Hotel Tipping

[SarahS]

When you're staying at a hotel, do you ever feel confused about when or how much to tip? Share your thoughts and questions about hotel tipping here!

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Hotel Tipping

[Metravellongtime]

I've been a bit confused about tipping for room service ...

Do you tip as if you're tipping a waiter (20 percent -- after all, they're bringing you food), or do you tip as you would if you were brought an extra pillow or something?

I tend to tip the 20 percent, just to be on the safe side.

What do you all do?

[nontipper]

In your article, you wrote:

"However, if you are deeply affected by the unhelpful behavior of a staff member who has been consistently rude throughout your stay, tip the minimum and notify the hotel manager of the offense. It is the manager’s job to dole out consequences for substandard service, not yours."

You're joking right? TIP the minimum? Okay, I'll go along with you there as minimum = Zero. Every customer has the right to expect a minimum level of service from a business without a TIP being considered. Should this minimum not be met, no TIP is warranted AND the manager should be approached immediately.

The entire idea of tipping is becoming borderline nauseating. It should be abolished entirely. I find it disgusting that a hotel concierge or a waitress at Hooters believe they are entitled to wages (TIPS and pay) that exceeds many professional earners pay.

Equally disturbing is the number of articles written by industry insiders (read - I spent my life working for TIPS) who provide suggested amounts.

I spent many years bouncing around Europe and received fine service, at reasonable cost, with out the headache (and wallet ache) of tipping.

That, Madam, is my two cents. Consider it your TIP.

[Emigrant]

Hotels have become so outrageously expensive that it is ridiculous that one is expected to tip every single freaking person for simply doing their jobs. You are already paying through the nose for exactly these services. The tipping culture in America is mind-boggling--it makes the country look like a nation of beggars. I don't mean to be a crank but hotels should pay employees real salaries out of the extravagant prices they charge and be done with it. And who can figure 18% of anything without resorting to a calculator? Please.

[Someguy]

I totally agree with nontipper. That's the problem with these "experts" who essentially feel they need to say something because they need a job.

And, even the author's statement "Because tipping is a way of rewarding good service" is completely incorrect. Tipping is for service ABOVE AND BEYOND their normal job duties.

If a bellhop does his job of bringing 2 bags up to your room, that's his JOB, which he is getting paid for. If a bellhop brings 50lbs of luggage and carries some on his back in one trip, that is above and beyond duty, to which a tip would be appropriate.

Tipping is never necessary. The fact that these "service" oriented people get screwed by receiving under minimum wage should be a wake up call for THESE people and eveyone else to tell the legislatures to STOP making the fat cat corporations richer and STOP SCREWING the working people.

Minimum wage is called minimum wage because that's the MINIMUM that one should be making, not minimum UNLESS you are in a service oriented business.

[davidb]

I disagree with a lot of the article I stay in maybe 20-30 hotel nights a year. I am not one to tip for example. When I am charged $45 in San Francisco to park my car... why would I tip when the Fairmont has inflated their parking rate?

Maid service??? What am I paying for when I book the room, next do I have to pay for the water or the heating? Come on recently stayed at the 4 Seasons Troon in Scottsdale tip?? on a $700 a night room??? not me... I am tired of tipping everyone in sight. i pay for a service and a level of service and its wrong to make travelers business or tourist feel that they are not doing the right thing by not giving tips to everyone. Its like the United skycaps... they charge $2 a bag for curbside check in ... and then the pretty much demand a tip. Do you tip the person who checks you in? Do you tip the air hostess, flight attendent? or pilot? Come on... Tipping is a THANK You for going above and beyond. I followed your tipping advice and found that at a 5 day stay at a luxury property this adds $75 -$150 to your bill in my case a $5000 hotel bill. Your advice on giving away money is pretty reckless to say the least.

[lougee1043]

when we were in london we hired a black cab to drive us around to see some of the sights - and the end of the ride i got flustered regarding the english currency and i know i took the easy way out and just handed the driver a bunch of money --- he looked at it and i asked as a joke "did i overtip you"
and he replied " oh no sir you are a gentleman"

[ppbong]

I agree with many of the users- we already pay so much for a hotel room, then on top of it we are expected to pay for every single little extra service, no matter how simple or unimportant it is. But the fact is that is the custom, and we should do it, even if it's just a little tip. A lot of the time the service workers are not paid very significantly, and they are usually very grateful for any extra money.

[linda5508]

I usually tip about 10%, but yeah it's really getting way out of hand.

[johnjones]

I agree, tipping should be reserved for going above and beyond ones duty. Even if it is with extra courteousness, but if the person is not offering that than tipping should be left to the bare minimum of zero. It's a job of service we all have those, do we get extra money for doing the bare minimum?

