‘Horrible’ $110 room service meal at luxury hotel drives guest crazy: ‘This is some hospital bullshit’

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A hungry guest craving a late dinner at a luxury hotel has sparked a debate about the absurd state of the hospitality industry after receiving a “terrible” room service meal delivered in cheap takeaway containers – with a high price and mandatory gratuity to boot.

“This is what $110 in ‘room service’ looks like …,” said a frequent traveler on Reddit, posting from their quarters at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis.

An accompanying photo shows two average-looking hamburgers and fries in biodegradable containers, along with two cans of beer.

The uninspired spread sits on a coffee table, along with an array of small packets of condiments, looking more like a cheap UberEats delivery than a five-star spread.

“Hotels really need to either bring room service or stop calling room service for delivery,” shouted Redditor @JakeRM1, noting that a 22% tip and $5 delivery fee had already been added. “It’s misleading, and for what’s supposed to be a premium brand, terrible.”

The PO’d poster caught the attention of View From The Wing, a popular industry blog, where travel expert Gary Leff discussed the decline of an amenity that was once standard at high-end inns.

“Proper room service is dying, and that’s terrible,” Leff said. “Hotels have reduced amenities across the board, including basics like housekeeping, so it’s not at all surprising that room service is being degraded or eliminated.”

“But then what’s the difference between a hotel and an Airbnb, other than cleaning fees?” he thought.

Other frequent travelers quickly jumped into the fray, with many expressing their frustrations at the trend away from luxury amenities in recent years.

“Unsurprisingly, the room service at the JW Marriott in Vegas was just as bad,” one Redditor responded to the original poster on the Marriott subreddit. “I’ve had better food in a school cafeteria, but they’re still making a profit, so why change it!”

“I have experienced this ‘room service’ at every Marriott property I have stayed at since COVID and now flat out refuse to order room service at any of their properties,” complained another.

“My favorites are properties that have signs that say they’ve removed single-use plastic toiletries for environmental purposes, but then show up at your door with room service packed in an abundance of single-use plastics. I absolutely agree that this practice of takeout disguised as room service must end,” they continued.

“This is a hospital for ordering bull,” one onlooker rallied.

The disgruntled restaurant later updated the discussion, saying a manager had shown “sympathy” after hearing his complaint – offering a 50% discount on the expensive takeaway order.

The grumpy dough eater also gave his final review of the meal, saying the food “sucks”, that the burgers, ordered medium, were delivered well and the fries were moist. Both orders reportedly lacked requested items.

Another bizarre episode of room service went viral earlier after two guests at The Plaza Hotel in NYC ordered a special Home Alone-themed ice cream — only to be horrified by the $500 bill.

Amira Harvey, an LA-based musician and content creator, and influencer Jenna Sinatra reported being able to barely make a dent in the 16-scoop tower, served with a host of fixings and sauces.

“I haven’t even seen the movie,” Sinatra admitted to his followers.