How much do you tip hotel housekeeping?

[PatrickA5]

We usually tip the cleaning people $5 per stay. Valet gets $5 when we pick up the car. We rarely use a bell hop, but when we do something around $2 per bag.

I give the yard guys a $10 gift card when they do something out of the ordinary. Around the holidays, if we have a special waitress that has given good service multiple times, I might throw in an extra $50.

Tipping makes me feel good and I know it's appreciated.

 

[Aerides]

Like what? Tell me what I get for tipping beyond warm fuzzies.

You could use that argument for almost any of the nice things one does as part of a society.

 

[Midpack]

All kinds of extra considerations above and beyond the basic service. Word can go out beyond housekeeping.

Like what? Tell me what I get for tipping beyond warm fuzzies.

If you’d ever worked for tips you’d know better. It usually makes a difference, as it should.

It’s clear you won’t change your mind and that’s your right, but do you think you’re going to change anyone’s mind to stop tipping those who work hard in jobs that don’t pay well?

Funny how forums rarely change anyone’s POV...

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

If you’d ever worked for tips you’d know better. It usually makes a difference, as it should.

It’s clear you won’t change your mind and that’s your right, but do you think you’re going to change anyone’s mind to stop tipping those who work hard in jobs that don’t pay well?

Funny how forums rarely change anyone’s POV...

Memes are usually pretty vacuous, but sometimes there's nuggets of wisdom in there:

 

[MichaelB]

Just to remind everyone that this was in the OP.

There’s an option for no tipping, but please don’t take the thread off topic with a discussion about the appropriateness of this gratuity. That’s not the purpose of the thread.

 

[drb391]

heard an axiom once - $2/day/person. usually go by that. also leave any change I acquire since last dumping it, as I don't carry change

 

[COcheesehead]

You could use that argument for almost any of the nice things one does as part of a society.

Someone said you get more if you tip. I was just asking what do you get. A reasonable question for follow up.

 

[COcheesehead]

If you’d ever worked for tips you’d know better. It usually makes a difference, as it should.

It’s clear you won’t change your mind and that’s your right, but do you think you’re going to change anyone’s mind to stop tipping those who work hard in jobs that don’t pay well?

Funny how forums rarely change anyone’s POV...

I have worked for tips in a restaurant, paperboy, golf caddy and I also worked in jobs were I expected no tips. I put in the same hard effort in both. As we all should, right?

I also wasn't trying to change anyone's mind. I was expressing my opinion.

Today I own a business and I am paid based solely on my efforts. Talk about the ultimate tipping situation. LOL.

 

[Jerry1]

Someone said you get more if you tip. I was just asking what do you get. A reasonable question for follow up.

I have the same question. I tip. Mainly because I worked for tips and understand the struggle. However, I do it for my own belief of it being a good thing to do. I don't recall ever getting anything special for it.

I'm guessing these extras come from a couple things. One, a person frequents an establishment often enough that they get to know people. I can see how the knowledge that one is a good tipper could get better service but since I don't really know anyone at the places I visit, I don't think it matters. Second, and probably more important, is that people who get to know others are extroverts. I went to lunch with a friend and as the waitress introduced herself, he had a couple minute conversation with her. Making sure he got her name memorized, introducing her to me and so forth. Add a good tip that and I'm sure she'll remember him and he's likely to call her by name the next time he's there. I'm nothing like this. I'm introverted and DW hardly speaks up enough for them to hear her order. I dare say, we don't make a memorable impression. Nothing negative, but not memorable. Yet I've never left a tip less than 20% and I don't see what that has ever got me other than I feel good about it. Which is enough.

 

[COcheesehead]

The most common tipping situation for me would be in a restaurant. If someone goes out of their way to tell me about a wine, maybe pour me a taste. Tell me about the food prep - anything that adds to the experience, I tip generously 25% plus. If they do their job as expected I'll give 15% - 20%. I can only think of one time when I didn't tip the waiter and that was at the Newark airport and the meal was a sh*t show and I'll leave it at that.

 

[COcheesehead]

My wife worked as a maid for a high end resort when she was younger. She says she rarely got a tip. Didn't even expect it. She did however appreciate it when guests left booze behind. That was more important to her and her friends at that young age.

 

[Sunset]

I have worked for tips in a restaurant, paperboy, golf caddy and I also worked in jobs were I expected no tips. I put in the same hard effort in both. As we all should, right?

I also wasn't trying to change anyone's mind. I was expressing my opinion.

Today I own a business and I am paid based solely on my efforts. Talk about the ultimate tipping situation. LOL.

I've worked in tip possible, and no tip jobs, it never had a impact on how well I did my work.

The reality is for a large percentage of tip situations, there will not be a any improvement in the service as many times there is not much repeat business by the client.

Example, when driving across the country, I'll tip at the restaurant, even though I'm pretty sure I'll never be back in that town.

An exception I've noticed for us, is a nearby restaurant, where the waitress brings out water & lemon without even being asked as we have been going there for years. But we also talk to her, know some of her life, so that part might be the bigger influence.

