Hotel evaluations: room service expectations
Warning: For Full Access Please Log In or Create an Account (Free)
Room service at a nice hotel should be served on a tray with nice dinner service, cloth napkins, and appropriate flatware, never plastic. Unfortunately, the food is usually just average. It's appropriate to grade it the way that it is, however. In my experience, it's usually not hot and often the food is mediocre. The Hyatt in Cleveland has stellar room service food, BTW, best I have ever eaten! Now I have never done any NYC or hotel evaluations in CA, so maybe in other places the room service food is great, IDK.
Thanks for your reply. That has been my previous experience as well. I have never had room service that was not plated and served with real flatware or not on sime sory of a tray.. Thanks for the confirmation. Good to know about the Hyatt! I appreciate the answer!
Unless you ordered it to-go (like for a picnic), it should not have been served in/with plastic. Sounds like a screw-up where your order was not entered correctly or the kitchen got your ticket confused with another. Regardless, sounds like you reported it correctly.
Not necessarily. One of the largest hotel chains moved that type of packaging for room service approximately 18 months ago, even in their top tier brands.
I would still report it as not being up to expectations. It's tacky.
@MMMM wrote:
Not necessarily. One of the largest hotel chains moved that type of packaging for room service approximately 18 months ago, even in their top tier brands.
Thank you! That's interesting, and is what I wondered. My review is what it is. It was billed as upscale meal prepared by an excutive chef. My objective narrative and photos will show that, and if it is what the hotel expected then so be it. My subjective comments will be in line with my expectations. ~A
Additionally, this is not in keeping with the "green" movement of getting rid of plastic and other materials that are harmful to the environment...
MMMM is correct. The hotels in question tout this as streamlined food delivery. If that was the case, the in room dining report should, IMHO, assess whether or not it lived up to the posted ads in the hotel and the room service menu.
Yes, I think it is tacky, but if the hotel SHOWS the guest what to expect up front, and the food arrives presented as previously promised, then the presentation would have been "up to expectations." (Low expectations, but meeting those, nonetheless.)
Yes, I think it is tacky, but if the hotel SHOWS the guest what to expect up front, and the food arrives presented as previously promised, then the presentation would have been "up to expectations." (Low expectations, but meeting those, nonetheless.)
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Also, I have had some amazingly great in-room dining experiences and not all at very, very high end properties. I am very picky about how fresh vegetables are prepared and presented, and have a very low tolerance for tough meat and am always quick to point out any related deficiencies. Maybe my room service experiences since 2005 have been atypical, but the vast majority were quite good, some were exceptionally good, and a very few were really poor.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Room service French fries are usually cold and limp, and often burgers are overcooked and underseasoned. Sometimes the MSCs are adamant about what shoppers can and can't order, which makes the choices on an already limited RS menu very restrictive.
Great discussion! Thanks so much for your input. Walesmaven, good point. If that is what the hotel chain is aiming for, then my report will reflect it, as well as my opinion that it was not clear it would be served in that way. I added constructive feedback, like their menu should serve sandwiches or finger food only.
There's a difference with being harsh (subjective) vs. objective. What was poor about the food? The taste? The presentation in plastic?
Shopping the Greater Denver Area, Colorado Springs and in-between in Colorado. 33 year old male and willing to travel!
I had the opportunity to give both objective and subjective feedback. For subjective, it was not only the presentation in to-go containers, but the food was also not properly cooked. I am being vague on purpose. 
Presentations at the"upscale boutique" properties can vary widely. I've had cold sandwiches on paper plates at some, and lavish gourmet presentations at others.
Just give your honest feedback about the presentation.
Just give your honest feedback about the presentation.
I guess it is not unusual to have the room service be served in containers made of recycled material. I had experience in high end hotel chain and in fancy, $1,500 per night, hotel. I was also surprised and that is what I put in my report. I assume people who frequent these hotels usually don’t care to be fancy; they want to be comfortable and receive good and fast service, and are environmentally concious.
This will happen more often as some high end chain abandon having a full service dining room on the premises at all. In City Center DC or Manhattan, and many other cities, people may more often want to walk or take a ride ha/taxi to a famous eatery, or just have a picnic in the room after a long day of work or sightseeing. A few hotels will keep a "destination" restaurant on premises that will attract people who are not also hotel guests. Some of my most memorable hotel meals have been in such establishments. Indeed, in" little ole Roanoke" VA there is a hotel with a destination restaurant! Amazing food and service. Hotel rooms there are nice but not super.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
@walesmaven wrote:
This will happen more often as some high end chain abandon having a full service dining room on the premises at all. In City Center DC or Manhattan, and many other cities, people may more often want to walk or take a ride ha/taxi to a famous eatery, or just have a picnic in the room after a long day of work or sightseeing. A few hotels will keep a "destination" restaurant on premises that will attract people who are not also hotel guests. Some of my most memorable hotel meals have been in such establishments. Indeed, in" little ole Roanoke" VA there is a hotel with a destination restaurant! Amazing food and service. Hotel rooms there are nice but not super.
The restaurant in the hotel I just evaluated seemed more like a destination restaurant, drawing in other customers, rather than just a hotel restaurant. Thanks for your insight. I am anxious to get my score and feedback. I have had toom service many times on business trips, but it has been a couple years, and nothing compared to this experience. ~A
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.