“Whether needing to quickly replenish after a workout or wanting to toast the perfect sunset, 15-Minute Room Service provides quick and delicious meals for those who want it right away,” says Christopher Hunsberger, executive vice president, global product and innovation at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “It’s also ideal for those who are on the go. Ideally, every meal would be enjoyed at leisure, but at times we really just need to grab a bite quickly – and there’s no reason that it can’t be freshly-made with quality ingredients, and entirely delicious.”

While the logistics of 15-minute room service may be difficult, the idea is terrific.  Many guests who order room service are on a tight schedule.  I can’t tell you how many times I tried to fit in a room service meal before a conference call… and how many times the meal was very late and I barely got a chance to eat!  Door knob hanger order forms have really helped out my breakfast routine, and this 15-minute room service program will be great for lunch and dinner, especially when arriving at a hotel later than expected and starving.  Also from the press release:

“At Four Seasons, we’re constantly looking for new ways to make the most of our guest’s time and enhance their experience. By putting ourselves in the place of our guests and imagining what could make their lives easier, we’re able to come up with new services, amenities and approaches to doing business on a regular basis. Putting guests first and delivering good quality food quickly is just the latest in a long history of innovations,” Hunsberger added.

Source:  Four Seasons Press Release

I am the In Room Dining Manager of a large hotel.  Our In Room Dining sales have really dropped over the last year.  Our service scores are also suffering.  Where do a start?

Great question!  Many hotels are reporting a drastic decrease in F&B sales per occupied room.  The In Room Dining sales have taken the biggest hit during these tough times.  Guests are really cutting back on the more expensive amenities of the hotels and room service is usually at the top.  Here are our recommendations:

1.  Revisit your menu and specifically your menu prices.  Many hotels dramatically increased their room service menu prices over the restaurant prices.  We recommend that the prices are similar, especially if your hotel is near many other restaurants…  especially if they are within walking distance.  Guests typically look at the room service prices and assume they are the same as in the restaurant.  If a guest feels they are too high, you have lost them as a customer in both room service and the restaurant.  Guests will grab breakfast from a quick mart and eat dinner at the restaurant next door. 

2.  Review the basics of room service selling with your Room Service Operators.  Now more than ever, they need to maximize the revenue on every call they receive.  Check out this article on how to increase your room service sales by as much as 50 percent!

3.  For help on improving your service, check out this article on how to deliver room service orders the right way!

Have any tips of your own?  Post them below!  Have a question that you would like answered?  Post it below or send it to us via the contact page.

Before we talk about suggestive selling, the first thing we have to talk about is how to ask the right questions.  The most important thing to keep in mind is to never ask open ended questions.  When I call room service, the room service operator typically asks, ‘what can I get for you?’ or, ‘what would you like this evening?’  If you ask either of those questions, you have lost all opportunity to sell.  At that point you are only an order taker.  Your questions have to be specific and lead the guest to buy. 

The first question you should ask the guest is, ‘how many guests should I set the tray for?’  Almost nobody ever asks this question.  They usually just guess based on the number of entrees ordered or just assume that the order is for one person.  Without knowing how many guests the meal is for, you cannot set up the tray properly… but more importantly, you cannot sell correctly!

Once you know how many guests to prepare for, you can start selling.  Selling is simple.  It is about anticipating the guest’s needs and making recommendations to match. 

The next question you ask is to take guest’s appetizer order.  With all of the questions that you will ask the guest, keep the following in mind:

1. Order taking is asking, ‘what would you like this evening?’
2. Selling is asking, ‘would you like to start with an appetizer this evening?’
3. Suggestive selling is specifically asking, ‘would you like to start with an appetizer such as our fresh shrimp cocktail or our famous red hot buffalo wings?’

Order taking is what they do at McDonald’s.  Selling will improve your results slightly.  Suggestive selling will increase your revenues (and tips) up to 50 percent.  Your guests will respond when you ask the right questions and make the right suggestions. 

Once you have sold the guest on an appetizer, move on to the entrée.  At this point, you should go over the day’s specials and offer help with any questions the guest may have.  You can always make a suggestion or two.  However, you typically do not have to steer a guest towards an entrée selection.  They most likely have already decided on an entrée before calling.  Even though you are not steering, you are still selling here… specifically, up-selling here!  Have your up-sell items prepared in advance for every entrée.  If the guest orders a burger, recommend adding bacon.  If a salad or pasta is ordered, be sure to recommend adding shrimp or chicken.  Be sure the up-sell options are programmed into the point of sale system as a reminder.

