Hotel and Restaurant Food Service (Food and Beverage Services 2) Page 1 of 6

Delivery of Room Service Order

IV. LESSON PROPER

LETS BEGIN!

PROVIDE ROOM SERVICE

1. Transport room service trays and trolleys to guest room

R oom service has the responsibility of creating a dining experience in guest’s bedroom; space may limit
the presentation style and the type and style of equipment used.
Not only must trays and trolleys be set up so that they contain all
the equipment, items and utensils required, but. Trays and trolleys
must also be set up so that they are balanced, safe and attractive.
When staff have completed a room service tray with an order,
someone will have to carry it; it must be balanced to avoid the
likelihood of dropping it, or of over-balancing individual items.
Ordering room service is a special service for most guests and
there is an expectation that it will be delivered professionally, and
spilling the contents is not part of the guest’s expectations or Room
service standards.
Safety in all aspects of the job is a necessity and the provision of
room service is no exception, trays should be stacked and trolleys
loaded so that no injury can be sustained by staff or guests.
Check for protruding items, and take special care with hot items – especially hot liquids as well as sharp
utensils and glassware.
It is often said that “eye appeal is buy appeal” and this definitely applies to room service. The tray
presentation must be attractive, ordered, uncluttered, clean and professional in appearance.
When an order was received it may have indicated only 1 [one] tray was required but staff may reassess
and set up a second or transfer the order to a trolley to avoid poor presentation or safety issues.
The actual arrangement of food on the plate may be the responsibility of the kitchen, but everything else is
the responsibility of Room service staff, remembering that guests are paying a premium for room service so
they expect a little bit extra for their money.
Check the little extra items are included that make room service special – they will be specified by your
establishment, but may include flowers/bud vase, doilies and napkins, a newspaper, and complimentary
after-dinner mints or petit fours.
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Delivery of Room Service Order

And finally, trays should be able to be carried in accordance with the establishments policies and
procedures, it may be in one hand at shoulder height or at chest or waist height carried with one hand firmly
under the centre of the tray the other able to steady the tray but still free to open doors or press lift or
elevator buttons.
It is advisable to take the most direct and least cluttered route to the location for delivery. Hotels and
Resorts will have policies and procedures for etiquette when meeting other guests in transit.

2. Request entry to guest room in accordance with enterprise standards

O
n arriving at the guest’s room, a final visual check of the tray or trolley may be made, and then staff
should knock firmly on the door and announce “Room service!”,"In room dining" or “Room service,
Mr Lang” if you have the guests name.
When knocking on the door, use the knuckles not a key or any
other implement or item as this will leave a permanent mark on
the door. Some guest rooms may have visitor bells or doorbells.
After announcing 'Room Service' wait 10 to 15 seconds before
knocking again, and announce again. When the guest opens the
door, offer a greeting and, if not asked in by the guest (which is
what will normally happen – either verbally or non-verbally),
request their permission to enter. The guest may not want you to
enter the room – they may be conducting a business meeting,
they could be entertaining, or they could have private papers,
etc, spread out around the room on tables, desks, the bed, etc.
Therefore requesting permission to enter has a practical
underpinning reason, giving room service Staff permission to
enter and set up the order. A guest may prefer to take the tray or
trolley and other items from you at the door and serve
themselves.
Where the guest does not answer the door after the second knock/call, staff should follow house
procedures. This may be to knock and call a third time. It may be room service staff need to use a pass key
to unlock the door, open it slightly and re-announce hopefully the guest will hear this as staff will actually be
in the room. There may be added instruction taken with the order and staff need to act as instructed.
If the guest has not responded, house rules may be to leave the order especially if the guest is well known,
or a regular, while in some cases house policy may be to withdraw without leaving the food and beverages
that were ordered returning to the room service section.
An alternative course of action in some establishments if the guest does not answer, is to call the guest via
the telephone, text or message either directly or through Reception or communications staff.
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Delivery of Room Service Order

If the guest fails to answer the telephone, staff may be required to check the guest’s name against the room
number. If it is correct, procedure will indicate whether to notify a supervisor or manager of the situation,
and they take further steps to ensure that the guest is physically all right or if a mistake has been made.
Room Service staff never to enter a room fully unless they have been granted permission, or until they are
sure they will not be interrupting or disturbing anyone.

