DO you tip?

annasmom · Jun 28, 2006

Tipping for Hotel Services

Valet or parking attendant - $1-3 is appropriate for parking or returning the car. It is not necessary to tip for parking, but always for returning the car.
Doorman - If he hails you a cab, $1-2. If he helps you with your bags in or out of the car, $0.50-1 a bag. Use $1-2 per bag if he carries them all the way to the room. If he just opens the door, nothing. If he is exceptionally helpful with directions or restaurant recommendations, same as concierge.
Bellman - When he helps you with your bags, tip $1-2 per bag. Give him the tip when he shows you your room. If he just carries the bags to the front desk and then disappears, save it for the person who carries the bags to your room. Upon checkout, tip a bellman who helps with your bags. Tip more for additional services.
Concierge - $5-10 for help with hard-to-get dinner reservations or theater tickets. Tipping is optional for just plain advice. Tipping can be done at the end of the trip or at the time of service, just keep is straight so that you are fair.
Room Service - If gratuity is included, add nothing or $1. Otherwise add 15-20% to the total charge.
Delivery of special items - If you request extra pillows or an iron, tip $1 per item received, minimum $2.
Maid service - $1-5 per day typically, up to $10 per day depending upon how much mess you make. Tip daily because there might be a different maid each day. Leave the tip on your pillow. Err on the side of being generous, and tip on the last day also.
Swimming pool or gym attendant - Nothing, unless you require special services such as extra seating or inflating pool toys; then it is $2-5. If you want the same deck chairs every day, then tip $2-3 per chair beginning the first day.
Hotel maintenance staff - Nothing to replace a light bulb, fix the air conditioning, etc.

zissou'smom · Jun 28, 2006

Maybe I've never stayed in the kind of hotel you work at, since I've never had anybody else carry anything to my room or anybody bring anything extra or anybody make dinner reservations (?!?) for me. Do you work in a place like that? If you do, and I was staying there I'd obviously have enough money that I'd probably tip everyone.

lilleah · Jun 28, 2006

I didnt know you were supposed to tip either.

But like Mackenzie, I always clean up before leaving. I mean, I totally clean. I strip the beds, bring all the towel out into a pile by the door, and clean the bathroom, and pick up ANY kind of crap on the floor.

Mostly because we're guests...and that's what I would expect my guests to do.

But now that I know we are supposed to tip, maybe I wont clean as much, and just leave some money. Where are we supposed to leave it?
A couple times, I've bought mini-bottles of liquor and left them on the pillow. I bought 3, thinking that's about how many people would like them. lol.

gingersmom · Jun 28, 2006

Originally Posted by sherral46

Sorry I do not agree with you,We work darn hard making sure the rooms are clean for the next person coming in.and we work all holidays and weekends!and a lot of people are pigs,and they are not the ones who leave a tip.And most people who do not tip have never had to do this line of work or any manul labor.Making beds and cleaning tubs is hard work!I also never leave a room in shambles, I also strip the bed,when I leave.

You don't have to agree with me. You asked a question, and I answered honestly.

I've never worked in housekeeping, but I have worked in the service industry, and I am fully aware of the rules and etiquette surrounding proper tipping across various industries. As a waitress, I worked for $2.01 an hour, plus tips. I'm no stranger to manual labor.

Here's an important note: Tips are not supposed to be EXPECTED, they are left in appreciation for a service well performed. They are not manditory, they are suggested.

Therefore, when I am paying through the nose for a hotel room, with all of the hospitality taxes added on to that, etc., etc.., and I do NOT request any additional housekeeping services beyond having my room be ready when I get there, and then them cleaning the room when I have left it - and I am NOT a pig, by the way, I make sure that the bed linens are on the bed, the towels are on the floor of the bathroom in a pile if they were used, and there are no messes that require additional cleaning - then I will NOT leave a tip.

If I do not have my room cleaned daily when I am there, then I do not tip because I have NOT used the services. If I DO use the services, then I absolutely DO leave a tip, and it is generally at least $5, because I appreciate the service provided.

zissou'smom · Jun 28, 2006

Most places don't even change the sheets during your stay anymore. I always leave the "Do not disturb" sign up from when I get there until I leave. I don't want anyone in the room anyway, and I can clean up after myself for a couple days!

marie-p · Jun 28, 2006

I never used to, until I worked in a motel myself. I was making $7 an hour (which at the time was just barely above minimum wage for people without tips) BUT I was only working 2-3 hrs a day, if I was lucky. I didn't get tips very often, but when I did, it really made my day.

