The Future of Hotel Room Service

When hotels first introduced room service they broke strategic ground, fusing their offer into the mainstream hotel F&B operation. All those who did were seen as industry disruptors. Over many years, hotel room service became a timeless hotel principle, and for many hotel guests the ordering of room service became an intrinsic part of their hotel experience. In fact, it has been a core feature in hotels for decades. 

Hotel room service has the powerful capacity to strengthen the relationship between the customer and hotel brand. It can embed a clear distinguishing feature from your competitors – if it is done right.

In my view there are two key themes that will influence the future of hotel room service:

1. Hotel Room Tray/Delivery Service Charges – Is it Justified?

I suggest some hotel operators use the implementation of a tray/delivery charge as an opportunistic F&B revenue stream, with many fees starting anywhere from ￡5.00, depending on where you are – and that is before you have taken your first bite. With what should be a key functionality of hotels’ advertised F&B services and the fact that F&B team members do not have to drive five miles outside the hotel to deliver room service, we are only taking steps to a guest’s room and back.  

If hotels charge tray/delivery fees for a core service (room service) what is next, a fee to have breakfast or dinner in the hotel restaurant? “Excuse me, you need to pay a fee to use the seat in the restaurant.”

Doesn’t applying a room service tray charge demonstrate a lack of addressing customer needs? And shouldn’t operators be encouraging room service rather than discouraging it through additional fees to access an in house service?

It may be that the inclusion of a ‘tray service’ or ‘delivery charge’ is merely to deter guests from ordering room service and to persuade them to visit the hotel restaurant - treating hotel customers as sheep... Some hotels position the charges as a tip for solely the team member, and this may well be accurate.

Personally, I have never seen the logic in charging guests delivery fees for a service that is actually produced and delivered in house. I think this underscores the lack of room service strategy which is – either remove room service and or charge a fee. If it were my hotel, I would be thrilled if a guest telephoned to order products and services, offering the chance to meet their needs and simultaneously receiving revenue. I would never charge a room service tray charge, but that is my own personal view.

2. Has the hotel industry historically chosen to ignore room service customer needs and expectations; and what are the failures and future opportunities?

I believe the F&B hotel industry has been too slow to recognize the true value of hotel room service, especially given the abundance of external food delivery disruptors you see in many hotel lobbies today, all ready to deliver and fulfil your customer’s requirements. This is no longer your revenue, it walks out of the door. Your hotel guests are now being served by external market solutions (and yet hotels have fully operational kitchens and skills to execute this on their own).

Rather than operators embracing their own unique room service functionality, I suspect it probably fell into the sales prevention department. ‘Why don’t we generate more revenue by charging a tray fee for room service?’ is how I imagine the narrative may have gone. Maybe some hotel operators use it to deter guests from ordering room service, by fees and lack of menu direction, because it is viewed as an inconvenience and does not align with their manning levels.

Hotel room service strategy should be executed in ways that are consistently dynamic, creative, bold, exciting, and priced intelligently. But too often the reality is a flawed implementation by the failure to own it as a key guest experience. I also fear this will continue to push hotel guests to order from external providers because it is generally faster, with greater choice, quality and value. 

If hotel room service is executed correctly, it can undoubtedly be a tremendous asset to enabling your customers to get what they need, when they need it. I fear if room service menus continue to be poorly written, have substandard products, and be priced from another universe, it is the same as saying to your guests, “look, we really don’t want to send food to your room, but if you really want to order then we will hike up the price and for good measure we will penalize you with a tray delivery charge because walking from the kitchen, into the elevator, and to your room, is an inconvenience to us”.

The hotel industry needs a room service revolution which is geared towards customer flexibility, market needs, value and innovation. Room service menus are often left until last on chefs’ to-do lists. I fear in many hotels there is a lack of strategic focus towards the room service menus and no follow through after menu implementation.

The room service strategy of some operators has failed to adapt to the key change of pace of customers’ wants and needs. Why shouldn’t room service menus be robust and capable of changing to meet the needs of the customer in the 21st Century?

If we think about change and renewal, what has the sector done with room service innovation apart from installing extra charges or removing it altogether? Could it be that operating room service is too problematic for some operators? It must be a business objective to resolve any inconsistencies and get it right for your business and guests.

The hotel room service offer has not changed fast enough, hence the external disruptors have now emerged to take your F&B revenues.

Recognize that a new approach is needed before its too late.

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