In the U.S. tipping at restaurants is a very common practice, but what about tipping at hotels? This has become quite the hot topic recently with Marriott including tip envelopes in hotel rooms.
At a recent hotel stay in Savannah, GA, a friend and I engaged in a discussion about tipping at hotels when our housekeeper left a note with her name on it. Should a tip be expected by housekeeping staff? How much is an appropriate tip? What other hotel staff should be tipped? I sent out a tweet to have others weigh in on the conversation…
The Sterling Traveler says he tips if the room is beyond an ordinary mess or if staying longer than several days.
Kevin, from Economy Class & Beyond, says he thinks that his perspective can be guessed coming from the old countries (UK).
Simon, from Running for Status, writes that he thinks we should but often forgets. His wife reminds him.
Aaron, The Flying Consultant, says he tips when the staff goes above and beyond for some reason.
I only regularly tip the bellman if they deliver a bag to my room or hold my bags for part of the day, and valets on the rare occasion that I valet my car. Usually when I’m staying in hotels I am only there for 1-3 nights, and often times I just leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on my door, so I don’t usually tip the housekeeping staff. Even if I did have the housekeeping staff refresh my room every day, that in and of itself does not entitle them to a tip, in my opinion. I tip for exceptional service, not simply for someone doing their job.
What do you think about tipping at hotels? Do you do it?
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I’d tip a bellman (though if given the option I prefer to carry my own luggage). I’ve never tipped a housekeeper, and like you I often leave the DND sign out. And I love staying at the hotels that give you points for not taking housekeeping!!
I completely agree. I love getting bonus points for no housekeeping too!
I try to tip $1.50 to $2 per day when I stay. I would suggest that a housekeeper does a whole lot more work to clean a room than a waiter or waitress does in a restaurant to bring us our food and drinks. Yet we’re pretty well programmed to give them 15-20% of the bill. I’m not sure why many question 1.5-2% for a housekeeper (assuming a $100 hotel rate)
I don’t really agree with restaurant tipping either. I feel like tipping takes away responsibility of paying employees away from the employer. I would much prefer a hotel charge me an extra few dollars a day and pass that along to the housekeeping staff (and other staff) rather than expect me to tip. At restaurants I’d rather pay an extra dollar or two for my food/drink/etc.
An interesting perspective. As far as housekeeping goes, if you’re using the service, it just makes sense to leave a couple of dollars a day. Like it or not, just as with a server, the hourly pay rate is normally predicated on tips supplementing the direct pay. If you don’t do this, you’re just hurting the little guy. Some would argue that it would be better to avoid or reduce tipping, and just pay more in the form of an included service charge. I’m kind of in the middle on this, having been on all sides of the situation, but for the people that feel that they shouldn’t have to tip, and that they prefer to pay more upfront, I would suggest they talk to their friend the government to change the laws. Just beware that if a service charge is included, there’s really no incentive to offer anything more than the basics.
I agree that with an included service charge there isn’t very much incentive to offer more than the basics, but I also feel that there is not much of an incentive for that now. I don’t mind tipping for service that is above and beyond, but by definition, service isn’t always above and beyond.
I will tip $2 for a 1 night stay and $5 for a 2-3 night stay. If the hotel holds my bags for an early check-in or a late check-out, then I will tip $2. If I need a ride to the airport, I will tip $2 each way. The only time I touch paper money is when I travel, always good to have small bills on hand 🙂
I usually tip about $5 when I have the hotel hold my bags and about $2 for a shuttle, maybe a bit more if they actually help me with my bag.
I know that tipping is a controversial topic, but I do not tip for housekeeping unless they do something special (extra shampoos, towel animals, etc.) I try to keep things easy for them by keeping my things orderly and not requesting new sheets/towels, but the entire point of their job is housekeeping so the fact that they come in to empty a wastebasket, etc. does not entitle them to a tip IMO. If we as a culture continue to tip for every single service, employers have no incentive to pay fair wages in the first place so I talk with my wallet. It’s unfortunate but I’d love to see fair wages rolled into overall prices.
It’s definitely a controversial topic. I appreciate you weighing in, Becky! I would also like to see employers paying fair wages and getting rid of the tipping culture, even if it means that prices are raised slightly.
$2 a night, $5 if the kids are along. Daily. I also leave the cash under a pillow, marked for housekeeping, so that only the person that makes up the room finds it. Housekeeping supervisors have been known to swipe tips.
These people work hard for low wages. The couple of bucks, I’ll never miss. It might not be a system I approve of (wages ought to be fair w/o tips) but it is what it is.