Room service shenanigans: ‘Diet water’ & melted ice cream among the weirdest hotel requests

LONDON — It turns out that extra towels and a late-night burger aren’t the only things hotel guests are requesting when they call up room service. A new poll finds some of the weirdest room service demands include “diet water,” melted ice cream, and rice bowls for their dogs!

Hotels.com has released its inaugural Room Service Report looking into requests from around the globe. Nearly 500 hotels that offer room service took part in the research, featuring respondents from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Other bizarre requests hotel staffers have encountered include boiled bottled water, a giant serving of bison, and blowfish — which can be poisonous if not properly prepared. One guest even requested that the hotel kitchen cook and serve a fish they had brought with them.

The research found room service use is on the rise globally, according to almost four in 10 of the hotels surveyed. Nearly a third (30%) of travelers spend at least $125 on their room service bill per night.

Globally, burgers are the most popular item (40%), beating the classic club sandwich, pizza, and even chips. For Brits, it’s all about burgers in bed, although the most popular time for room service is between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Food orders are also evolving, with more than 55 percent of hotels seeing an increase in vegan orders over the past year, more so than vegetarian or dairy-free dishes.

“Room service holds a special place in the hearts of hotel guests,” says Melanie Fish from Hotels.com in a statement. “Whether it’s a treat-yourself moment or must-have after a long day of sightseeing, there’s a certain satisfaction in having someone else foot the bill.”

Room service plate of food in hotel room
Photo by Cory Bjork from Unsplash

Top 10 Wacky Room Service Orders:

  1. Diet water
  2. Melted ice cream
  3. Blowfish
  4. Boiled bottled water
  5. A cooked fish that the guest brought with them
  6. Cockle popcorn
  7. No egg white omelet
  8. Rice bowl for dogs
  9. Bison
  10. Eggless shakshuka

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South West News Service writer Richard Jenkins contributed to this report.

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