When was the last time you ordered room service?
If you are adhering to a strict travel budget, then splurging on a formal meal to be delivered to and consumed in the privacy of your hotel room may be out of the question.
Or is it?
Recently, some hotels have been experimenting with a frugal version of room service much to the delight of budget-conscious guests.
PUBLIC Chicago, a boutique property in the Windy City, has been garnering headlines for its affordable room service described as “fast food with little human interaction.” The service is called “PUBLIC Express,” though instead of hotel staff wheeling meals in on carts, guests’ orders are left in a bag on the doorknob. The no-frills method eliminates the labor costs associated with cleaning tables, dishes and silverware. Bottom line: Hotels are able to pass the savings to guests, so they can enjoy the convenience of room service without going broke.
This stripped down room service option doesn’t mean guests are stuck with eating ballpark food. Rather, PUBLIC Chicago’s menu is designed by famed French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The gourmet meals are delivered to the hotel’s rooms in less than 10 minutes with no additional charge.
Hilton Worldwide is also testing out the brown bag approach, most notably at its popular Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu, Hawaii, and DoubleTree by Hilton in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Menu options are taken from the chain’s MADE Market casual dining eatery.
Even the ultra-luxe Four Seasons Washington, D.C. is offering room service meals for less. The hotel features a 15-minute express menu with breakfast items delivered on brown paper trays and lunch and dinner options tucked inside plastic containers. Meanwhile, the Hudson Hotel in New York is giving penny-pinching travelers a way to save with its “Hudson Common Express.” Available items include steel-cut oatmeal with black quinoa for breakfast and Caesar salad for dinner. The high-quality food comes without the bells and whistles of silver trays and fancy utensils. Rather, hotel patrons can save big bucks by dipping into paper bags and eating with plastic flatware.