If I asked you to name the city that has the most expensive room service in the world, what would you say? New York? Tokyo? London? Those answers are all wrong. WRONG, I TELL YOU! Didn’t you say you were a room service major in college? Apparently not. Luckily, the fine folks at Hotels.com just released the Club Sandwich Index 2.0, the only study I’m aware of that compares the prices of various foods in hotels around the world. They compare club sandwiches, burgers, a cup of coffee, and a glass of red wine in addition to the total cost of a full day of dining. As someone who spends far too much time thinking about food while traveling, this study is endlessly fascinating.
Check out all of Fly&Dine’s Room Service Reviews
So who’s serving the most expensive room service? That would be Geneva, Switzerland at an appalling average of $86.71. They’re charging thirty bucks for a club sandwich, almost $40 for a burger meal and over six for a cup of joe. Must be all those bankers ducking taxes in other parts of the world. If you asked me to pay $30 for a club sandwich, I would assume the club came with a lifetime membership.
The least expensive city on the list is… Bogota, Colombia. Not exactly a hotbed of tourism these days but if you’re looking for some budget grub, head down to the emerging nation where a club sammy is going to run you just north of $10. Your total bill for the day will average $30, aka the cost of just one club sandwich in Switzerland. Crazy to see how vastly different prices can be in multiple economies.
In the US, New York leads the pack with Orlando coming through as the cheapest room service city in the nation. Surprised? Me neither.
Now, Hotels.com didn’t list EVERY city in the world in their charts, so you’ll have to accept that the data in this chart just tracks 28 major cities in the world. If you have a problem with that, please go and enjoy the rest of your day. If you’re cool with a limited sample size, check out the full charts below:
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Global results: average price per Items, including taxes and fees (in USD) |
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Ranking |
Country/City |
Burger Meal |
Cup of Coffee |
Glass of House Red Wine |
Club Sandwich |
Total Cost |
|
1 |
Switzerland – Geneva |
$37.80 |
$6.19 |
$12.13 |
$30.59 |
$86.71 |
|
2 |
France – Paris |
$29.63 |
$5.79 |
$12.81 |
$24.39 |
$72.62 |
|
3 |
Hong Kong |
$30.57 |
$7.39 |
$12.29 |
$21.09 |
$71.34 |
|
4 |
Norway – Oslo |
$31.18 |
$4.80 |
$12.32 |
$20.12 |
$68.42 |
|
5 |
UK – London |
$25.74 |
$6.10 |
$11.53 |
$22.08 |
$65.45 |
|
6 |
South Korea – Seoul |
$21.89 |
$9.72 |
$13.61 |
$20.10 |
$65.32 |
|
7 |
Sweden – Stockholm |
$23.50 |
$4.00 |
$11.37 |
$22.84 |
$61.71 |
|
8 |
Japan – Tokyo |
$22.54 |
$8.50 |
$11.03 |
$18.72 |
$60.79 |
|
9 |
Singapore |
$23.49 |
$6.06 |
$13.97 |
$17.02 |
$60.54 |
|
10 |
USA – New York |
$24.26 |
$5.38 |
$12.31 |
$17.69 |
$59.64 |
|
11 |
China – Beijing |
$23.68 |
$7.68 |
$12.45 |
$15.49 |
$59.30 |
|
12 |
Finland – Helsinki |
$20.31 |
$4.08 |
$8.21 |
$20.04 |
$52.64 |
|
13 |
Denmark – Copenhagen |
$20.30 |
$4.92 |
$10.27 |
$17.13 |
$52.62 |
|
14 |
Australia – Sydney |
$23.18 |
$3.92 |
$7.53 |
$16.37 |
$51.00 |
|
15 |
Italy – Rome |
