Select Page

Home > Online Shopping

Can You Order Food Delivery to a Hotel Room?

Regardless of if a hotel has room service options or not, sometimes it is simply more convenient and economical to order from outside the hotel and get your meals delivered right to your door. Due to the upcharges in hotels on snacks and drinks, delivery services have become more prevalent over the last few years, causing an uptick of guests looking to order externally.

So, can you order food delivery to a hotel?

It is up to each hotel to allow food deliveries. If you are staying at a hotel that allows deliveries, there are several services you can utilize. GrubHub, Postmates, and DoorDash deliver food directly to a hotel room, whereas Uber Eats delivers food to the front desk.

Since many upscale hotels historically have not allowed food deliveries to their establishments, there are several frequent travelers who are wary of receiving food in their hotel rooms. If this sounds like you, keep reading to find out which popular delivery services deliver to hotels and how to determine if your hotel will allow your delivery!

Can Hotels Ban Outside Food?

It is absolutely within a hotel’s right to ban outside food from coming in since they are private property. While some establishments may do this, it is highly dependent on the type of hotel. For example, a resort with several restaurants will be less keen on guests ordering from outside.

The best way to find out if a hotel you’re planning to stay at allows outside food is simple. First, try calling or emailing the front desk to ask! If you are unable to do this, take a look at what the hotel has to offer.

If they have several restaurants and a full room service menu, they may not be as open to outside food being brought in. However, if they do not have many or any food options available, they will likely not care about outside food deliveries.

If you are unsure about ordering without knowing exactly if your hotel has banned food delivery, be sure to call the concierge and double-check before putting your order through.

Obviously, this is the first and most important consideration when looking to order. Once you have confirmed that you can bring outside food into the hotel, think about whether you should order takeout or opt for delivery depending on your specific needs.

Should You Order Takeout or Delivery to a Hotel Room?

There’s no doubt that ordering takeout will often get your food to you in a more efficient manner than if you request delivery. However, if you’re staying in a hotel, you may not have the means to pick up a takeout order.

Therefore, for those looking to get their food as quickly as possible, consider picking up your order via takeout. For those who are not looking to leave their hotel and simply have the food brought to them while they relax, having the option for delivery is ideal.

Remember that if your hotel allows outside food, you will be able to bring either takeout or delivery into the hotel.

If you order delivery, you’ll often need to give additional instructions to your delivery service to ensure that you are clear on where to pick up your order so that they know whether or not to come to your room or the concierge.

Keep in mind that depending on the delivery service you’re using; this can differ greatly. Certain services will not deliver directly to a hotel room, while others have no problem getting by the concierge.

Does Uber Eats Deliver to Hotels?

While Uber Eats will deliver to hotels and high rises, they generally will not take the food to your specific room. This is a common practice to keep delivery drivers safe, cut back on delivery times, and minimize the number of people walking around hotel hallways.

Although this is consistent for drivers working for Uber Eats, your driver may still be able to deliver to your room depending on your hotel’s preference.

Does DoorDash Deliver to Hotels?

Not only does DoorDash deliver to hotels, but it is one of the largest delivery apps when it comes to hotel orders. DoorDash delivers to hotels and will come directly to your door unless your hotel has a policy against direct deliveries. 

However, other large platforms like Uber Eats and GrubHub do not track how many orders go to hotels, and because of this may also have incredibly high order numbers coming from hotel guests.

Does GrubHub Deliver to Hotels?

GrubHub does deliver to hotels and was one of the first to start this delivery service as a rollout with Hyatt Centric in 2016. This rollout gave guests the option to order from GrubHub, which pointed more business in their direction.

This program gave guests a customized list of restaurants to choose from as an alternative to the Hyatt room service menu.

By working directly with hotels such as Hyatt, GrubHub has been widely accepted for hotel deliveries.

Does Postmates Deliver to Hotels?

Postmates will deliver to hotels, and often their drivers will deliver directly to the room; however, this is very dependent on your specific driver and the region in which you are staying.

Regardless, Postmates is another great option for getting your food delivered straight to your hotel.

Choosing a Delivery Service at Hotels

With all of the major delivery services accepting orders from hotel guests, it can be challenging to decide which is best.

Remember that depending on the area you are staying, one of the above delivery services may work better than another. This is primarily because different apps service different restaurants and therefore have varying food and beverage options.

In addition, if you want your food delivered directly to your door, you will likely not want to use Uber Eats since they are directed to drop orders with the valet or front desk of a hotel.

Finally, check to see if your specific hotel has an agreement with any of the above delivery services. If your hotel partners with a specific delivery app, they may have faster delivery times, better deals, or more options for the hotel guests.

Summary

In this article, we explored ordering food to a hotel room using delivery services. We learned that the most popular delivery services will deliver to hotels, but there are some nuances.

Knowing which services deliver to hotels is an important consideration while traveling since it can be challenging to find food based on your taste and budget. By planning ahead and knowing if your hotel will allow food deliveries, you will save time and money on your next hotel stay, whether for business or pleasure.

Keep in mind that although Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, and Postmates will deliver to hotels, it is your hotel’s choice whether or not they want to allow these deliveries to come into their establishment.

If you are unsure about your hotel’s status on allowing outside food, be sure to double-check before placing your order!

Finally, if bringing takeout or receiving food deliveries to your accommodation is a vital part of your stay, do some research into this before booking to ensure you won’t have a problem getting meals delivered once you arrive.

If you want to find out more about food delivery services, check out the related articles below:

Related Articles:

What Food Delivery Services Accept Cash? (And How It Works)

Can You Order Food Delivery to a Hospital?

Can You Order Food With Cash App? (Yes, Here’s How)

Can You Order Food With PayPal? (Yes, Here’s How)

Do Uber Eats Drivers See Your Tip? (Before or After Delivery)

About the Author

Eril Eti is the founder of Shopfood.com. He has over a decade of experience in consumer goods and launched many products sold at retailers like Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Target, Kroger, Publix, and more.

Eril loves food, traveling, and trying out new restaurants. Outside of work, you can find him on a hiking trail in New England or playing soccer with his kids.

By Eril Eti

November 9, 2022