Room service is one of the most unique experiences associated with staying in a hotel— one that you can hardly get in any other form of accommodation. The experience of calling the lobby, ordering a comfort meal to relax you after a long flight or trying a local dish you’ ve never heard of— all including the movieesque scene of a waiter entering your room and lifting the metal food cover— is something a lot of people look forward to. However, for some guests, waiting 45 minutes for a server to arrive with a rolling table, set up a meal and later return to retrieve the equipment is less appealing than having food delivered quickly in packaging that is easy to handle.
Regardless of how you feel about room service from a guest standpoint, one thing is clear: It has long been one of the more
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labor-intensive offerings in a hotel. Over the past five years, hotels have been rethinking what in-room dining should look like as guests become accustomed to faster delivery, mobile ordering, transparent pricing and real-time tracking. At the same time, labor shortages and rising operating costs have forced hotels to reconsider whether the traditional room service model makes sense.
“ Today’ s guest is looking for something that is quicker, easier
John Beck, regional director, Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan
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and more affordable,” said John Beck, regional director at Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan.“ Room service can still be profitable, but I think hotels have to rethink the old cost structure.”
At Crowne Plaza HY36, that has meant moving away from a traditional room service setup and treating in-room dining more like the food delivery experience guests already know. Through its Burgerology restaurant, the hotel’ s food is packaged for easy transport and delivery, allowing guests to order from their phones and choose between delivery to their rooms or pickup from the restaurant.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF ROOM SERVICE At Riggs Washington DC, Addison Hall, director of food & beverage, describes the change as a reimagining rather
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than an abandonment of the service.“ Since the pandemic, the emphasis has shifted towards convenience, speed and an elevated guest experience,” Hall said.“ Each delivery offers a moment of hospitality, not just a food delivery.”
But profitability remains a challenge. While room service has evolved significantly, it remains, for most hotels, a guest amenity rather than a major profit center.“ In many cases, the service continues to operate at a net loss when labor, delivery and operating costs are considered,” commented James Bonner, director of food and beverage at Rosewood Washington D. C.
TOUGH COMPETITION Uber Eats, DoorDash and similar services have changed what consumers expect from food delivery. Guests are used to opening their phone, seeing the menu, knowing exactly what
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72 hotelsmag. com Oct / Nov 2026 |