AT YOUR SERVICE
A mixologist will visit guestrooms at Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok to prepare fresh cocktails .
For Kempinski Hotels , Geneva , room service is about much more than the food on the plate . Çırağan Palace in Istanbul , for example , makes it a point to set a table in the room in addition to offering specially tailored romantic dinners on the balcony . At Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok , the “ shaker in the room ” option brings a mixologist to the guestroom to make fresh cocktails .
“ Room service is becoming a personalized and catered service — not just food delivered to your room if you do not want to go to the restaurant ,” says Stéphane Bellon , Kempinski ’ s vice president , corporate food and beverage .
Rosewood San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato , Mexico , pays similar attention to service details for in-room dining , with attendants grinding fresh pepper from a traditional Mexican pepper mill or preparing cappuccinos en suite . “ We really take the time and care to make each experience unique and essentially bring the restaurant to our guests ’ rooms ,” says Food and Beverage Director Octavio Muñoz .
Corey Nyman , director of operations at Las Vegas-based consultancy The Nyman Group , notes a memorable presentation need not involve complicated elements — it can be as simple as serving bread warm from the oven in an attractive basket . “ If you ’ re going to do a 4-star restaurant downstairs , match that service upstairs ,” Nyman says . “ At the end of the day , people are ordering room service for comfort and convenience . We want to make sure we ’ re taking care of the basic needs of our guests and providing that little extra .”
SPEEDY DELIVERY
When Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Toronto , launched a room service offering about two years ago focused on fast delivery — 15 minutes in most hotels , 20 minutes in some resorts — the goal was to serve business travelers . Today , Executive Vice President of Product and Innovation Chris Hunsberger confirms the program caters to a variety of guest needs and represents 15 % to 20 % of Four Seasons ’ room service business .
HOTELS : How have individual hotels adapted the program to fit their needs ?
Chris Hunsberger : Keeping with the core tenets of the program , every one of our properties has been encouraged to have some fun with it . Our property in Florence , for instance , changes its menus a bit more frequently , and they ’ re always focused on seasonal items .
Our Scottsdale ( Arizona ) property
Hunsberger has done a lot not only with the idea of what we can get to you in 15 minutes , but also how we can package it up . They ’ ve got something they ’ ve called “ Removing the Cork ” with a bottle of red wine , olives , chorizo , a baguette , cheeses and things like that . And it ’ s all packaged and ready to go .
H : Does Four Seasons mandate items that must be on every 15- or
20-minute room service menu ?
CH : We ’ ve asked everybody to make sure there are some healthy items and a selection that appeals to all meal periods . Outside of that , we ’ ve really encouraged them to make it local and specific .
H : How do you expect this program to continue to evolve ?
CH : We believe this part of the menu will continue to grow . It initially started with an in-room focus ; many of our hotels now have a to-go section that also is available in 15 to 20 minutes . Time is one of those luxuries people just can ’ t buy , so we believe a focus on our ability to get things to guests when they want it on their own terms is very important .
42 HOTELS January / February 2014 www . hotelsmag . com