techniques.
The Grand Bohemian switched to bento boxes to deliver and present more casual menu items instead of paper or plastic to retain some level of elevation while adjusting to the times. However, the traditional experience remains for pricier menu items such as steak to match the expectation of the food, Beltran said.
Guests are given the choice of whether they would like their meal set up in their room or not — a pandemic-era change still in effect, she said.
Food-and-beverage operations have not only had to adjust how they deliver and present in-room dining, but have also had to reinvent menus according to guests’ shifting demands.
Beltran said the Grand Bohemian overhauled its in-room dining offerings, prioritizing more easy-to-eat food, such as burgers and sandwiches as well as grab-and-go items after taking stock of the bestsellers.
“We reinvented the whole menu and reinvented the way that we deliver the menu items,” she said.
Crowne Plaza HY36 went from a more “elevated” menu that included pricey steaks and salmon to a “less stuffy” menu that guests wanted, Beck said.
“It's gone from a high price point, the fanciest thing for the fanciest guests, to let's give people really what they want in the room in the hotel because now we're not the only game in town,” he said.
State of Room Service
No matter how drastic the changes, food-and-beverage directors agree in-room dining service has improved since the start of the pandemic.
Beltran said in-room dining was nearly a forgotten relic at her hotel prior to COVID-19. However, guests started ordering it more due to its ease and lack of interaction.
Beck said the sudden increase in guests’ options from restaurants all around the city actually improved in-room dining because it was forced to get better to keep up.
“From the room-service side, we're able to be a lot more creative in what we provide and what we offer,” he said.
Ross said the in-room dining presentation hasn’t changed much at The London West Hollywood over the past few years, but there have been some positive adoptions of technology. A QR-code system was introduced that made menus accessible from all locations in the hotel, and with a new system called “tray away” guests alert staff with the press of a button to come back to pick up dishes at the end of the meal.
“[In-room dining] is better because we've learned so many ways to improve our service by being so careful with it,” he said. “I just feel like we just have a better relation with the guests. … We are just getting back to normal now but we're getting less complaints from [in-room dining] than maybe before the pandemic.”
Seeking a fast solution at the height of the pandemic, the Grand Bohemian introduced an on-demand ordering service “without hesitation,” Beltran said.
“It’s a great tool for hotels and restaurants to provide an in-room dining option, understanding that now it’s so easy for people to order everything from their phone,” she said.
Beck said three years ago, hotels needed a server for everything. Now, everything is app-based, whether it’s ordering a meal or looking up a menu to check on the allergies of each item.
Making in-room dining services more casual and easier to use has paid dividends, Beck said.
“From my standpoint, I think the pandemic has really just revolutionized room service and brought room service down to everybody,” he said. “From where we sit in the medium-scale market, room service is a great option for travelers.”