Chapter 1
Knock knock, who is there? Early room service origins
Chapter 2
Silver platters and white gloves: The golden age of grand hotels
Chapter 3
Plastic domes and ice machines: Room service for everyone
Chapter 4
Robots, apps, and bag drops: The high-tech future
YOUR GOAL
Master of The art of dining in your pajamas
Ch 1 · Knock knock, who is there? Early room service origins
avantgardo Waldorf Astoria Room Service
Knock knock, who's at the door? (Knock knock!) Fresh rose on a silver tray! (Oh yeah!)
avantgardo Boarding houses provided communal living during the Industrial Revolution.
avantgardo European travelers in the 1400s could order food and ale directly to their private chambers via stable boys.
avantgardo Traditional Japanese ryokans have served multi-course kaiseki meals directly in guest rooms since the 8th century.
BETA
avantgardo Deliver room service orders to historical guests to discover how hotel hospitality evolved.
Fun Fact
Ryokan traditions: The world's oldest hotel, Japan's Nisiyama Onsen Keiunkan, has served meals directly in guest rooms since opening in 705 CE.
Glossary
room service (noun)
A hotel service enabling guests to order food and drinks to be delivered to their rooms. New York's Waldorf Astoria pioneered this formal dining amenity when it reopened on Park Avenue in 1931.
A hotel service enabling guests to order food and drinks to be delivered to their rooms. New York's Waldorf Astoria pioneered this formal dining amenity when it reopened on Park Avenue in 1931.
Quiz
In 19th-century boarding houses, for which group of guests was room service dining usually reserved?
Quiz
In medieval European inns, who typically carried meals from the kitchen to a guest's private room?
Quiz
What is the name of the traditional multi-course Japanese meal served in ryokan rooms?
Quiz
Which ancient civilization built a massive network of roads and post stations called 'cursus publicus'?
Quiz
Which country is home to traditional 'ryokans,' which have served in-room meals since the 8th century?
Quiz
What traditional Japanese bedding is typically laid out in a ryokan room after the in-room dinner is cleared?
Quiz
During which century did European coaching inns begin offering private chamber meal deliveries?