Tipping every day is harder though. I know when I was cleaning a room where people were staying another day, I would never touch any money lying around. Just in case it's not a tip. I guess people could just leave a note making it clear that the money is a tip for the cleaning staff.

Usually, I'm the kind of person who tries to save money all the time... but tips are the one thing were I will usually give more than expected... because I know that people who work for tips have to deal with a lot of difficult people and they really appreciate that little bit of extra money.

polyglot · Jun 28, 2006

I never tip when leaving hotels. The reason is that, through my years of staying in hotels, I have only once had a maid that did a good job. She was arrested for dealing drugs the day before I left.

The lady after her was not very good at all.

meowsas · Jun 28, 2006

I have left a bottle of wine and a pile of magazines..does that count?!

urbantigers · Jun 28, 2006

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

I tip bartenders and servers and delivery people.

When I worked as a maid in hotels I certainly got paid less than the bartenders. I used to have to vacuum the rooms every day as well as clean the bath, wash basin etc. Sheets were changed every other day, I think. If you're not receiving that service then it's fair enough not to tip. I didn't expect a tip from everyone but it was always nice when someone left you something . When I waited on tables people invariably left a tip but the same people often didn't think to leave a tip for the maid who had been cleaning their room all week.

zissou'smom · Jun 28, 2006

Were you being paid regular minimum wage or more when you worked as housekeeping?
Tipping servers is pretty much mandatory unless they're terrible, because the wage system (at least in Ohio) makes tips part of their regular wages. Here it is 5.15 min wage, but servers only have to be paid 2.13 an hour. When I was a waitress, I did not even make minimum wage even though a man who had been there every day for thirty years said I was the best waitress they'd ever had.
If you're making at least minimum wage, then tips are extra when you have gone out of your way for someone and they choose to tip you. I appreciate that it must be hard work, but most people have noticed that the harder you work the less you get paid!

scamperfarms · Jun 28, 2006

Nope i dont. I have never stayed in a Fancy hotel either tho. but no because i dont use the service. I keep my Do not disturb sign up because i dont like other people in my room to potentially touch my things.

Whean I leave, I strip the bed, pile the towels, wipe up anything in the tub ect. make sure the trash is tied and ready to go and makesure nothing is overly dirty.

I worked in cleaning myself offices, at night. And i sure as heck nver got a tip. didnt expect one either it was my job.

trouts mom · Jun 28, 2006

Nope I don't, I don't leave anything weird for them to clean up, so I don't feel like I make them work very hard.

ilovesiamese · Jun 28, 2006

I'm sorry but only 2 bucks an hour is absolutely rediculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had no idea that minimum was so low in the states. Here in my province min wage is 7.00 dollars(CDN) per hour plus tips and it is going up to 7.50 an hour soon.

I didn't know about tipping maid service until my trip to the states and I gave whatever I could.

On the note of tipping, especially for waitresses, I believe you guys need to stand up for better wages and perhaps try unions. I am not your employer and I should not be responsible to supplement your wages (BTW, most don't claim their tips into their income, or if they do, they only claim a small percentage).

I worked minimum wage jobs in the service industry(fast food server) and I have never gotten a tip in 2 years. I have to get the food and clean up after you.

A person I go to school with (ex-waitress) and I had a convo about this and i said I have to save to go out to dinner once or twice a month, plus babysitting and often cannot afford to tip. She said that if I can not afford to tip, I shouldn't be going out!

What a pompous *****. I could have slapped her teeth out.

jenny82 · Jun 28, 2006

I try to tip when I stay at a hotel, but sometimes I do forget in the rush of packing up. I'm going to try harder to remember in the future.

icklemiss21 · Jun 28, 2006

It depends on the service, if I go into a dirty hotel room (we stayed at the radisson over xmas and there was what looked like pasta sauce - with meat bits - on the walls) I won't tip.

I generally fold all the towels and bedding and make sure everything is tidy and in the trash before I leave, so I don't leave a huge tip, but I do leave something as long as the room was clean and well stocked when I got there.

Another thing (and I know it isn't the maids fault but I am sure I am not the only one) if I have a bad experience at the hotel as a whole I won't leave a tip, and I believe people should work for their tips and not expect them.

