Strange and Weird Room Service Requests

For many of us, room service is an important hotel amenity.

Most orders are conventional, but this Room Service Report shows some strange and weird room service requests, including “diet water” and an over-the-top $1,600 Wagyu beef burger.

The room service survey also finds that demand for the popular amenity is on the rise according to 45% of U.S. hotels.

Hotels.com surveyed hotel partners around the world to reveal what’s “in” when dining in from the trendiest to the most eccentric orders, as well as hotels with over-the-top room service options like a $1600 burger and a $300 ice cream sundae.

And Hotels.com is offering a FREE room service in a special sweepstakes. More about that later.

Top findings from the room service study include:

Burgers, Steak and Champagne

Burgers are the most popular room service order not just in the U.S. (49% of U.S. responses) but also globally, beating out pizza, club sandwiches, tacos and fries.

While diners indulge in sushi rolls and lobster tails at restaurants, 43% of U.S. hotels surveyed say guests prefer more casual cuisine behind closed doors, ala burgers in bed.

Hotels said steak and champagne are the most expensive items on their room service menus.

More than a quarter (27%) of U.S. hotels said their guests will go all-out while ordering in, spending on average more than $100 for room service.

The 10 most unusual room service requests

1. Diet water
2. Melted ice cream
3. Blowfish
4. Boiled bottled water
5. A fish caught by the guest who wanted it cooked to order
6. Cockle popcorn
7. No-egg-white omelet
8. Rice bowl for a dog
9. Bison
10. Eggless eggs in hell (shakshuka)

Over-the-Top Room Service

Top properties are pushing the boundaries of room service to go beyond food, offering in-room concerts, in-room beer taps and even a personal Lego^® butler.  Here are some of the best –

The Milestone Hotel in London, U.K. –

• Treat yourself to a world class musical performance with an in-room concert from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Suites from $1,500 per night and orchestra quoted on an individual basis.

Post Oak Hotel in Houston, U.S. –

• Serving the  ultimate hotel burger: The Post Oak Hotel serves “The Black Gold Burger,” which has 16 ounces of Wagyu beef, seared foie gras, and black truffle in a caviar-infused black and 24K gold brioche bun. It will only set you back a whopping $1,600!
• Rooms from $540 per night.

Ashford Castle in Co. Mayo, Ireland –

• Room service isn’t just for grown-ups at Ashford Castle. Travelers can request a Lego butler and pick from a selection of sets, to be delivered on a silver tray to your room.
• Rooms from $856 per night with a €40 local currency fee for the Lego butler.

Park Lane New York in New York City –

• What’s better than on-demand caviar on Billionaire’s Row in the city? Dial “5” to make a request on the hotel’s Caviar Hotline.
• Rooms from $373 per night, and caviar pricing varies.

InterContinental Bora Bora Resort and Thalasso Spa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia (Tahiti)–

• Here, it’s not just about what is being delivered to your door … it’s about how it’s being delivered. You can request an exquisite meal for two to be delivered to the deck of your overwater villa in a traditional outrigger canoe.
• Villas from $1,424 per night.

The Plaza Hotel, New York City –

• This hotel is home to one of the most famous room service orders: the Home Alone sundae, featuring 16 scoops of ice cream and layers of toppings for $300.
• Rooms from $761 per night.

Four Seasons in Chicago –

• Here, the Ice Cream Man makes in-room ice cream-delivery dreams possible for the young and young-at-heart.
• Rooms from $570 per night.

Kylin Villa Resort Jeju, South Korea –

• A room service experience where the camera eats first: This resort sets room service orders on a picturesque floating display in villas with private pools.
• Rooms from $170 per night.

DogHouse Columbus Hotel, Columbus, Ohio –

• This dual-purpose brewery and hotel features in-room beer taps and a mini fridge in the bathroom stocked with “shower beer.”
• Rooms from $190 per night.

How to get free room service

Starting June 12, Hotels.com is offering guests nationwide a chance to win $100 toward an indulgent room service experience this summer.

Enter by July 12 at Hotels.com/getroomservice to take advantage of this tempting offer and for full terms.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter is a journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter, and author of guidebooks and smartphone apps – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

ecoXplorer Evelyn Kanter currently serves as President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a former Board Member of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), and a member of the North American Travel Journalists Assn. (NATJA)

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com.

Copyright (C) Evelyn Kanter