to not know chain hotel ettiquette on takeaways/deliveries?

[PyongyangKipperbang]

This sounds silly but I was brought up by a very snobby lower middle class mother the 70's and 80's so I really dont know the rules now! Yes, I was told off for referring to the loo as the loo....it was "common"!

Going away for the weekend with eldest DD in a couple of months to a chain hotel and she said that we could just order a delivery takeaway for the first night. How does that work? Do you have to meet them in reception? Do the hotel staff think less of you? (Yes I know it shouldnt bother me but, thank you mother, it does).

I would never dream of doing something like that in a B&B or small guest house, but in Premier Inn et al, is that ok?

Laugh away, it really wont worry me, but please explain the rules to me!

ETA....reading back, I feel bad saying she was snobby. I think that she was just really insecure that all the other mothers were better than her. Looking back, they were all in the same boat!

We stayed in a Holiday inn recently. The info in room has a list of recommended restaurants and take aways.The hotel only served breakfast so people were sitting in the breakfast area eating at the tables with their takeaway. There was also a microwave you could use! We just had snacks in our room but I thought it was a good set up

Because traditionally if a place serves food, you can't bring your own. Hotels with restaurants didn't allow you to eat your own meal in the room.

I'm surprised at the mention of B&Bs though as they often only serve breakfast. I've been told it was fine to bring my dinner to a guest house that didn't do their own food in the evening and eat it in the dining room.

I appreciate this thread OP. It's never been something that I've found an issue as I don't tend to eat takeaways at all, but I have always wondered just in case.

Whenever I've stayed in a chain hotel for work, I've seen food deliveries turning up at reception, so I assume it's fine.

I was at the Grand in Brighton last week, working a function as a greeter, which meant imwas in reception. The amount of food delivery people shocked me. I used to work there in the 90s on reception and we stopped anyone with takeaways or supermarket shopping and confiscated it, it was a breach of the rules, seems a blund eye is turned now.n

Yes, I was told off for referring to the loo as the loo....it was "common"!

There was an episode of The Wheel on television with a question on the preferred upper class word for toilet. The correct answer was 'loo'.

Love mumsnet. The woman who wrote the policy is here! Fantastic 🤣🤣

Never, ever toilet. The horror!

My mother was the same. She would say that 'toilet' is a verb (as in a lady completes her toilet eg: gets dressed, does hair etc) not a noun. She would say that she wasn't bothered what we called (loo, lavatory, shit house whatever) it as long as it wasn't toilet. 😂

Funny you ask OP, I am in my 50s and never get food delivered (as live in the sticks) so when I stayed in a hotel last week and there was no food or room service (I arrived late) I just ate a bag of peanuts from the mini bar and accepted going to sleep hungry 😅

ordering food from uber had not even occurred to me! Duh…..

I do this when I travel for work and hotel chains, of all standards, do not care. You can just walk out the front of the hotel, meet the driver and walk back through reception to the lifts. When doing it, don’t be embarrassed as it’s no different than going to get snacks out your car!

we did it once on a romantic break at a 5* spa we frequent semi-regularly as we got carried away and missed restaurant service - honestly no one minds 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

@PyongyangKipperbang if you aren't sure, you can just ask, always have the confidence to ask and remember you are paying them and all you owe them is to be nice.

I would think it's fine, but call reception to ask how they want you to do it. Some might have it handed to the concierge, or want them to pass it in at a staff entrance, or have you meet the driver and bring it in... just follow whatever the hotel preference is.

It’s completely fine, it’s very normal. If it is premier inn you’ll need to collect at reception as the door t9 the actual rooms corridor will be secured. Ask for cutlery.

And loo is perfectly fine. Better than toilet!

My mum was the same - it's funny what sticks, though loo was always the word in our house. I've tried hard to break out of it but I sill can't bring myself to say serviette or uni!

I loved your sale. Stayed in your upgraded rooms in a few big city’s. Thank you.

We stay in quite a few chain hotels and a few privately owned ones, we have used Uber eats every time as most hotels don’t have good restaurants. I think it’s the norm now. First time we did it I felt odd, we don’t have Uber eats at home as we live in a rural location, so it was all new but exciting for me 🤣.

Out of sheer curiosity, what do people do about cutlery in this situation?

Buy something that doesn't need cutlery
Ask the hotel (I'd never do this personally)!
Nick it off the breakfast tables
Use make-up brushes like chopsticks...

It was always ‘lavatory’ when I was a child (a very long time ago) but for a long time it’s been ‘loo’. ‘Toilet’ was banned in our house too!

I always hated ‘lavatory’ for some reason I could only put down to the fact that they were always so cold (pre CH), with horrible hard paper! Bronco is the name that comes to mind…

Same here. I always assumed it wouldn’t be allowed.

"Loo" isn't common..? "Toilet" is common. Your mum got it wrong there.

I've stayed in loads of hotels and ordered takeaways with no issue, but then I stayed in one a couple of years ago and the takeaway arrived before I got to the lobby (no phone signal), and the staff sent them away! I stood in the lobby for ages waiting for them to turn up and no one even said anything when I asked at reception, they just pretended they hadn't seen anyone. After phoning the takeaway company and finding out what had really happened, I ended up having to drive to the takeaway to retrieve my food.

When I ordered one recently through Uber eats the takeaway has a tick box for needing cutlery. It came with a wooden spork

quite!

I stay about 60 nights a year in hotels and it’s always fine but I thought this thread was absolutely ripe for the professionally offended!

You sound like such a lovely person - so your parents can't have effed you up too badly.