Now that you have the guest’s appetizer and entrée selections, you can match their choices with your beverage menu and sell them a drink from the bar.  If the guest ordered a steak, recommend a great glass of wine.  It works best if you recommend a mid-priced glass so they are not surprised by the check total when they see the bill.  If you are preparing a meal for two, recommend a bottle.  If the guest orders a more casual meal like a burger, recommend one of your specialty beers or a mixed drink. 

Even if the guest is not interested in an alcoholic drink, you still have work to do.  If they ask for soda, sell them two (remember, there are no refills in room service).  If they ask for water, make sure you go over the choices of bottled water.  You should have at least two types of water available in at least two sizes. 

After the beverage order, you are ready to sell the dessert.  The great thing about room service dessert is that the guest orders the dessert before they eat the meal.  They do not know whether they will be too full for dessert yet and they are much easier to sell as desserts have a high appeal to many people.  Therefore, you should sell at least twice as many desserts in room service as you do in your restaurant.  When asking the guest for the dessert order, go back to your suggestive selling and take the same approach as you did with the appetizer.  Ask a specific question such as ‘would you like to include a slice of our chef’s cheesecake topped with raspberry and fresh whipped cream?’

If the guest orders a dessert, you can usually also sell them on a specialty coffee or desert liquor.  Again, just match the dessert with the beverage.  Even if they said no to the cheesecake, make sure you offer the specialty coffee. 

Some other things to keep in mind when selling room service:

1. Make sure you compliment the guest on their selection if the guest orders a great dish.  Guests are nervous when ordering a dish, especially if it is expensive or unusual.  Put their mind at ease by saying, ‘that is a great selection’ or, ‘the New York Strip is my favorite as well’. 
2. Make suggestions based on items that are your favorite dishes.  Do not recommend a dish that you have not personally eaten.  If you have not sampled every item on your menu, you should not be answering the phone!
3. Use positive words to describe every dish.  You do not just have a burger; you have a ‘terrific half pound grade A burger cooked to perfection with your choice of toppings.’
4. Do not forget about the basics:  use the guest’s name, quote a delivery time, and show appreciation!

Links:

Click HERE to download our sample scoring form to train and test your room service team.

It is no wonder why Room Service is often one of the lowest scores on hotel comment cards and one of the lowest areas we see during our hotel inspections.

Here are some tips for doing it right:

1. Deliver within the quoted time or the meal is free. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting for a meal. Guests schedule their night around their meal. They typically order food to arrive before their favorite television show starts or when they can take a break from work. Do not be late! If you are, apologize, and offer to pay for the meal. Breakfast should be delivered within 20 minutes and lunch and dinner within 40.

2. Remember the tray set up basics. Every order should include a glass of ice water or bottled water. All entrees other than sandwiches should come with a bread basket and butter. All trays should be preset with a rollup, salt & pepper, and a flower.

3. Have photos in your room service area of what a properly set up tray should look like for each item on your menu. Spot check to make sure the trays look just like the photographs.

4. Use a hot box or the pellet system to keep hot food hot on the way to the room.

5. Remove all saran wrap before knocking on the guest door. A guest should never see saran wrap.

6. Once inside the room, present the food to the guest by removing each lid and describing the item. Take any extra lids with you when you leave. Make sure the food is stacked on the tray in the order a guest would eat it, appetizer on top and entrée on the bottom.

7. Pour the beverages for the guest inside the room, not before. Whether it is a soda, mixed drink, or glass of wine, nothing should be in the glass before entering the room. Bring ice in a separate ice bucket with a small ice scooper for sodas and mixed drinks. Bring a fresh bottle of wine and pour a glass. Offer to leave the bottle and just add the price to the check.

8. Tell the guest how to have the tray removed. Whether you want them to call or just place it outside the room, they need to know. Be sure to have the trays removed immediately.

9. Tell the guest that the gratuity is already included when presenting the check. Getting a double tip is great for the room service server but very bad for your guest satisfaction.

10. Complete the guest call back. The guest should be called during their meal to check on the food quality. You wouldn’t serve them in the restaurant and then never check on the food quality, right? It gives you the opportunity to fix and mistakes as well as offer another drink or a desert. If you are afraid of disturbing the guest during the meal, let them know when you deliver the food that someone will call to check on the meal. Then they have the option of answering or not answering the call.

Once you get these improvements in place, the hard part is monitoring them. Room service servers will always resort back to taking whatever short cuts they can get away with and still get tips. Have each of your managers get rooms under fake names and order a meal once every month. Have them submit a score sheet to the Director of Food and Beverage. Room service is typically one of the lowest scoring areas of our hotel inspections when we inspect new clients. Every Director of Food and Beverage is shocked and can’t believe what the room service servers really do.

Work hard and master these techniques. Then check out this article on how to increase your room service revenues by 50 percent!