Room service or in-room dining is a hotel service enabling guests to choose items of food and drink for delivery to their hotel room for consumption. Room service is organized as a subdivision within the food and beverage department of high-end hotel and resort properties. It is uncommon for room service to be offered in hotels that are not high-end, or in motels. Room service may also be provided for guests on cruise ships. Room service may be provided on a 24-hour basis or limited to late night hours only. Due to the cost of customized orders and delivery of room service, prices charged to the patron are typically much higher than in the hotel's restaurant or tuck shop, and a gratuity is expected. History The Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York — already a symbol of fame and distinction from its construction during the late 19th century — is credited as being the first modern hotel to offer room service. The Waldorf was originally constructed on 5th Ave., but was rebuilt and re-opened in 1931 at 301 Park Ave. In addition to being the first hotel to introduce room service, this new Waldorf Astoria also introduced other advancements in the industry such as restaurant reservations and full electrical wiring. With a telephone in every room and first-class room service, the hotel was designed specifically to cater to the needs of the socially prominent "wealthy upper crust" of New York and distinguished foreign visitors to the city. Nowadays, room service is considered a necessity for any high-end hotel and is commonly found at hotels worldwide. Unique room service offerings include: singer-songwriters with cocktails and appetizers at the Thompson Nashville in Tennessee, s'mores and champagne at the Carneros Resort & Spa in Napa Valley, and straight-to-room vinyl record deliveries at the Moxy East Village in New York. To address clinical issues and reduce mortality rates related to nutritional issues, the Mater Private Hospital Brisbane in Australia, became the first to offer room service in a hospital setting in 2013, providing more appropriate nutrition at an affordable price point. Though as technology advances, hotel customer services continue to evolve, allowing hotels to provide all customers room service and even including more options. Standards Organizations tend to have their own standards for room service, as there are no universally held best practices as they differ from business to business and the best practice