I have the general rule of not tipping an owner of a company, because if they need more money, just raise the price, and it could actually discourage them from hiring someone to take up the extra work.

 

[Jeffman52]

I do not tip the people who clean the room and never have. I was actually surprised to find that some people actually do that.

 

[frugal-one]

Rationalize all you want. Tipping in restaurants, travel (incl housekeeping) and salons has been customary for well over a 100 years in the USA.

No rationalization, just stating a fact. Servers in restaurants are a tipped occupation (by law).

 

[Gumby]

No rationalization, just stating a fact. Servers in restaurants are a tipped occupation (by law).

You know the law has pretty much zippity-squat to do with this, right?

 

[HarveyS]

Well, it seems that we are a generous bunch. Roughly 60% of us responed we tip. According to an October 30, 2017, NYTimes article by Tammy La Gorce, "Industrywide, about a third of hotel guests leave tips for housekeepers." In the same article it profiled two housekeepers at the "Santa Monica Le Merigot Hotel, where they make $15.66 an hour."
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/business/hotel-housekeeper-tipping.html

 

[Katiek]

I don't always think to tip at the "free" breakfast unless someone directly assists me (brings coffee, clears tables etc). But last year my family and I were at a hotel and the woman working stocking the buffet appeared to be at least in her 70's and dealing with some physical disabilities. Yet she was doing very physical work and doing it cheerfully and with a great smile and welcome for everyone. We definitely went out of our way to tip her generously.

 

[Montecfo]

No because I "assume" they make substantially more money then housekeeping.

Tipping is not about pay levels. It is about personal service and tradition.

 

[Montecfo]

We stayed in timeshares for 30 years, and got used to not having daily maid service. and learned to love it, especially when the kids were little.

Now when we stay in hotels, we always put the sign on the door telling them we don't want service. I don't need fresh sheets or towels each day, and don't want them "organizing" all my toiletries in the bathroom. We make our bed and keep our clothes up off the floor.

Now I'm trying to decide if I feel obliged to leave a tip since 1) the room was clean when we got it, and 2) they're going to do the same for the next folks to stay in that room.

We are pretty much the same. I would not tip for a single night for the reason you stated. For multi-nights we generally do, but not if like you we have not used the services.

 

[Sunset]

Tipping is not about pay levels. It is about personal service and tradition.

Certainly it must not be about pay levels as I just read Frontier airlines already allows tipping of Flight Attendants via the inflight app. (median salary of flight attendants is $50,500).

But who tips the cleaner team of the airplane ??

 

[Ready-4-ER-at-14]

We tip varying amounts, spouse traveled for work and was used to typing. I had hardly traveled and actually never even thought about tipping before I saw spouse doing it.
Smaller places where the person who greeted you at the desk might actually change the sheets get better tips as they have interacted with us positively.

People in halls with cleaning stuff tend to get typed more if friendly.

Bad service, below minimal expectations, can result in a lesser tip.

 

[Cessna152]

Rationalize all you want. Tipping in restaurants, travel (incl housekeeping) and salons has been customary for well over a 100 years in the USA.

Now I feel embarrassingly ignorant, having never learned in 63 years that tipping hotel housekeeping has been customary for over 100 years. We never tipped them.

I think it takes 30 to 45 minutes to do a room, so a $10 tip on top of a minimum hourly wage certainly would yield a decent wage, considering a housekeeper may do 5 to 10 rooms a day (according to some web sources.)

 

[Bestwifeever]

Now I feel embarrassingly ignorant, having never learned in 63 years that tipping hotel housekeeping has been customary for over 100 years. We never tipped them.

I think it takes 30 to 45 minutes to do a room, so a $10 tip on top of a minimum hourly wage certainly would yield a decent wage, considering a housekeeper may do 5 to 10 rooms a day (according to some web sources.)

A $5 tip per day is more than most people leave--and only a third of people leave any tip at all. Tip or don't tip, as you wish, but I don't think the housekeeping staff is getting an additional $50 to $100 a day off tips.

 

[Fermion]

Now I feel embarrassingly ignorant, having never learned in 63 years that tipping hotel housekeeping has been customary for over 100 years. We never tipped them.

I think it takes 30 to 45 minutes to do a room, so a $10 tip on top of a minimum hourly wage certainly would yield a decent wage, considering a housekeeper may do 5 to 10 rooms a day (according to some web sources.)

I don't think it takes them 30 to 45 min to do a room based on my personal observations. More like 15 min.

 

[Aerides]

Now I feel embarrassingly ignorant, having never learned in 63 years that tipping hotel housekeeping has been customary for over 100 years. We never tipped them.

I think it takes 30 to 45 minutes to do a room, so a $10 tip on top of a minimum hourly wage certainly would yield a decent wage, considering a housekeeper may do 5 to 10 rooms a day (according to some web sources.)

Don't be embarrassed. I think it's easier to miss because, out of sight = out of mind. There's no transaction. Your housekeeper isn't there to ask you if you need anything after she drops off your bags. Or there to hand you your car keys, or closing out your tab in the restaurant.

You can make up for it going forward if you're inclined. Most 3-star hotels are going to be cleaned in 20 mins or less.