tipping mousekeeping?

[twinsouvenirs]

Last time I just left $5 under the note with the mousekeeper's info--but we were only there two nights in each resort so we didn't really get much of anything else. We are going for 6 nights in Feb so I think I'll make one of those cute tipping envelopes for the mousekeeper then so it is very clear. So does it sound like $10 is reasonable for trash & towel day, and then another $5/10 for checkout? We're two adults and two infants and we are generally fairly clean (we also run the dishwasher on our way out).

 

[SamSam]

We bag up our trash (sometimes take it to the trash room), throw all the used towels/washclothes in the tub, start the dishwasher as we leave.

We also tip just because we like to. We tip $5 for trash and towel day (if we use it), $10.00 for full cleaning day, and $10.00 on check out day. That's for a 1 bedroom villa.

 

[bumbershoot]

We almost never get towel animals anywhere (but on cruises), and we tip housekeeping wherever we are. Some people get the animals, some people don't! I truly do not think it has a thing to do with tipping.

Also, just as an FYI, Disney does not classify housekeeping as a tipped position. Guests may choose to leave a tip if they would like to, but it is not required.

Exactly.

With the time required to clean DVC villas, I'd rather they clean the villas than make towel animals. 4PM is a long time to wait when you have checked in and your villa isn't ready yet.

I agree 100%.

Exactly, a properly cleaned villa would encourage me to consider tipping!

Except that you don't tip the person that cleaned your villa. You tip the NEXT person who is going to clean the villa you are in. Which might be the same person, but you don't really know.

After reading some of these posts, I wonder if there was something specific we were supposed to do before checkout? Are we supposed to strip the beds and run the dishwasher before leaving?

Nope, nothing you are supposed to do.

Don't wash towels, etc; they have their own washers and detergents they use. Running the dishwasher is dubious, because they just don't have the time to look at a dishwasher and decide if it was run that day, if it was loaded and not run, or if the dishes were washed by hand and THEN loaded into the dishwasher (laugh if you must, but I know people who do this!!!!). They'll just run it again, most likely.

 

[Tigger & Eeyore]

Just returned from 9 day vacation at BWV a few weeks ago. On the day of full cleaning I was in the room waiting for hubby to come back when mousekeeping came to the room. She came in and I went back to the living room so she could go about her business.

When she was going out with a handful of used towels, etc, she stopped and thanked me for the tip. (We always leave a tip and had left it out in case we were not there.) She was very nice and we talked a bit. I was then very surprised when she told me they don't get many tips anymore, "because of the economy" is what she told me.

We learned about tipping here on the DIS and we make a point to always leave a tip. I thought everyone (or at least most people) did. I was very shocked actually. If you own DVC and can afford to take your vacations at Disney (or anywhere else for that matter) I would think you could afford a few dollars tip for the person who provides you with a clean room.

Am I wrong? Is this not being done anymore? Whatever anyone else does we will always leave a tip.

May I ask how much you leave as a standard tip? I have always wondered about this but was never sure what we are supposed to do. I do clean the villa to spotless each time before I leave including all dishes and floors as well as bathrooms. I thought we were supposed to

 

[Dean]

Just returned from 9 day vacation at BWV a few weeks ago. On the day of full cleaning I was in the room waiting for hubby to come back when mousekeeping came to the room. She came in and I went back to the living room so she could go about her business.

When she was going out with a handful of used towels, etc, she stopped and thanked me for the tip. (We always leave a tip and had left it out in case we were not there.) She was very nice and we talked a bit. I was then very surprised when she told me they don't get many tips anymore, "because of the economy" is what she told me.

We learned about tipping here on the DIS and we make a point to always leave a tip. I thought everyone (or at least most people) did. I was very shocked actually. If you own DVC and can afford to take your vacations at Disney (or anywhere else for that matter) I would think you could afford a few dollars tip for the person who provides you with a clean room.

