Hotel Delivery Apps and the History of Room Service
The launch of apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash in the 2010s disrupted hotel dining. Guests gained access to hundreds of local restaurants at a fraction of the cost of hotel room service. Many hotels now offer designated lobby drop-off zones for food couriers.
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
Ch 4 · Robots, apps, and bag drops: The high-tech future
avantgardo High-Tech Hotel Service
YOBOT takes your bags down in the lobby, while the room service robot rolls right up to your door!
avantgardo Hotels are outsourcing their kitchens to third-party brands to cut costs while keeping room delivery alive.
Fun Fact
Robot butler: A robot butler named 'Botlr' began delivering snacks to guests at a California hotel in 2014.
avantgardo Modern travelers prefer ordering from local restaurants via delivery apps over traditional, expensive room service.
Glossary
robot (noun)
A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer. New York's Yotel hotel employs a robotic luggage concierge named Yobot to store guest bags.
A machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially one programmable by a computer. New York's Yotel hotel employs a robotic luggage concierge named Yobot to store guest bags.
Quiz
Why are modern hotels replacing plastic room service domes with bamboo or cardboard alternatives?
BETA
avantgardo Navigate the delivery robot to discover how room service evolved from bellhops to automation.
Quiz
In which year did the Aloft hotel in Cupertino, California, first introduce a robot butler named 'Botlr'?
Quiz
How do modern 'smart' hotel rooms allow guests to order room service without speaking to a human?
Quiz
What percentage of modern travelers under 30 report using third-party food apps rather than hotel room service?
Quiz
What is the name of the famous Japanese hotel chain staffed almost entirely by robots?
Quiz
What technology became widely used on hotel bedside tables after 2020 to replace paper room service menus?