Dear WuBookers, in this article we deal with a topic that mainly concerns medium and large hotels, but can provide useful insights for smaller establishments as well: room service. Once a privilege of luxury hotels only, it is now an additional opportunity for other properties too. Provided, however, that it is managed in the best possible way!
Let’s find out more about this service and its benefits.

What is room service

Room service consists of the provision of meals directly in the guest’s room. This can be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks but also out-of-hours food or drinks, such as midnight snacks or the like (if the service is 24 hours a day). This is an extra pampering for guests, who can then enjoy what they want without leaving the comfort of their room: the guest chooses what to order from the menu, orders it, and waits for the facility’s staff to deliver what they requested directly to their door.

But a la carte food and drinks are not the only option available. Although room service largely coincides with classic food and beverage service, there is no shortage of exceptions, which may include menus or customized proposals, special food and wine packages or even newspapers, extra clean linens, toiletries, and more.

The goal is to make the guest feel like the center of attention and make their experience as pleasant as possible.

Pros and cons of room service

Like all customer services, room service has advantages and disadvantages for the facility: let’s look at them in detail.

Advantages of room service

Among the main benefits we have mentioned, customer satisfaction is one of them. Offering impeccable room service, or even personalized to the guest’s tastes, improves the quality of the stay and can stimulate the guest to leave a positive review or return again.

In addition, room service is not present in all establishments and this can make a difference when booking: there are travelers who do not want to give up their privacy and comfort and being able to guarantee extra service in this regard could be crucial.

Again: through room service it is possible to promote the hotel restaurant or other additional services. In other words, room service can be an opportunity for upselling and cross-selling (thus a higher revenue) for the hotel. Why not suggest special menus or premium offers, or exclusive locations in which to enjoy them, such as the specially reserved spa area?

Disadvantages of room service

So far so good, but what are the possible cons of this type of service? The first has to do with the need for organization, which is not always easy given that room service is outside the typical locations (and in some cases even the typical hours) of classic food service.

This can entail dedicated staff and, ultimately, an extra effort for the hotel, especially if you want to ensure impeccable service.

Indeed, slowness, delays, and errors are not contemplated. Therefore, logistics, supply and delivery methods need to be planned to the dot, starting with delivery equipment such as ad hoc trolleys, dishes to keep food warm, trays and whatever else is needed to provide an excellent level of service.

Aspects not to be overlooked

Apart from these possible downsides and necessary organizational measures, room service represents an interesting opportunity for hoteliers and, certainly, an attractive prospect for guests.

However, for it to work well, it is necessary to take certain precautions that concern not only efficiency but also:

• the ease of use of the service: making the ordering process easy and immediate is the first step in getting it used: so make sure everything is clear and smooth, from selection to ordering;
• the quality of the food and beverage: selected raw materials and proper serving equipment are key to ensuring an excellent dining experience;
• the professionalism of the staff: the staff in charge of delivery must also respect the standards of the service. Friendliness, helpfulness and care all contribute to creating an image of a sophisticated and luxurious hotel;
• promoting room service: how do customers know that the service exists? Promoting it is necessary, and this applies to all channels: online, on the website and social channels; and offline, at the reception desk and in the room, including through dedicated informational pamphlets.

Alongside these, it is also advisable to add the personalization factor. How? For example, with proposals tailored to the guest or dedicated to special occasions (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and so on) or to specific types of customers (such as couple’s menus or children’s menus).

Tips for managing room service through technology

When it comes to organization and efficiency, technology can lend a helping hand. In the case of room service, useful support comes from the PMS for hotels which, by centralizing all facility-related operations, also facilitates room service management.

Let’s take a few practical examples discussing Zak, WuBook’s hotel management and key room service-related features

Service creation

First, it is necessary to create the service, that is, to make it available for sale (if it is valued economically) and for selection by bookers.

A very simple operation, which can be done in more than one way within Zak. In fact, the hotelier can decide to consider it as an extra service, and thus display it along with the others of this type, or as an extra meal, taking advantage of the Restaurant module.

In either case, both the hotelier and the guest can view the activation of the service and the related costs, if any: in fact, the guest always has access to their own reservation voucher, a personal, password-protected page with all the information pertaining to their reservation, including additional services.

Menu definition

The menu available for room service can be processed like any other menu within the Restaurant software. Here the hotelier has 3 types of menus available (a la carte, fixed or fixed with multiple choice) that he can customize and recreate into as many versions as he wishes. For example, he can determine that the menu dedicated to room service is one of the a la carte menus, or it is fixed, and so on. And, to change it, he only needs to add or remove individual courses or entire categories of dishes (e.g., “Pizzas” or “Fresh Drinks”) to update it in a matter of minutes.

In addition to printing it out, he can make it easily readable via QR code, so it will be even more agile for guests to consult.

Reporting and evaluation

How to understand whether the service is working? Reporting is one of the most important aspects of evaluating room service performance and improving it.

That’s why Zak also offers a dedicated section within the Restaurant package, which includes detailed data on orders, food and revenue generated from meals.

Imagine you want to know whether or not the seasonal mushroom menu was enjoyed by your guests. You could search for the individual food item (in this case, mushrooms) within the panel and view the quantities consumed and the revenue generated.

The same can also be done for all food categories, or for a specific category or menu type.

By sorting the results according to the filters you are interested in, you will be able to easily find the information you need to make an assessment on both a general and a particular level.

Thus, room service represents an opportunity, but for it to be truly so, it must meet criteria of efficiency, quality and organization. Aspects that Zak from WuBook can simplify and make more streamlined.