After a full day of traveling, walking around a theme park, or just being out in the Florida heat, there are nights when the last thing I want to do is get dressed again, get back in the car, find parking, and sit in another restaurant.
That’s when using Grubhub at hotels becomes one of my favorite little travel luxuries.
We used Grubhub more than once during our October Orlando trip, and one evening was a perfect example of why.
We were back at our Hilton Garden Inn near Universal Orlando and decided we were done going anywhere. Instead of settling for whatever was within walking distance, we opened Grubhub and started looking at what was nearby.
That’s how we found Sus Hi Eatstation.
It was one of the highest-rated options showing up near us, and when the order arrived, even the clerk at the hotel desk looked at it and said, “Good choice!”
That’s usually a pretty good sign.
Hotel Delivery Gives You More Choices Than the Hotel Restaurant
One of the things I like most about using Grubhub while traveling is that you aren’t limited to the hotel restaurant, convenience-store snacks, or whatever happens to be next door.
That evening we ordered:
- a teriyaki chicken bowl with garlic brown rice
- a steak mac bowl
- pork dumplings
- beignets with cinnamon sugar
And it came packaged really well.
The bowls were full, the food still looked fresh when we opened it, and the restaurant clearly put some thought into the packaging. Even the containers and delivery bag had personality.
That matters more than you might think when you’re eating dinner at a hotel-room desk.
I Usually Check Ratings Before I Order
When I’m ordering food in a city I don’t know well, I don’t just pick the first restaurant that pops up.
I look at the ratings, the number of reviews, the menu, and the photos.
I also pay attention to whether the food looks like something that will travel well.
A burger and fries can be great in a restaurant and disappointing twenty minutes later in a delivery bag. Bowls, rice dishes, dumplings, pasta, and similar foods often survive the trip much better.
Sus Hi Eatstation checked those boxes for us.
And having the front-desk clerk immediately recognize it as a good choice made me feel even better about the decision.
Check Your Hotel’s Delivery Instructions
This is one thing I always try to make easy for the driver.
A hotel address alone may not be enough, especially around Orlando where there can be several hotels packed into the same area.
For this order, we identified our Hilton Garden Inn clearly in the delivery details. Whether to include a room number depends on the hotel’s delivery policy and where you want to meet the driver.
Depending on the hotel, the driver may bring the food to the room, meet you in the lobby, or leave it at the front desk.
I actually prefer knowing exactly where the food is going before I order.
If I’m unsure, I’ll ask the front desk what they prefer.
Delivery Fees Can Still Be Worth It
Is ordering through Grubhub always the cheapest option?
No.
There can be delivery fees, service fees, and a tip.
But I don’t look at hotel delivery only as the price of the food.
I’m also paying for the convenience of not driving somewhere, not hunting for parking, not waiting for a table, and not spending another hour or two away from the room.
After walking thousands of steps at a theme park all day, that convenience can be worth quite a bit.
Especially when the alternative is putting shoes back on.
It Works Especially Well on Longer Trips
On a one-night trip, we may just grab something on the road.
But on a longer vacation, I actually like mixing restaurant meals with delivery nights.
We still get to try local restaurants and interesting food, but we don’t have to turn every single dinner into another activity.
Some nights dinner can simply show up at the hotel.
That gives us time to sit down, put our feet up, sort photos from the day, use the hotel pool or hot tub, and relax.
And honestly, those quieter evenings are becoming some of my favorite parts of traveling.
Would I Use Grubhub at a Hotel Again?
Absolutely.
I wouldn’t use it for every meal, and I still love going out to restaurants when there is someplace we really want to experience.
But for nights when we are tired, the weather is bad, or we simply don’t want to go back out, Grubhub gives us far more choices than we would have otherwise.
On this trip, it led us to Sus Hi Eatstation.
The food looked fantastic, the packaging was fun, and the hotel clerk approved our choice before we even opened the bag.
I’d call that a pretty successful hotel dinner.