Melted ice cream makes list of oddest room service orders in the world: Bison, 'diet water' also on list

Nearly 500 hotels that offer room service to their guests took part in a study this spring — and now Hotels.com, based in Dallas, Texas, has released its first-ever "Room Service Report" that examined the requests from hotel guests from all over the globe.

The report included responses from people in the U.S., the U.K., France, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Some of the weirdest room service demands focused on water include — no, not "skinny water" or "fitness water" — but "diet water."

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Other odd requests from room service users around the world include melted ice cream — and rice bowls for traveling pups.

Also on the list: boiled bottled water and a "giant serving of bison," according to a news release.

Another strange request was blowfish — which can be poisonous if not prepared properly, as SWNS noted.

One traveler even requested that a fish he'd personally brought along be cooked and served by room service.

Room service use is reportedly on the rise globally, according to almost four in 10 of the hotels surveyed in this report.

Also, nearly a third (30%) of travelers spend, on average, about $125 on their room service bill per night.

Around the globe (not just in the U.S.), burgers are the most popular item (40%) requested from room service — beating out the classic club sandwich, pizza and even chips.

The most popular time for room service calls is between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to this report. 

In Britain, food orders are evolving — with more than 55% of hotels seeing an increase in vegan orders over the past year, more so than vegetarian or dairy-free dishes.

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Melanie Fish of Hotels.com said, "Room service holds a special place in the hearts of hotel guests," according to the news release. 

She said this could be due to a "treat-yourself moment" or a "must-have after a long day of sightseeing." 

Another finding: Hotels said steak and champagne are the most expensive items on their room service menus.

Some other fascinating discoveries: The Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, allows guests to request a Lego butler that will deliver — on a silver tray — the Lego sets of one’s choice to their rooms, according to the report.

And fans of the "Home Alone" films have a treat in store if they're willing to shell out for it.

At New York City’s Plaza Hotel, guests can order the "Home Alone Sundae," a 16-scoop, topping-layered ice cream named after the franchise for $300, the report says.

The sundae's toppings includes whipped cream, maraschino cherries, M&Ms, brownie bits, chocolate, caramel, and raspberry sauce, according to The Plaza. 

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Or how about this indulgence in Houston: The Post Oak Hotel serves "The Black Gold Burger," which contains 16 ounces of Wagyu beef, seared foie gras and black truffle in a caviar-infused black and 24K gold brioche bun. 

Says the report, "It will only set you back a whopping $1,600."

The survey was conducted online in April. 

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Here are the top 10 wacky room service orders from the report.

1. Diet water

2. Melted ice cream

3. Blowfish

4. Boiled bottled water

5. Cooked fish that guest brought along

6. Cockle popcorn

7. No-egg-white omelet

8. Rice bowl for dogs

9. Bison

10. Eggless shakshuka 

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Hotels.com is part of the Expedia Group of travel companies, according to its website. 

The over-the-top wedding era is sending some guests into debt

Planning and even attending weddings has jumped in cost as social media pressures Americans to put on more extravagant affairs amid rising price hikes, a 12-time bridesmaid told Fox News. 

"You see that so-and-so is going on all these trips and going to all these weddings … but you don't see their finances and so you feel like you have to keep up," Mackenzie Jones, of Arkansas, told Fox News. "You don't realize that she's not making the best financial decisions and now to keep up with her, you're not making the best financial decisions."

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COVID-19 lockdowns and downsizing caused wedding costs to plummet in 2020 but they rebounded above 2019 levels last year, hitting $30,000 on average, according to The Knot, a wedding planning website. For guests, 40% have gone into debt to attend weddings, jumping to 62% if they were also in the bridal party, an April LendingTree survey found.

"No one just has a bridesmaid anymore," Jones said. "You have the bachelorette trip and then the lingerie shower and a wedding shower and all the things."

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Jones, 26, estimates she's attended at least 50 weddings in her lifetime. In 2022 alone, she went to 18 and was a bridesmaid in five over a 10-month span.

"It was really lucky," she said. "I had a really low rent at the time. Now where I'm living and the expenses that I have, I could not afford that at all."

Jones estimated spending around $1,000 for each wedding where she was a bridesmaid. She said those prices were low compared to current wedding costs.

"The bar to be a bridesmaid in their weddings were so low," Jones said. "It was like buy the dress and show up on the day and that's all you need to do." 

"Now when I get asked to be in a wedding, I'm like, ‘okay, I got to do the bachelorette trip,'" she continued. "I got to be sure I have time to take off a work [and] all the things."

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The average wedding guest should expect to pay over $600 in 2023, according to a BankRate survey released in March. Wedding guests can expect to spend around $456 on travel accommodations, $321 on gifts and $274 on attire.

Jones said social media has pressured people into wanting more luxurious weddings, bachelorette trips and other wedding-related events. She also said high demand after the COVID-19 pandemic has driven up the overall costs.

"I think social media is a huge part of it because I was thinking that even with my own wedding, there were several things where I was like 'why do I feel like I have to do this?'" Jones said. 

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Among Gen Z, 51% feel social media makes them buy things they can't afford, while 43% of millennials said the same, according to a Deloitte survey of those age groups across 44 countries. Many blamed the apps for financial stress.

"I feel like when you get married or when you get engaged and you're planning a wedding, that's like the height of the social media [with] most liked posts and the most engagement on your posts," she said. "And so I think we see so much of it that we're like, ‘oh, we have to do that because they did that.'"

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The wedding industry grew 10% in 2022 to a $71 billion, according to market research firm IBISWorld. But Jones believes couples will increasingly elope or hold smaller ceremonies.

"I feel like the trend is kind of getting to a smaller wedding because at some point it can't get bigger," she said. 

To watch Jones' full interview, click here

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