There has been an on going debate on how hotels are gonna adapt their food and beverage options for guests post Coronavirus. Some suggest that In-room dining or room service as its commonly known will increase because buffets are being removed and less human contact is more preferred. Others are suggesting room service will be gone for good because hotels will be looking to cut costs. Let's check out the pros and cons.
Pros
Convenient
Can remove your mask and eat in the safety of your room
You can order anytime
Does not restrict your lifestyle
Cons
Expensive
High cost for the hotel
Sometimes there is a delivery fee
Sometimes there are delays
Food quality isn't the best
Limited menus
The pros
The biggest pro will probably having that peace of mind that you can eat safely without people passing by since we all need to remove our face masks to eat. Let me know if they invent a mask that we can keep on while eating.
Room service is convenient admit it. You've probably tried being too tired from swimming or being out the whole day that you're too lazy or tired to go down to eat, so we resort to room service. Although not all hotels offer 24/7 room service, a lot do especially in top tier properties. This makes it convenient for whenever we get hungry at midnight or just want something to munch on.
You might be wondering what I mean when room service doesn't restrict your lifestyle. This is particularly pertaining to the dress code some hotel restaurants have. Why not have your dinner by the hot tub listening to your favorite Spotify playlist instead.
The Cons
Room service is EXPENSIVE. ₱1,000 for a burger? ₱300 for a can of Coke? Remember convenience will always cost money. It isn't cheap for the hotel to run room service operations as well. The hotel probably has to pay for extra shifts to the chefs and delivery staff not to mention also invest in delivery equipment such as trays and hot boxes.
There will be times that the kitchen is swamped and room service orders get forgotten or are at the back of the line of orders so we can't fully avoid delays at all times. Then once you get your food the buns are soggy, the meat is overcooked or the food has gotten cold from the journey from kitchen to your room. So food quality will definitely not be the best. Let's not forget that many dishes can't be served through room service, thus the menus will most likely be limited compared to a full service restaurant.
Bottom line
In the end in-room dining or room service is a lose-lose affair for both the hotel and guest. Although I personally like room service for when I get snacky late at night, we have yet to see how the industry will react to the ever so changing times that the Coronavirus has brought upon.
There are other alternatives such as grab and go options in some hotels and have GrabFood or FoodPanda deliver to your hotel. How about you? Would you prefer keeping room service available or nah?
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