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anybody tip the hotel cleaning staff?


52-80

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$2-5 per day is the right answer (lean towards $5, if you can -- my challenge is thinking ahead to have a $5 bill handy, they aren't the most common denomination).  And it's important to do it each day, not just at the end of your stay -- the housekeeper working on the last day of your stay may not be the one who cleaned your room the previous 3 days.

The refugee we work with has a housekeeping job.  Tips are HUGE for her.  Seriously, her regular income is fully budgeted and utilized (rent, food, etc.).  The extra cash she gets is lagniappe, and she gets to use it to buy a new dress, or something like that.  An extra $50 a week is huge.

I was taught young, as a young business traveler traveling with a senior partner, try to plan ahead and bring bills so you can tip - the hotel courtesy van driver, the housekeeper, everyone who might be tippable.  At the end of the day, it's still usually $10-$20 max, and it makes a real difference.  And if you're a regular, and a regular tipper, you WILL get taken care of -- I had a hotel courtesy van driver who would check with the front desk to see when I'd be arriving so he could be the one to pick me up from the airport, and he happily took me wherever I wanted to go.

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$5 per night, almost always.  If they do something extra like leave extra towels when they see 4 of us or extra blankets/ pillows/ etc.   In other words, when they have the chance to make our stay better, I will tip more.

I very seldom complain about a room unless it reeks or something is just fucked up.  I will regularly comment online or on their feedback in a positive manner about the cleanliness or hospitality of the room.

Edited by slorch
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8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

$2-5 per day is the right answer (lean towards $5, if you can -- my challenge is thinking ahead to have a $5 bill handy, they aren't the most common denomination).  And it's important to do it each day, not just at the end of your stay -- the housekeeper working on the last day of your stay may not be the one who cleaned your room the previous 3 days.

The refugee we work with has a housekeeping job.  Tips are HUGE for her.  Seriously, her regular income is fully budgeted and utilized (rent, food, etc.).  The extra cash she gets is lagniappe, and she gets to use it to buy a new dress, or something like that.  An extra $50 a week is huge.

I was taught young, as a young business traveler traveling with a senior partner, try to plan ahead and bring bills so you can tip - the hotel courtesy van driver, the housekeeper, everyone who might be tippable.  At the end of the day, it's still usually $10-$20 max, and it makes a real difference.  And if you're a regular, and a regular tipper, you WILL get taken care of -- I had a hotel courtesy van driver who would check with the front desk to see when I'd be arriving so he could be the one to pick me up from the airport, and he happily took me wherever I wanted to go.

You were taught well.

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11 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

And it's important to do it each day, not just at the end of your stay -- the housekeeper working on the last day of your stay may not be the one who cleaned your room the previous 3 days.

I always leave the tip out at the end. I don't think that the housekeepers should be taking money out of my room until I am checking out and it is clear that it is intended as a tip. That being said, the vast majority of the time the first thing I do after check in is put the do not disturb sign out. 

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I don’t but I never thought to. It seems everything today is tippable. Only time i have was when I spent 6 weeks at a location and became friends with our cleaning staff. I left both ladies a bottle of bourbon each. I learned through our passing chats they enjoyed good bourbon 

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22 minutes ago, Telegraph_it said:

I accidentally tipped once. Left some quarters and a few singles on the table. I guess anything left out on a table is fair game. 

That poses a question. Where are you supposed to leave a tip so staff knows it’s a tip money and not money I threw out of my pocket in a drunken stupor. 

See the post above yours and #21.

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I tip when I'm on a personal trip, vacation, whatever.  Usu. $5 per night, but that's somewhat flexible.
Not on any business trip though.  I don't get reimbursed for tips as a general rule, so I'm usually not for paying personal cash for company time.


So no tips on meals, bar tabs, the doorman or baggage clerks too?

Your company seems like it sucks.
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$5 per night left daily. I generally put it in the notepad and write housekeeping on the top sheet.  

I think I told the story on the old site that my youngest had a bunch of cash at the end of a Hilton Head trip so we started questioning her. Turned out she was snagging the tip everyday when we we're leaving the room to go out for the day.  It was a 3 bedroom/3 bathroom condo with full kitchen so we were leaving $10-15 everyday. We didn't catch on until after we checked out at the end of a 10 day stay. 

Edited by ShaggyBevo RIP
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Reason I ask is because whether people like it or not, they all at least recognize tipping other positions (barbers, bartenders, waitresses, etc) as cultural norms.

 

For housekeeping...maybe it's 50% at best???  I wasn't even aware that this is a thing people do, until not long ago

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On 11/22/2018 at 11:15 AM, 52-80 said:

Reason I ask is because whether people like it or not, they all at least recognize tipping other positions (barbers, bartenders, waitresses, etc) as cultural norms.

 

For housekeeping...maybe it's 50% at best???  I wasn't even aware that this is a thing people do, until not long ago

i never tip housekeeping. but generally i leave the no disturb sign on the door. housekeeping is not a service i want or need. i seem to manage fine at my house for a few days without one.

but i guess there are those that like to feel like they are pampered, and served, and taken care of. those people should probably tip.

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Not as much as I should...though I definitely tip when traveling with the fam and all of us cram in a room.

When I’m on business travel I may leave a $5 at the end of the trip but usually not since I decline housekeeping each day for the extra points.


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i stayed over 200 days last year.. mostly holiday inn/staybridge/ types.
i must be hated all over the fucking place.
honestly never heard of this.
i feel sorta bad.
Do you tip the girl/guy at the grocery store that scanned your groceries? You should since it is their job to do so and get paid about the same as the maid service at your hotel.
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