Providing services
Room service
Room service is when food and drink is served to customers in their room. There is a room service menu that has some of the dishes available in the restaurant.
The guest telephones the order to front office who passes it to food and beverage service department. The food is then brought on a tray to the room by a waiter or a porter.
The cost of the food will be slightly higher to cover the cost of preparing the tray and delivery to the room.
The customer will usually leave the tray in the corridor for collection after finishing the meal.
The service meets the needs of:
- Single people who may not wish to dine alone in the restaurant
- Guests who wish to have a late breakfast in bed
- Guests who are feeling unwell or who are very tired
- Guests who arrive very late after the restaurant has closed
Advantages
- Guests can request food for a time that suits their plans for the day/evening
- Extra revenue is made from the sale of food and beverages outside the actual restaurant
- It can be a selling point for the hotels who provide this service
- The star rating of the hotel is higher for providing room service so more customers may be attracted
Disadvantages
- The selection of dishes available is restricted and guests do not have as wide a choice
- The food may not be hot as it has to be brought from the kitchen and this can spoil the enjoyment for the guest
- The additional cost for the service may put guest off ordering room service
- Staff are required to provide the service and this may reduce the number of staff for duties elsewhere in the hotel
- Dirty trays left too long in corridors can create a poor impression for other guests
Laundry service
This is provided to guests who required clothing to be washed or dry cleaned. A list of costs is in the information folder in each room and a bag is provided for the dirty items.
The dirty laundry will be collected by a porter when a request is made to front office and the cleaned items will usually be returned within 24 hours.
The cost will be added to the bill and paid on departure.
Advantages
- This is a very useful service for business people who may be travelling for several days as it reduces the amount of clothes and therefore they have less luggage
- Families with children on holiday will benefit from this service as it is very convenient when children require a lot of clean clothing
- A service like this enhances the reputation of the hotel
- There is a charge for the service which adds to the revenue and profit for the hotel
Disadvantages
- Additional work for staff collecting, carrying out and returning clothing quickly
- Guests items have to be carefully washed separately so they are not mixed up. If this should happen it could harm the reputation of the hotel
- Time required to provide the service may not be convenient for guests so they do not use it (usually 12-24 hour turnaround)
- The cost per item is expensive for the guest
