GC housekeeping gratuity questions

[goodvibrations]

what is a customary gratuity for housekeeping in a king bed room at GC with two adults?

we are staying 5 nights in sept.

of these 3 options which would be best???

to leave the gratuity all at once the first day?

each day?

or all at once the last day?

finally what is the best way to leave it i.e. envelope on pillow, cash on desk etc?

thanks for your help

 

[zukeeper]

I always leave $5 per day, especially considering the extra service you get at GC. The only thing that bugged me was that the turndown maid who came in the late afternoon never received a gratuity from us and we probably appreciated her special touches the most. I asked the front desk about this and they didn't have much to say other than tip who you want. We usually were gone all day and would have a hard time leaving a tip for the turndown maid. Maybe they share tips, but that wasn't the impression I got.

 

[capnhook77]

I didnt leave a tip at the GC just because last time we were there, we asked for a NO turndown nightly service, and they came in anyways. I had a ton of money layed out all over my bed because it was soaked from Splash Mt. It was there when we came back, but I didnt like that they came in when our dont disturb sign was hanging.

 

[Desert Dwellers]

I usually tip $5 for each night I stay and leave the tip at the end of the visit. I usually slip the money into the key card folder I was given at check-in. I leave a note of thanks on the folder and put the folder in clear view on the desk.

I know some people like to tip each day, reasoning if you stay during the week and leave on the weekend, it may be different staff servicing your room. Then the tip doesn't go to the intended housekeeper.

 

[goodvibrations]

thank this helps...........and yes, we don't get out that much

 

[JeannieNM]

We travel all over the world and stay in everything from 3* to 5*+ hotels. We always leave a tip everyday as you do not know that you will have the same housekeeper everyday. They generally do not work 7 days a week and may even trade off sections and floors. We tip the turn down person if we have a chance to return to the room between the morning service and turndown. We leave the money on the pillow or in a glass on the bed so it is clear that it is for the housekeeper.

 

[goodvibrations]

thanks, that answers the other question i forgot to ask which was about tipping for turn down and when to leave that tip

thank you

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

We always come back to the room for a nap... so we leave $3 in the morning, and $2 in the afternoon, each day. That way both the morning and turndown person are taken care of...

 

[dare2dream]

I always leave a note saying 'Thank you housekeeping' with my tip. I just print up a bunch on my computer and cut them apart.

I have been told though that many housekeepers do not speak English. Does anyone that knows Spanish know what I should print on a bilingual note? I would like to make sure the housekeeper knows the money is for her/him.

Thanks Disers, you guys know everything.

 

[platypus67]

I was wondering about tipping housekeeping as well. I plan on making up some little envelopes to leave each morning as I agree that we will probably have a different person each day. I just used google translate for thank you housekeeping and the result was Gracias limpieza. I will now use both english and spanish

 

[carolannec]

We tip everday we are staying. I believe we don't get the same people cleaning the room, so I like to make sure everyone gets a tip and that they're appreciated.

 

[nvwifenmom]

Wow, I feel kind of like a jerk. Maybe I'm hillbilly but it never occurred to me to tip the house keepers.

I feel that I'm paying a decent amount to stay at a hotel and the price is quite high for one night. The housekeepers should be getting paid. I certainly hope it is an adequate amount since they have to deal with peoples stink.

Like I said, kind of jerky of me but I feel tipping has gotten way out of hand in recent years. People are paid for their services as part of their employment. That's not to say that its not appreciated by those that do receive them.

ps I do tip food servers and baggage handlers at airports and if I ever take a taxi but sometimes its just ridiculous what we are expected to tip for when we are already paying for the service.

 

[Desert Dwellers]

I don't mind tipping housekeeping, because they do have to put up with people's stink. The one that gets me is the tip jar at a counter service place. It's a bit much to have to tip someone for punching your order into the register, when you have to carry your meal on a tray.

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

I worked in housekeeping one summer for a nice mountain lodge. Thank goodness for tips, we only made minimum wage, and worked very long hours--and you couldn't imagine the mess we had to clean up--the body fluids alone were so disgusting. Its why I tip--I've been there, and its a thankless job, and your employer treats you like a dime a dozen--which housekeepers are--if you don't like the way you are treated, there are 12 more people that would love to have your job for the $15,000 a year that it pays.

 

[goodvibrations]

I worked in housekeeping one summer for a nice mountain lodge. Thank goodness for tips, we only made minimum wage, and worked very long hours--and you couldn't imagine the mess we had to clean up--the body fluids alone were so disgusting. Its why I tip--I've been there, and its a thankless job, and your employer treats you like a dime a dozen--which housekeepers are--if you don't like the way you are treated, there are 12 more people that would love to have your job for the $15,000 a year that it pays.

thats just the way i see it......especially if you consider how automatically we think it appropriate to tip food servers who have it easy compared to what houskeeping has to deal with and we have to think twice about giving houskeeping a tip

i was wondering exactly what is the appeal of turn-down service? is all they do just fold down the bedspread and leave a chocolate? do they do anything else? just wondering......it is a nice touch and all but ....i don't get it

 

[TwiddleDee]

Wow, I feel kind of like a jerk. Maybe I'm hillbilly but it never occurred to me to tip the house keepers.

