NEW YORK (dpa) – U.S. hotels are expanding their room service for hotel guests who do not want to leave the privacy of their own suites.
Many of them now offer stressed-out guests anything from four- course candlelit dinners to a fitness trainer or a massage – without having to venture down to the lobby.“If the room has a mini-bar, then why not a mini-gym as well,” said Chris Imbo, fitness manager at Loew’s Regency Hotel in New York.Guests here can order a kind of fitness studio on wheels to be brought to their rooms. The “Fit Cart” contains weights, dumb-bells, a running machine and a step machine. You can also hire a trainer at an extra charge.But if it is pampering rather than pumping you are looking for, some hotels offer a massage in your room. The couples service, in which pairs receive massages in the privacy of their suite, is very popular, said Rob Delamator of the Lambourne Hotel in San Francisco.U.S. trend researcher Faith Popcorn terms this latest trend “cocooning”, a search for a private space by people who like to “withdraw from the harsh reality of the outside world”.And hotels are catering to this trend with imaginative services. Instead of going down for dinner, the chef will now come to your suite. The Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers candlelit dinners, romantic four-course menus, either in your room or on your terrace.“Our guests do not need a dinner reservation,” said Hyatt spokesman Ann Lane. “They just call room service and a first-class menu will be served an hour later.”At Loew’s in Miami the bartender will not only bring your drink up to your room, he will mix it and give you recipe and preparation tips as well.Meanwhile, the bathroom butler in the Ritz-Carlton will bring all the paraphernalia necessary for an exotic bath: lavender bubble bath with rose petals, Champagne on ice and fresh strawberries for a romantic evening in.Business travellers at the Ritz-Carlton can call the technology butler to their room day or night to sort out computer problems.“Most people have trouble with Internet connections and their e- mail. We offer technical help without the guest having to leave their room,” said Geoff Young, manager of the Ritz-Carlton in Marina-del- Rey, California.The San Francisco Hilton Hotel offers a “Stress Less” room, geared to relaxation.The massage chair kneads tense back and neck muscles at the touch of a button, while a calming fountain gurgles in the background, yoga courses run on the television, or music for meditation comes from the radio. The bathroom is packed with “anti- stress” products.Meanwhile, the Parisi Hotel in La Jolla, California, offers the ultimate service for their guests’ spiritual well-being: its room service includes an on-call psychotherapist.
