Is hotel room service on the way out?

Room service has long been a highlight of hotel stays. Bundled up in a fluffy white robe, guests can call the room service hotline and order the winning comfort-food combo of a club sandwich and a Diet Coke.

But with the widespread adoption of food-delivery apps like Uber Eats and Menulog, and ongoing hospitality staffing shortages, even some of the fanciest hotels are removing room service all together, or reducing its hours. For instance, at New York Hilton Midtown, one of the largest hotels in the Big Apple, in-room dining is delivered during breakfast and dinner hours only. For sustenance or cravings between 10am and 5pm, and again from 10pm to 6.30am, guests are on their own.

Travellers are asking, are the days of hotel room service numbered? The short answer is no. In a recent Room Service Report by Hotels.com, it was revealed that demand for the service was on the rise according to 45 per cent of US hotels.

"Room service holds a special place in the hearts of hotel guests," said Melanie Fish, spokesperson for Hotels.com.

Globally, the most popular room service order is burgers, beating out other popular contenders such as pizza, tacos and fries. More than a quarter of US hotels said guests go all-out when ordering in, spending on average more than $US100 ($150) per order.

While some hotels, including the Royal Hawaiian and Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort, have removed room service, others consider it a core element.

"We see in-room dining as an essential part of the hotel experience, particularly with solo business diners who get back to the hotel late and need to catch up on emails for the day in a relaxing environment," says Ben Creek, director of food and beverage for Accor Pacific. "In some of our hotel brands such as Novotel and Mantra, where we have many families stay with us, in-room dining gives a great option to feed the kids early in the comfort of the suite or apartment."

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Other hotels are choosing to embrace the new technology of app-based food delivery and are joining forces with providers. Resorts World Las Vegas is offering what it calls "room service, reimagined", powered by Grubhub, an American delivery service. On the Grubhub app, guests can order food from any of the resort's more than 40 dining venues. Hotel employees deliver the food to guestrooms, the pool and even the poker room. The cost of the order is charged to the guest's room, tipping can be done via the app or in cash, and everyone gets to eat exactly what, where and when they want to.