The advantages of the hotel, the secrets of room service: bathtub full of Evian, hot dog with caviar

A survey by Hotels.com highlighted the most surprising requests, services and anecdotes at its partner hotels, showing how far some hotel employees will go to accommodate guests.

“By asking hotels to reveal the secrets behind their most memorable stays, we’ve found that these ‘insights’ have actually inspired the services available to guests today,” Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations at Hotels.com, said in a statement about this. “Hotel Room News Report.”

For example, the strangest room service orders include a bathtub full of Evian “so that a child can bathe in the purest water”, a hot dog with caviar, burnt French toast, 4 kilos of bananas, a personalized menu for an allergen-free pet. like gluten and dairy, as well as a “high five from a team member to make sure their room service request was read.”

Meanwhile, hidden perks include a guitar concierge for guests who want to play in their rooms, and pet services like access to top-notch groomers and a pet acupuncturist “for stressed pets.”

The examples of items that were left behind also reveal what the guests were doing and what the hotel staff did to help them.

A pet lizard was once found and returned to its owner. Guests also left behind full casts, a car tire and construction pipes. And among the most expensive things guests forgot were a $6 million watch and a Birkin bag.

“Despite efforts like lost and found boxes, some hotel employees have gone to extreme lengths to reunite guests with their belongings,” the Hotels.com report said. “One hotel hero drove 100 miles to return a passport, another ran several blocks to deliver items before a cruise ship departed, and another made a shopping trip to replace a lost teddy bear for a young traveler and included a book detailing the bear’s adventures. “

Some luxury hotels have stepped up in other ways, such as investing more in merchandise, as carrying name-brand designs has become a hot fashion flex, according to a Bloomberg report last month.

For example, the Aman company sells an “A” monogrammed tote bag worth $2,700, the Mandarin Oriental offers a cotton and leather bag for $166, and the Eden Hotel in Rome sells a handmade yellow canvas bag for $500.

“Merchandise is a status symbol for a lot of people, depending on whether the hotel is a luxury or a significant destination,” Leora Lanz, an associate professor at Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration, told Bloomberg, saying the hotel boasts “if you-know-know.”