Skift Take
At the outset, there's not much difference between this pilot and ordering GrubHub from your phone or computer as you normally would at home. However, if Hyatt Centric can make the program more seamless and integrate it into part of the hotel food-and-beverage experience, this pilot could point to the future of hotel room service.
On-demand room service, facilitated by online food delivery services like GrubHub, Seamless and PostMates could soon be the future of hotel room service.
At least that's what Hyatt Centric, a full-service lifestyle hotel brand designed to appeal to travelers with a Millennial mindset, is looking into with its newest pilot program in partnership with GrubHub. Called Restaurant To Go, the pilot encompasses a curated selection of takeout options from local restaurants to be delivered via GrubHub, as well as two other in-room dining options for guests provided by the hotel itself.
"We see this as reimagining room service," said Jonathan Frolich, vice president of global brands for Hyatt. "It's making room service better, frankly. From the learnings we've seen and from the feedback we've been receiving, we'll make it even better and more integrated [following the end of the pilot]. We want to reimagine the room service experience in the guest rooms. It's takeout with a twist."
Online, on-demand food delivery services and restaurant delivery overall is on the rise nationally. According to foodservice research from The NPD Group, restaurant delivery, excluding pizza, is growing strongly, up by 33 percent since 2012. Hyatt's findings regarding roo