$22.09 |
$3.37 |
$8.95 |
$14.53 |
$48.94 |
|
16 |
Netherlands – Amsterdam |
$21.97 |
$3.88 |
$5.94 |
$15.20 |
$46.99 |
|
17 |
Taiwan – Taipei |
$18.60 |
$6.84 |
$9.01 |
$11.67 |
$46.12 |
|
18 |
Ireland – Dublin |
$19.31 |
$3.28 |
$7.25 |
$13.77 |
$43.61 |
|
19 |
Russia – Moscow |
$15.35 |
$4.16 |
$9.82 |
$13.73 |
$43.06 |
|
20 |
India – New Delhi |
$14.82 |
$3.87 |
$12.61 |
$11.25 |
$42.55 |
|
21 |
Germany – Berlin |
$16.57 |
$3.65 |
$6.61 |
$15.03 |
$41.86 |
|
22 |
Canada – Toronto |
$14.64 |
$3.53 |
$8.74 |
$14.65 |
$41.56 |
|
23 |
Argentina – Buenos Aires |
$17.55 |
$3.53 |
$6.91 |
$12.29 |
$40.28 |
|
24 |
Thailand – Bangkok |
$13.74 |
$4.39 |
$10.50 |
$10.90 |
$39.53 |
|
25 |
Spain – Madrid |
$18.09 |
$3.33 |
$4.53 |
$12.78 |
$38.73 |
|
26 |
Brazil – Rio de Janeiro |
$13.26 |
$2.05 |
$8.66 |
$10.22 |
$34.19 |
|
27 |
Mexico – Mexico City |
$13.34 |
$2.47 |
$6.55 |
$9.77 |
$32.13 |
|
28 |
Colombia – Bogota |
$11.76 |
$1.57 |
$6.26 |
$10.49 |
$30.08 |
|
U.S. results: average price per Items, including taxes and fees (in USD) |
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Ranking |
City |
Burger Meal |
Cup of Coffee |
Glass of House Red Wine |
Club Sandwich |
Total Cost |
|
1 |
New York |
$24.26 |
$5.38 |
$12.31 |
$17.69 |
$59.64 |
|
2 |
San Francisco |
$20.28 |
$4.70 |
$11.70 |
$16.64 |
$53.32 |
|
3 |
Los Angeles |
$20.13 |
$4.70 |
$11.07 |
$16.57 |
$52.47 |
|
4 |
Washington |
$19.85 |
$4.50 |
$10.88 |
$14.84 |
$50.07 |
|
5 |
Chicago |
$19.72 |
$3.79 |
$10.55 |
$14.38 |
$48.44 |
|
6 |
San Diego |
$18.45 |
$3.52 |
$10.44 |
$12.67 |
$45.08 |
|
7 |
New Orleans |
$16.85 |
$3.80 |
$9.17 |
$14.18 |
$44.00 |
|
8 |
Las Vegas |
$16.42 |
$3.53 |
$8.32 |
$14.14 |
$42.41 |
|
9 |
Houston |
$16.62 |
$3.51 |
$9.34 |
$12.71 |
$42.18 |
|
10 |
Orlando |
$15.54 |
$3.10 |
$8.35 |
$14.94 |
$41.93 |
I would say Geneva for sure. That place is just ridiculous expensive. However, unless it is urgent why would you order room service? Is it that hard to walk to a nearby restaurant and pay “normal” prices? I understand there are times you have no choice but most people are just lazy and order tasteless food from hotels at outrageous prices.
It looks as though the table does not include service charges, which would be zero in most places, or only a nominal amount, versus 20% in NYC. That would put NYC in 2nd or 3rd place and certainly ahead of Oslo, London and Seoul.
Not surprised. Switzerland in general is insanely expensive. I usually avoid room service no matter where I am because of the hefty markup.
While I enjoy the blog, the comment on Bogota not being a hotbed for tourism, and it being “EscobarLand” is rather ignorant. Bogota’s tourism has increased in the last several years, and it is one of the top destinations in Latin America. As for “EscobarLand”, seriously? Clearly you have not been there. This is not the 1980s/1990s when that was an issue, the country is safe to travel to and Colombians are extremely friendly. Very disappointed in your ignorance.
I have to apologize. EscobarLand was merely a joke and in poor taste. I’ve now removed the reference. As for it being one of the top destinations in Latin America, I can’t say that I’ve seen data that supports that statement. I’m sorry for offending you.