Thompson Chicago Reimagines In-room Dining
Thompson Chicago is raising the bar on hospitality, taking the restaurant-caliber dining experience into their hotel rooms with an updated and reimagined in-room dining program. Room service at luxury downtown hotels are an innately comforting, opulent pastime. While delicious and pampering, it still fails to achieve the same levels of quality and service as a full-fledged restaurant. But this Gold Coast hotel is out to change all that and shift the way we think about in-room dining. No longer will travelers resign themselves to lukewarm interpretations of restaurant fare; rather, they'll receive the same level of service all within the cozy confines of their abode.
On October 6, Thompson Chicago launches their revamped in-room dining program in partnership with on-site restaurant Nico Osteria. Through this new service, guests can get the full Nico experience while clad in a bathrobe. If that's what they like. Selecting either from a standard or daily restaurant menu, all the Nico essentials and specialties are up for grabs. In order to properly up the ante on room service, Thompson Chicago is customizing its service levels across all mediums in order to satisfy guests' needs. The hotel is able to make multiple deliveries to ensure warm and fresh food, they'll take your breakfast order for the following morning, and they'll even call to check in on your overall dining experience. Servers will discuss with guests about scheduling, so as to pace out dinner and dessert as the guest likes. Of course, the in-roo dining team is also trained right along with regular restaurant servers, so they're fully informed about the menus and service procedures.
As if room service was an actual restaurant, the in-room dining program also shifts style and appearance from day to night. During the day for breakfast and lunch, dining trays are lighter in color, complete with matching linens and table wear. Conversely, dinner is darker with espresso woods, floral centerpieces, and heartier color accents. All meals come with still or sparkling water, plus gratis mignardises or truffles. As an added bonus surprise, after breakfast service servers will leave special treats hung on the inside of each guest room, to be enjoyed later in the day.
Lastly, Thompson Chicago and One Off Hospitality, the restaurant group behind Nico, are working to create a Chicago City Periodical to be delivered upon breakfast service. Each periodical contains city news, events, and letters from the restaurant general manager and chef. Nice touch.
- Matt Kirouac