I feel that I'm paying a decent amount to stay at a hotel and the price is quite high for one night. The housekeepers should be getting paid. I certainly hope it is an adequate amount since they have to deal with peoples stink.

Like I said, kind of jerky of me but I feel tipping has gotten way out of hand in recent years. People are paid for their services as part of their employment. That's not to say that its not appreciated by those that do receive them.

ps I do tip food servers and baggage handlers at airports and if I ever take a taxi but sometimes its just ridiculous what we are expected to tip for when we are already paying for the service.

Wow, in reading all the replies to this thread, I too, feel like a jerk. In all the places I've stayed (around the world) I've never thought about tipping the housekeeping at a hotel I've paid good money for. The only time I've thought of it is on a cruise...where they include it in your bill.
I know they work hard and are paid less money for it but you think Disney would be different. I had always thought they treat there employees with a bit more dignity than other hotels. Are we not paying for a turn down service at the GC with the higher price?
For those who tip on a regular basis, do you do so for 1 night stays too?

We will be at the GC in June and I'll have to rethink my way of gratuities around the resort.

 

[bethy]

I've travelled around the world and have always tipped housekeeping everyday unless there is a reason not to. I can see why some might feel that tipping has "gotten out of hand", but it is a fact of life when travelling. And tipping hotel housekeeping is a standard and long-established practice - just as it is for waiters in restaurants (and their job is a LOT easier and they sometimes get rewarding and personal feedback from the people they serve.)

 

[DizMe]

Sometimes I tip and sometimes I don't. It just depends. A Disney staff member posted that GCH housekeeping staff is one of the highest paid anywhere and that the "official" policy of the DLR is no tipping. I can't confirm or deny that. Of course, everyone knows that tipping goes on everywhere in spite of the supposed policy and I'm not denying that the housekeepers earn it or deserve it. However, if you tipped everyone who earned or deserved it you'd go broke. The gardeners, pool people, lifeguards, childcare people, night staff, etc etc all work very hard, I'm sure, but they don't get tips. I really appreciate the people who clean out the restrooms--I'm sure that's a terrible job--and empty the garbage cans. There are people in many jobs that ought to get tips if you used hard work and merit as a measure, but it isn't possible or practical to do that.

I also think that if a worker isn't being paid enough to live on, it isn't the fault of the hotel guest. Tips shouldn't be used to fill wage gaps but to demonstrate appreciation for exceptional service.

All that said, I tip housekeeping $5/day on most days, but I'm never sure they get it. *Someone* gets it, but I just wish I was sure it was the ones for whom I intend the money. Short of waiting for them to show up and handing it to them, you don't really know. I've heard that certain managers/towel checkers and so on get to the rooms before housekeeping and pocket the tips but I don't think that's the case at DLR. Don't know, though. I never thought about the fact that the turn-down people were different from the morning housekeepers--duh! They were great. They made little play scenes on the bed every evening with the girls stuffed animals, replenished towels, left LOTS of chocolate coins and tidied up for us.

 

[TwiddleDee]

Sometimes I tip and sometimes I don't. It just depends. A Disney staff member posted that GCH housekeeping staff is one of the highest paid anywhere and that the "official" policy of the DLR is no tipping. I can't confirm or deny that. Of course, everyone knows that tipping goes on everywhere in spite of the supposed policy and I'm not denying that the housekeepers earn it or deserve it. However, if you tipped everyone who earned or deserved it you'd go broke. The gardeners, pool people, lifeguards, childcare people, night staff, etc etc all work very hard, I'm sure, but they don't get tips. I really appreciate the people who clean out the restrooms--I'm sure that's a terrible job--and empty the garbage cans. There are people in many jobs that ought to get tips if you used hard work and merit as a measure, but it isn't possible or practical to do that.

I also think that if a worker isn't being paid enough to live on, it isn't the fault of the hotel guest. Tips shouldn't be used to fill wage gaps but to demonstrate appreciation for exceptional service.

All that said, I tip housekeeping $5/day on most days, but I'm never sure they get it. *Someone* gets it, but I just wish I was sure it was the ones for whom I intend the money. Short of waiting for them to show up and handing it to them, you don't really know. I've heard that certain managers/towel checkers and so on get to the rooms before housekeeping and pocket the tips but I don't think that's the case at DLR. Don't know, though. I never thought about the fact that the turn-down people were different from the morning housekeepers--duh! They were great. They made little play scenes on the bed every evening with the girls stuffed animals, replenished towels, left LOTS of chocolate coins and tidied up for us.

Very well stated, Diz.