3. Enter guest room and prepare for in-room service in accordance with guest requirements or
preferences, where applicable

W
hen Room Service staff enter a guest room it is important to observe the protocols of the
individual establishment. These can vary between venues to reflect service standards and
operational imperatives.
Requirements may dictate the guest should be thanked, and greeted politely, and engaged in conversation
if appropriate, perhaps a comment about the weather would be appropriate given the circumstances and
the nature of the person.
Good customer relations should be maintained
at all times.
When entering a room it should be
remembered that the guest is paying money
for the room it is, their room and they may
have personal items on view or rearranged
furniture positions, staff should respect the
privacy of the guest and not stare at anything
in the room, including people, items and
paperwork. Room service staff should not offer
unsolicited comments on anything they may
see, hear or be exposed to, but complete the
job they came to do.
Deliver the order, serve it, clear up and then
leave. The guest may engage the staff in conversation or ask questions or otherwise pass the time of day,
staff should answer succinctly and continue with their tasks. Staff in all departments need to conform to the
correct etiquette for all circumstances when in the presence of guests and spend the minimum amount of
time in the guest room, without being rude.

Positioning the Order

S
taff should place or position the tray or trolley in an appropriate location within the room or suite, in
consultation staff may ask the guest where they would prefer things put. This will depend on the
layout of the room, and the in-room furniture, the guest may prefer the tray to be placed on the
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Delivery of Room Service Order

dining table, or on the office desk, or coffee table. The guest rooms may have balconies, and some open
out onto the pool or other leisure areas or the guest may not be eating in their room but may be in a public
area. The room service attendant should place the tray in accordance with the guest’s requests, without
showing any disapproving signs.
When a trolley is required in the room, staff should guide the trolley in so that it doesn’t touch any of the
walls and the trolley should be parked away from exits and out of harm’s way with the brake engaged while
positioning the order onto a table or other suitable surface. Where a trolley is to be used for service, the
guest should again be asked where they would prefer it to be positioned and the trolley opened out or
extended, with an appropriate chair placed so the guest can sit at the trolley as at a table.
In many instances, the guest will reply along the lines, “Oh, just put it anywhere!” in which case you must
be prepared to determine quickly where it should go. The Room service department may have prepared
plans identifying a suitable place for trays and trolleys to be positioned. If there is a balcony complete with
table and chairs, set up the table and place the order appropriately.
Trays must be placed in a safe position where there is no chance of their falling or being accidentally
knocked over. A tray should not be dangerously balanced on suitcases, the corner of a table, on the bed or
on books and other papers. Trolleys should be positioned out of the way, especially away from what are the
obvious traffic routes in the room.
In some establishment room service staff will be required to position room furniture in accordance with the
guest’s requirements.
For example, a guest may require the four-seater dining suite to be set for two which would require
removing two of the chairs safely to one side. On other occasions, furniture may have to be shifted to
accommodate the trolley so that it is closer to the service area.
Vases may have to be moved so that they better compliment the dining setting, and even drapes may be
drawn if requested.

4. Identify room service items that have been supplied and confirm order with guest

A room service order, when delivered has to be checked in front of the guest and receipt of service
acknowledged, either by signing an account or an order receipt.
With both trays and trolleys, advise the guest of any potential hazards such as what is hot, what is sharp,
what may be heavy, where heating elements are, etc. If an electrical hot box has been used for the room,
plug it in to the electrical outlet to keep the food hot.
If it is establishment policy, staff may also respond to the guest’s request to set out the order. Removing all
the items from the tray and positioning it neatly on the table in the same manner as if setting a cover on a
restaurant table, also remove the covers off the meals and position them appropriately, hot food should
remain covered and the guest shown how to remove the cover safely when the dish is needed if food has
been stored in the hot box explain to the guest how to safely remove it.
When requested the room service attendant may also open and serve the wine or champagne to the guest.
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Delivery of Room Service Order