[LadyLuvsTravl]

Not to take this thread to far off from it's original topic. But this comes up a lot on Disney message boards and people get pretty upset over what they feel is right and wrong. But I don't tip for hotels. Never had one go above and beyond. It is their job that they are getting paid above minimum wage for. All they do for me is make my bed and give clean towels and perhaps scrub the bathroom. Thanks. But not worth tipping for. Besides I'm doing wipe downs with my clorox wipes in those rooms. And that is why I also walk past those skycaps. Even shuttle services. Where does it end?

[HotelCharlotte]

While the concept is correct, we should tip for exceptional service...in any industry, the thoughts in this article miss the mark.

Perhaps the writer is a mediocre worker at a hotel who expects tips even if they were rude? I have never heard of anything so silly. Customer service means clock in and put on that smile for your eight +/-hours...Get big tips. else get none. It's really quite simple. Minimum=none

[LSKahn]

Many of you confirmed nontippers have never worked in low paying service jobs where tips are an essential part of your income.

I always tip about 15% in restaurants (more in higher end restaurants where several people serve you). In hotels, if I am there for more than a day, I generally leave $5 for the maid (most of my hotels are low end ones). If I were to stay in a high end hotel for several days, I would leave at least $20 for the maid. Those of you who think you are entitled to superior service and then to leave no tips display, in my opinion, an over inflated view of your own self importance. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have low paid workers wait on us need to reminded that those workers are actually human beings who have to pay bills and raise families.

These tip suggestions, by the way, were meant for the US. I do know other countries see the tipping situation differently.

[jocap]

I've just read through the list of what to tip in various countries.....never, EVER have I met anyone in the UK who would tip 15% for a taxi!!! Maybe in the tourist areas of London, where the odd driver may look down his nose in an effort to intimidate a guest....but the norm is to round up, and perhaps give a £1 coin if it's been a longish ride....other than that, no way!!!
Jo.

[TravlinGirl3]

I tend to agree with travelers who wonder why we have to tip for service that should be expected. For 36 years, I was a high school guidance counselor who specialized in college prep with an emphasis on assisting students in winning scholarships. If ever there was a time when service should be tipped, it was mine as every dollar that a student won was one less dollar that came out of a parent's wallet. As you can imagine, I was never tipped because tipping is very inappropriate in that situation. I was, however, thanked profusely over and over.

[sanntick]

I feel confused. If I find the service impressive enough then I tip the room service boy, otherwise I do not.

[jhonstrauss]

Front Desk Tipping is the best way to help you get a better view or better in the room discounts and other things that also have the opportunity front, you can make your trip. In the hotel industry, person, one car valet parking tips, best luggage porter, but someone who can make your vacation, get tips to save hundreds of discount at least.

[jocap]

On our first trip to the USA, we were asked to meet with our tour rep, to be told the American way of tipping. This was an eye opener, as none of us had experienced a culture before where tipping was seen as a right.
It appears that the wages paid to the service industry in the USA are pretty minimal, whereas in Europe, for instance, everyone has to be paid a living wage by law, and no employer may use tipping to make up that wage.
This does create problems for travellers, both ways- I read that some restaurants in Florida have a different price list for Europeans which add on 18%, due to the ignorance of tipping rules. I also read of people coming to Europe and insisting on tipping in the American way, which creates different tensions.
The whole tipping set-up has got out of hand now....perhaps we should all read one another's customs.
I also had to work in the service industry to get through school and college, and I learnt much about life and serving others.
Jo.

[cahrlibrown]

In the hotel industry, person, one car valet parking tips, best luggage porter, but someonewho can make your vacation and save you a few hundred in discounts gets tipped the least. Many people do some free upgrades and running, but never tip enough for other benefits.

[geemcruze]

Front Desk Tipping is the best way to help you get a better view or better in the room discounts and other things that also have the opportunity front, you can make your trip better.

[jocap]

Front Desk Tipping is the best way to help you get a better view or better in the room discounts and other things that also have the opportunity front, you can make your trip better.

But that's not tipping...that's bribery. It takes us into the realms of baksheesh, which the western world would do well to avoid.
Jo.

[jackmadons]

Many people do some free upgrades and running, but never tip enough for other benefits. In Las Vegas, people think that if they told agents they have to spend a lot of money, prospects who will give them a free upgrade, but the fact is that reception is not good so it might not work unless you have a casino host, they have Set your room.

[jocap]

As I said, this smacks more of bribery than a small gesture of thanks for extraordinary service. Of course you'll get extra attention if you're willing to pay more....it's not a moral way of thinking!
Jo.

[micksmith]

An additional tip is voluntary payment of workers in some service sectors, in addition to the price of advertising in the transaction. These payments and their size is an issue of social practices. Tips between different cultures and service industries.