The exact same thing goes for wait staff - we went out for dinner last week, the waitress ignored us while chatting up a member of the band who was setting up for a gig that night, the people setting up (during the dinner rush) were rude, half dressed and noisy and knocked over the drinks of the people at the next table and she didn't come around to clean it or apologise (or bring replacements) for 10 mins while she was chatting.

The bill came to 46.84 and I left here $47 so she knew I wasn't just forgetting to leave a tip.

sailfish · Jun 28, 2006

I allways leave a tip. I try and picture myself doing that and all I can think of is "what's it gonna be this time" Peanut shells, potato chip crumbles, or worse. "what's that saugy mess in the bottom of the waste basket?" Even though I know I left the room relatively neat I'm sure they encounter one or two durring the week that truely are slobs. One place I stay at with some regularity has actually started to leave an envelope to be dropped off at the office. I won't do that. It's for the person that has to dig in and clean the room. Now seeing a tip cup at a coffee shop that is allready charging you an arm and a leg for a 25 cent cup of joe... well thats another story.

scamperfarms · Jun 28, 2006

Steve says i am a naughty person when tipping. I am very picky. I dont like being ignored. I dont like sitting with an empty glass for 10mins.and i dont drink booze so its not to hard to fill. Ect, lol I do tip but i do expect some good service too. I leave good tips too.

But hotel service..I dont.

And useing the manual labor excuse..I dunno while I sat thinking for a bit about it. Lots of people make Min wage, work hard and dont get tips.

Kennel staff, Horse Barn Staff...Farm workers..ect.

zissou'smom · Jun 28, 2006

The absolute best thing to do to someone who was just a plain HORRIBLE, like out of a nightmare, waitress is to leave exactly one penny, especially in places where you pay at the register.

However, if you cannot afford to tip a waitress who is doing a good job, please remember that that really is how we get paid. We are not paid minimum wage, even. I don't like that either but that's the way it is, and in fact you sort of are our employer and agree to be by going somewhere where you get a full-service waitress. The best way to ruin someone's whole day is to know they worked hard and did a good job but didn't get a tip. Like when someone came in where I worked, ordered 80$ worth of food (this was not an expensive place by any standards) and left a huge mess all over the place, on the floor, on other tables, etc, and then said they "couldn't afford" a tip unless I wanted it in marijuana.

and then when I said no they left a nasty, obscene note for me. Just like hiring a babysitter, paying for your food, etc, a tip is part of going out to dinner if your server did not mess up. It's sort of the equivalent of not paying your babysitter-- you would only do that if the service of either the server or the babysitter was unacceptable.

Other people who actually get paid to do their job, a tip is extra.

ilovesiamese · Jun 28, 2006

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

The absolute best thing to do to someone who was just a plain HORRIBLE, like out of a nightmare, waitress is to leave exactly one penny, especially in places where you pay at the register.

However, if you cannot afford to tip a waitress who is doing a good job, please remember that that really is how we get paid. We are not paid minimum wage, even. I don't like that either but that's the way it is, and in fact you sort of are our employer and agree to be by going somewhere where you get a full-service waitress. The best way to ruin someone's whole day is to know they worked hard and did a good job but didn't get a tip. Like when someone came in where I worked, ordered 80$ worth of food (this was not an expensive place by any standards) and left a huge mess all over the place, on the floor, on other tables, etc, and then said they "couldn't afford" a tip unless I wanted it in marijuana.

and then when I said no they left a nasty, obscene note for me. Just like hiring a babysitter, paying for your food, etc, a tip is part of going out to dinner if your server did not mess up. It's sort of the equivalent of not paying your babysitter-- you would only do that if the service of either the server or the babysitter was unacceptable.

Other people who actually get paid to do their job, a tip is extra.

I really understand what you are saying, especially since your min. wage isn't regulated as it is here.

While in New Mexico, I always tiped waitresses exactly 15 percent unless they did a crappy job.

Here though, I do not tip waitresses. In the fast food industry, I do the same things as a regular waitress, the only real differences is on how formal it is, and you come to me to order instead of the other way around and like I said before, I never got tipped once and I made minimum and I worked hard.

I think it is unfair to expect people to stay at home. I go out to maybe one semi-nice meal a month and litterally scrimp to save to be able to do so. I pay for the goods I recieve. It is their job to take orders and bring the food and be polite and prompt. That is the job. I refuse to tip here.

kittylover4ever · Jun 28, 2006

I've always tipped very well, as long as the service during my stay was good.

DO you tip?

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