As dishes are repositioned or have their covers removed, it is standard practice to announce them with
some dishes, simply stating their name may be sufficient.
With the specials and the more uncommon dishes it may be necessary to offer a brief description or
explanation of them. While this explanation of the dishes is all part of the service offered by room service,
staff must be alert to the signs that indicate such explanation is not necessary. During the explanation it is
common for some guests to ask follow up questions, good product knowledge will enable staff to answer
them, but if staff cannot, they need to check if an answer is required or if the question is part of polite
conversation on behalf of the guest and no answer is required but on other occasions an answer will have
to reported back either by message or in person.
Where an order has had any variations to the menu it's important to make the Guest aware that their
request has been consented to.

5. Serve food items in accordance with enterprise standards and guest requirements

R
oom service staff will require some basic cooking knowledge,
when presenting the room service order to the guest it may be
necessary to assemble some dishes, add dressing to salad,
garnishes to hot food items such as fresh ginger and spring onion to
steamed fish, or adding cold items to hot for example cream with thick
soup or ice-cream with pie. This may occur in front of the guest or in a
Butler’s pantry or servery area.
Unless special arrangements have been made staff will serve the first
course, and then depart, leaving the guests to serve themselves the
remainder of the meal/courses and the beverages. It is uncommon for
room service staff to stay in the room and act as a personal waiter/butler
for the entire meal. If the guest’s room rate includes a butler room service
staff may have to assist with the service.
If its required to set a table for the meal, it should be to the same standard
as in the restaurant, The aim is to make a room service meal such a pleasant occasion that the guest will
want to repeat it and will tell their friends about in a positive light.
All normal table setting items should be set, crockery, cutlery, salt and pepper, flowers, ice bucket, glasses,
and napkins. Care should be taken to ensure the cleanliness of all items, and a final check given to the
table to see that it is in balance, and has an overall appeal. A suite of rooms may have a separate dinning
setting with a range of crockery and cutlery etc for use in that suite. When all has been set, seat the guests,
including lapping the napkins and commence service.
When room service staff are ready to depart, explain the process for dirty dish collection, this may be
printed on a tray card or enquire of the guest whether they would like the trays/trolley picked up that
day/night and ask for a time or request the guest contacts room service or whether they would prefer to
leave the tray or trolley outside their door.
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Delivery of Room Service Order

After checking that everything is to the guest’s satisfaction, wish the guest “Good evening and Bon appétit”
or some other suitable phrase, enquire if the lights or music should be lowered if this seems appropriate.

6. Serve beverage items in accordance with enterprise standards and guest requirements

R
oom Service staff may be required to set up a long bar in a guests room, this is standard bottles
instead of the miniatures usually found in a mini bar. If the guest has invited guests then they may
request room service staff serve drinks to the guests.
Room service staff should be serving beverages with the same level of
skill as beverage is served in the Bar or restaurant. Mixed drinks may be
pre poured and presented to the guest on a tray. Room service staff
need to be aware of the guest’s physical position and make it easy for
the guest to take a glass from a tray.
The same sequencing should also apply to beverage service as in a
restaurant, so if there is a pre-dinner drink, then that should be served
first followed by the first course.
If requested, staff will open and pour any bottles of wine. If guests are
seated at the table then staff should serve in sequence, clockwise or
anticlockwise always ending with the host. Wine bottles should then be
placed in a wine bucket with ice if they are to be served cold or on a
sideboard or table if served at room temperature. When staff depart
they should check that the guest can reach the bottles of wine easily to
refill glasses.
Room Service staff may need to serve hot beverages, such as tea or coffee, if they are in a pot or
dispenser. With new technology espresso coffee may be brewed in the guest’s room or Butler’s pantry. The
service of hot beverages requires attention to detail with appropriate milk, sugar or sugar substitutes.