In-room dining has high margin, an entirely captive audience and near-zero competition inside the room. It also routinely does a fraction of the volume it should. The causes are consistent across properties, and none of them are really about the food.
Problem 1: the menu is in the compendium
A leather folder in a drawer, containing the fire evacuation plan, the spa price list and — somewhere behind those — the room service menu. Guests do not open it. If the menu is not visible from the bed or the desk, it does not exist.
- Put a standalone in-room menu somewhere visible: on the desk, by the bed, or on the minibar.
- A single well-designed card beats a multi-page folder. Eight to twelve items is plenty.
- Add a QR code for ordering, but keep the print card for browsing — the decision happens on paper, the order happens on the phone.
Problem 2: the delivery promise kills the order
A guest deciding whether to order at 9pm is weighing convenience against waiting. "45 minutes" ends the transaction. A short list of items that genuinely arrive in 20 minutes will outsell a long list that arrives in 45, every time.
Problem 3: the pricing feels punitive
A restaurant main at a premium, plus a tray charge, plus service, plus tax, arrives at a number that makes the guest feel taken advantage of — and that resentment carries into the review. Either price it at parity with the restaurant and drop the tray charge, or set an honest single price with everything included. Guests mind a higher number far less than they mind a stack of additions.
What sells in a room
In-room ordering is a different intent from restaurant dining. Guests order in when they are tired, arriving late, travelling with children, or already in for the night. The menu should reflect that: comfort food, one-plate dishes, a good burger, something for a child, a decent bottle of wine, and a small late-night list for after the restaurant closes.
That last one matters more than most properties realise. Late arrivals with no food option is one of the most common complaints in reviews, and one of the easiest to fix with four items and a kettle-adjacent kitchen process.