Cancel the room service E

NJOY those midnight deliveries while they last — room service of any kind seems to be heading for extinction.

According to Condé Nast Traveller, while the number of hotel guests overall has risen in the past six years, the use of room service has plummeted by 25%.

In part, it’s the price. Even business travellers object to paying $16 on average for a club sandwich — essentially, a BLT with delusions of greatness — especially as company budgets are all tightening. And hotels aren’t keen to allocate resources to room service, either. It’s always been a bit of a drain on them, though hotels have persisted in offering it since 24-hour in-room dining was a prerequisite for their four or five stars from rating agencies.

Those constraints, though, are loosening. Three years ago, New York’s Hilton Midtown, the second-largest hotel in the city, cut room service, along with 55 jobs, without suffering a downgrade. Instead, it now has a grab-and-go fridge.

And if you do find yourself in a hotel that still offers to-your-door delivery, the site has some tips for those tempted to order — or, more accurately, things to NOT order.

If you’re in a room six storeys or higher, don’t order anything hot. That far from the kitchen, there’s no way it will stay warm — so order something that’s supposed to be cold. Gazpacho anyone?

Also, skip the seafood. Lisa Brefere, a seasoned hotel chef, advises: “Fish doesn’t travel well and it smells. Plus, you don’t know how long it’s been sitting there (in the kitchen). Order something like a turkey sandwich, where you know there has been high turnover.”

When it comes to steak, order it one shade rarer than normal. The trip to the room in the warming trolley, known as a hot box, will keep cooking it.

And never, ever order coffee from room service. That jug of java has been filled from an urn, where the coffee’s been bubbling for hours.