The Daily Valet. - 6/7/23, Wednesday
✔️ Room Service Gone Wild
Wednesday, June 7th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
What’s your go-to room service order? Mine’s eggs benedict or a classic burger, depending on the time of day.
Today’s Big Story
Room Service Gone Wild
It's More Popular Than Ever, and the orders range from bizarre to unreasonable
There are two types of people. Those who relish the opportunity to order room service when staying in a hotel and those who would never “waste their money” on the upcharge. I'm in that first camp, for sure. In fact, it's why I've never been in favor of booking an Airbnb—no room service.After all, nothing says you're on vacation like enjoying a restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of a bathrobe. And according to Forbes, in-room dining is more popular than ever these days—up 45% compared with last year. Which is why some hotels are experimenting with robot bellhops that can ferry food up to your room in order to keep up with demand. If that sounds strange, it's nothing compared to what's being ordered.This week, Hotels.com released its inaugural Room Service Report, and the results reveal that all of us can be pretty frickin' freaky behind hotel doors. The website surveyed nearly 500 hotels during the month of April in the U.S., U.K., France, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.What they found was that nearly a third of all hotels reported that guests who order room service tend to spend on average $100 or more. You might think this means they have champagne tastes, but really guests tend to want the simple pleasures (and are willing to pay for it). Just under half of hotels reported that burgers were the most popular item ordered.And while I've never been personally bold enough to go off-menu when ordering room service, it seems plenty of other travelers have. The report notes 10 of the most unusual room service requests fielded by hotels: Everything from “melted ice cream” and “boiled bottled water” to requests for a fish that a guest brought with them to be cooked and bowl of plain rice (for a dog). I get the bowl of rice request because I'm a dog person, but let this be a reminder to always tip well.
FYI:
New York’s Plaza Hotel now sells the huge ice cream sundae bar Kevin McCallister orders via room service on ‘Home Alone 2.’
Internal Blast Likely Breached Ukrainian Dam
Russia and Ukraine are both blaming each other for the collapse of the Kakhovka dam
A deliberate explosion inside the Kakhovka dam, on the front line of the war in Ukraine, most likely caused its collapse on Tuesday, according to engineering and munitions experts, who said that structural failure or an attack from outside the dam were possible but less plausible explanations.The collapse of the hydroelectric dam unleashed floodwaters downstream, destroying the homes of more than 16,000 people, threatening drinking and irrigation water supplies in the region, and raising concerns about the potential consequences for the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.The explosion at the dam comes in what analysts and Western officials have said appear to be the opening days of Ukraine's long-awaited counter-offensive. According to the New York Times, Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the failure, noting that Moscow's military forces—which have repeatedly struck Ukrainian infrastructure since invading last year—controlled the dam spanning the Dnipro River, putting them in a position to detonate explosives from within.
Meanwhile:
The Washington Post reports that the CIA had intelligence of a detailed Ukrainian plan to sabotage the Nord Stream pipeline.
At first, he had doubted that Flo Rida, his son’s favorite artist, would agree to come, but an agent informed him that most big-name musicians are available these days, under the right conditions.”
- The New Yorker on hiring your favorite pop star
Canadian Wildfire Choke U.S. Cities
New York City, Detroit and Toronto had among the worst air quality of all cities around the world
Where there's smoke ... but no fire. On Tuesday, the entire Northeastern U.S. was awash in smoke from wildfires happening hundreds of miles to the north, from Yukon to Nova Scotia. That hazy smoke, wafting through the atmosphere, actually resulted in New York City, Detroit and Toronto having among the worst air quality of all cities around the world overnight.The National Weather Service said air quality has “plummeted” across much of the Northeast. Officials from the Midwest to the East Coast and as far south as North Carolina are warning residents to take precautions as the haze floats south and poses a risk to public health. An estimated 100 million people across the country were under air quality advisories yesterday.Canada has been experiencing a particularly brutal wildfire season this year, as extreme weather is worsening in part due to climate change, reports NPR. Blazes have recently flared up across Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. At least 415 active fires were burning across the country, including 238 that were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Fire Center.
FYI:
Poor air quality can be caused by any airborne “irritant”, but how exactly does it affect your health? NBC News investigates.
The SEC’s Crypto Crackdown
It's unlikely to affect traders in the near term, but could transform the industry, analysts say
The Securities and Exchange Committee filed a lengthy lawsuit against Coinbase on Tuesday, accusing the largest crypto exchange in the U.S. of operating as an illegal, unregistered broker and exchange for its crypto exchange, Coinbase Prime, and its Coinbase Wallet. The legal action comes less than 24 hours after the SEC filed a separate suit against Binance accusing it of running an illegal crypto scheme and engaging in “an extensive web of deception.”Wednesday is only just beginning, but it's already looking like one of the shakiest weeks for the crypto industry since last year's dramatic FTX meltdown. According to Quartz, the twin lawsuits signal that after years of threatening to force the crypto industry into compliance, SEC chair Gary Gensler is finally going after the biggest fish.But the crackdown won't change much for crypto investors in the near term, analysts say. “In the short term, I don't see any changes,” PitchBook crypto analyst Robert Le told NBC News, referring to the next three to five years. He cited XRP, a digital coin that continues to trade despite the SEC's ongoing lawsuit against the blockchain company Ripple Labs, announced in late 2020.
FYI:
Just 24 hours after the Binance suit, investors had reportedly rushed to pull out $3 billion worth of crypto tokens from the exchange.
In Other News
The surprise announcement sent shock waves beyond the sports world.
Have you heard about ...
Your June Reading List
From a delicious food tour to a wild hero’s journey
Summer reading season is here. What are you looking to dive into? This month has some great options, whether you're looking for something easy to read on your lunch break or more intimate and challenging stories—from an honest memoir about what it’s like to transition to a gripping story about war, displacement, emigration, and an elusive mechanical tiger.
By: Henry Hoke Out: June 6
There’s been a lot of chatter about this book, which is told from the point of view of a queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion that lives under the Hollywood sign. We learn about the cat’s life and lessons of survival in a unique, inventive prose.
By: Elliot Page Out: June 6
After success in Hollywood (Juno and Inception) Elliot Page came out as trans in 2020. His new memoir details the long path—from the pressure to perform to self-acceptance—and the book has been called “moving” and “searing”.
By: Tania JamesOut: June 13
This gripping historical novel, set in the 18th century, follows an artisan whose great work is stolen. He has no choice but to journey from India to Europe to bring it back. This wild heist adventure traces the ugly legacy of colonialism across two continents and fifty years.
By: Anya von Bremzen Out: June 20
With multiple cookbooks and James Beard awards to her name, von Bremzen is a knowledgeable tour guide on a journey to six culinary capitals around the world to explore why certain foods become associated with particular cultures.
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