Many hotel doors close by themselves which means when you put your food tray into the hallway you need to open a door and hold it open while holding a tray full of dishes. The kind of thing you'd see made into a comedy bit on the old I Love Lucy tv show.
This would simply be a piece of plastic about 10 inches long sticking out of the side of the tray that you'd stick into the cracked oped door and then push the door open with your tray allowing both hands to hold the tray.
You'd need to open the door a crack and then flip that little door lock thing into the opening to hold it open that first inch but then you'd stick the tray thingy in and push it the rest of the way open without risking dropping the tray.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 03 2014 Why can't you use a foot to open a door more than a crack, and hold the door open?-- Vernon, Jun 03 2014 And the waiter ?-- 8th of 7, Jun 03 2014 I worry the door would shut over the tray, sweeping everything on it out into the hall. Or maybe that is what you were trying for?-- bungston, Jun 03 2014 //Why can't you use a foot to open a door more than a crack, and hold the door open?//
Well, you've got to take one hand off the tray to open it meaning you have to hold the tray up with your knee, then you've got a split second to put your foot into the path of the closing door after putting your hand back on the tray. It's a bit of a juggling act. I'm stuck here on business all week and believe me, I've tried everything. It can be done but not while in an alpha state. Anything that detracts from my post meal alpha state must be remedied with technology. That or booze.
//and what happened to the trolley ?//
No trolleys here. Just trays.
//And the waiter ?//
I'm not going to call room service to take my tray when I can do it myself. Especially with the handy little door opening doodad available. Waiters smile too much. I don't like people walking into my room smiling. Don't know why, I just don't. I think it's because I don't buy it. I'd be like "Here's your food asshole." Being a waiter's probably not my gig.
//I worry the door would shut over the tray, sweeping everything on it out into the hall. Or maybe that is what you were trying for?//
No, but if it did do that it would impart a hilarious spin to the tray which could be entertaining.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 03 2014 And to stop them getting nicked, print a coat of arms on them...-- not_morrison_rm, Jun 04 2014 //No trolleys here// Only Zuul-- AusCan531, Jun 04 2014 I think they send Zuul around to pick up the dirty dishes here.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 04 2014 This morning, held the tray with both hands, pulled the door open with my pinky, stuck my foot into the opened crack in this bear trap of a door and pushed it open. The stiff door closer needed about 100 foot pounds to push the thing open, so I ignored the pain of the sharp edge of the door against the side of my bare foot and finally was able to do a shoulder roll out the door to put my tray into the hallway.
A 3 to 6 " or so plastic door opening lever sticking out of one corner of the tray would have avoided all of this.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 04 2014 1. Place tray near to door, but just clear of arc of swing.
2. Open door with one hand.
3. With foot, push tray into door arc, adjacent to hinge.
4. Gently allow door to close, pushing tray out into corridor.-- 8th of 7, Jun 04 2014 Wait a minute...I just posted similar to [8th]'s anno earlier and it's gone! I numbered them like that and used almost the exact wording! I did have problems with annos this morning, but that is just too weird!-- xandram, Jun 04 2014 See ? Yet another implanted false memory ! You need to wear the tinfoil hat ALL THE TIME.-- 8th of 7, Jun 04 2014 Well, couple of problems with the Beckham method.
Rubber feet on the tray.
Raised threshold on the door for them to catch on.
Glasses half filled with orange juice etc that are very easy to tip over.
I'm picturing the tray having sort of like "horns" sticking out from each corner that would just look like decorations. Four inches would do it.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 04 2014 As a regular visitor to Malaysia (a predominantly muslim country), I would just like to mention that endless fun can be had in hotels by leaving a used wine-cooler with the upturned empty bottle in it outside randomly-chosen doors.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 04 2014 I wouldn't mind wearing a tin foil hat but really I have proof from [jutta] that I was having problems leaving annos yesterday. It's OK, I like your idea [8th], as it was the same as mine! [doc] You could pour the half glass of OJ down the sink before you put it on the tray. (just a suggestion) Do you live in a hotel??-- xandram, Jun 05 2014 LOL. Feels like it.
No Dear, only temporarily. Here in glorious LA for a class.
As far as making the tray less vulnerable to spills during moving, I feel put upon just having to move the tray in the first place. I'm supposed to be a man-god, waited on hand and foot when I'm traveling, not some clown juggling breakfast trays.
I'll just let room service take it. That of course opens up a whole set of problems. They pick through the un-eaten/drank stuff and set it aside in case you weren't finished. Now I have half an English muffin and glass or orange juice that I need to put outside on the bare carpet without a tray.
By the way, none of this is room service's fault, they're great. It's us designer types that are supposed to have these problems solved.
I for one will not relent until 1- the problem is solved or 2- I loose interest the moment I get back home.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 05 2014 Dr R, if you're going to be staying there a long time then disassemble the door closing mechanism and reassemble it with the spring reversed so that it self-opens rather than self-closes. You just have to push down on the door handle with your elbow and you're good to go.-- Harry Mudd, Jun 05 2014 Well clearly the answer is a voice activated servo-operated sliding door, with a distinctive swish ... swish sound.-- 8th of 7, Jun 05 2014 oh dear [doc] you made me laugh so hard!! Then I say, install a doggie door within the door and just push the tray out through that! Never having to open the room door!-- xandram, Jun 05 2014 In glorious L.A.? Drop on down as far south as Oceanside this weekend and we can spend some time at Iron Sites - I'll bring hardware, or we can rent some cheap.-- normzone, Jun 05 2014 That sounds like a hell of a great time norm, flying back Saturday morning though.
Love that whole area. I'd come down there on a regular basis when my boy was in the Marines. We'd stay in Carlsbad when he'd get back from deployments. Never wanted to leave.-- doctorremulac3, Jun 05 2014 // what *do* you juggle ? //
If you are an employee of British Telecom, the answer appears to be "your own genitalia".
It is rare to encounter a more practised and professional bunch of bollock-jugglers, and this (disturbingly) also encompasses the female employees …-- 8th of 7, Jun 05 2014 //If you are an employee of British Telecom, the answer appears to be "your own genitalia".//
Sounds like the making of a great slogan. "At British Telecom, we're juggling more than just a tight schedule."-- doctorremulac3, Jun 05 2014 random, halfbakery