Ever Been Charged Extra For gluten-free Hotel Food?

[Christine E]

I've emailed ahead of a trip to a large chain, high end hotel about gluten-free meals for my 6- year-old son, and have been informed I will be charged extra for any gluten-free products they purchase to feed my son. Has anyone else ever encountered this? I think it's crazy!

[GlutenFreeManna]

Are you talking about ordering room service? I have not ordered room service anywhere since going gluten free, but I think that bringing your own food or buying it at a grocery store would be less expensive regardless of a gluten-free diet requirement. They may not realize what they already have that can be prepared gluten free, or they may not have the dedicated kitchen space to avoid cc and would have to order prepackaged foods (like microwave meals) for your son. If you are staying in such a high end place it should be easy to get a room with a fridge and microwave, maybe even a full kitchen in room. Why not bring/buy your own food? Alternatively, have you checked to see if any of the nearby restaurants will have gluten free food? The number of pizza places are growing, so you might even be able to find a place like Z-Pizza that will deliver a gluten free pizza to your hotel room.

[Christine E]

I've emailed ahead of a trip to a large chain, high end hotel about gluten-free meals for my 6- year-old son, and have been informed I will be charged extra for any gluten-free products they purchase to feed my son. Has anyone else ever encountered this? I think it's crazy!

This is for restaurant food. The chef indicated They cannot heat up or prepare outside food. If they buy bread, cake mix, cookies, they'll apparently charge for the product plus 10 percent (service charge?). If this is actually the case I will look into other options. I'm.quite disappointed since we've generally been well accommodated, even being charged kid meal prices for adult foods (fish).

[Christine E]

This is for restaurant food. The chef indicated They cannot heat up or prepare outside food. If they buy bread, cake mix, cookies, they'll apparently charge for the product plus 10 percent (service charge?). If this is actually the case I will look into other options. I'm.quite disappointed since we've generally been well accommodated, even being charged kid meal prices for adult foods (fish).

This is on Grand Cayman

[psawyer]

I've never been charged extra for wanting gluten-free food, but in my case it has always been a matter of choosing carefully and having sauces and seasonings left out. That doesn't cost them anything more. But if they have to buy specialty gluten-free items like cake mix, bread, or similar stuff it kind of makes sense. Gluten-free versions are notably more expensive, and whatever is left of the loaf of bread is not going to be something they will serve to anyone else.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Oh, is it one of those "ALL Inclusive" places? It does make sense to me that they would charge extra for those types of items, but at least you found out now instead of when you are stuck there with the bill. It sounds like they may not know much about preparing gluten free food anyway. I would not want to take a chance of cross contamination if they are not gluten-free saavy--they could buy gluten free bread and then prepare a sandwich or a burger on the same surface as regular bread. At least you have a chance to plan ahead so your son can eat safe.

[psawyer]

Oh, and one more thing. I can't speak specifically to the Cayman Islands, but in most jurisdictions in North America, the local health code absolutely prohibits anything not from an approved supplier going into the kitchen. If the food is not from their kitchen, or has left their possesion for even a few seconds, it can not be taken in and must be discarded.