Am I wrong? Is this not being done anymore? Whatever anyone else does we will always leave a tip.

I think you've gotten a skewed view on this subject. Tipping is hit or miss with hotels and is essentially never done with timeshare in the US. Housekeeping at Disney has never been a tipped position to my knowledge. Some tip and some don't but to assume it's supposed to happen or most people do would be wrong from what I can see. I don't tip them for simply doing their job no more than I do the landscapers or receptionist at an office. It's certainly up to you if you chose to do so.

 

[crisi]

We sometimes leave our change behind when we check out, but we don't formally tip. We tip very well for positions that are tipped, but housekeeping at Disney is not a tipped position, and I don't feel any need to tip housekeeping for doing what is usually a fairly marginal job.

 

[Deb & Bill]

May I ask how much you leave as a standard tip? I have always wondered about this but was never sure what we are supposed to do. I do clean the villa to spotless each time before I leave including all dishes and floors as well as bathrooms. I thought we were supposed to

Standard tip is actually $0. Housekeeping is a non-tipped position. Valet parking, bell services and food servers are tipped positions.

But if you want to tip, you more than free to do so.

 

[crisi]

Oh, to answer what we do. We put all used towels in the tub, and if we use a hide a bed, we leave it out and pull the sheets off it and leave them in the middle of the bed. These things are mostly because sometimes other members have reported finding dirty sheets on a hideabed, and we figure pulling off the sheets is one way the housekeepers KNOW its been used and to change the sheets. The towels all go in the tub because its easier for them to grab them all for the laundry if they are there, and so they aren't hiding our undies (some things we do as much for us as for housekeeping, this is one). Dishes in the dishwasher and dishwasher ran.

You don't need to clean, they are supposed to. And they really don't provide adequate cleaner to clean anyway.

 

[dvc_bwv]

We just returned from our first DVC stay (it was AWESOME)

After reading some of these posts, I wonder if there was something specific we were supposed to do before checkout? Are we supposed to strip the beds and run the dishwasher before leaving?

It is not necessary to strip the beds before you leave, not sure why people do that. As for the dishwasher, we do run the dishwasher to clean any dishes we have used so that mousekeeping doesn't have to do this and then wait for the dishwasher to finish before they can put the dishes away.

 

[Dean]

It is not necessary to strip the beds before you leave, not sure why people do that. As for the dishwasher, we do run the dishwasher to clean any dishes we have used so that mousekeeping doesn't have to do this and then wait for the dishwasher to finish before they can put the dishes away.

We try to pick up, pile towels by the door, strip beds with a separate pile near the door, load and run DW and turn off lights. It's because that's how we approach things but it's also been ingrained in us with other timeshare stays.

 

[Nancy F]

We pay for Mousekeeping every day of our trip. And we tip every day. Just in case we don't get the same person all week. I like to take the paper plates home (so I have a little leftover Disney till our next trip) and they always leave me extra plates. Always get good service and tip well for that reason.
Nancy

 

[pouncingpluto]

I've never understood the popularity of tipping housekeeping by DIS users. I've done lots of traveling, lots of places, with lots of different people and seriously never heard of anyone tipping hotel maids other than on these boards.

 

[Dean]

I've never understood the popularity of tipping housekeeping by DIS users. I've done lots of traveling, lots of places, with lots of different people and seriously never heard of anyone tipping hotel maids other than on these boards.

I saw an article a few years ago that stated that about 50% of hotels had maids in a tipped position half didn't. I don't have the info to go back and try to figure out if it was qualified further, my guess is that if you actually looked on sheer volume of rooms in the US, it'd be FAR less because a much large portion of rooms nationwide are midlevel hotels in the 2 to 2.5 star range. My guess without being able to double check was it was by company rather than based on sheer numbers.

If you look at tipping etiquette sites, you'll see they generally recommend tipping. Thinking about the likely reasons they do so, I'd have to conclude that they have to pick A or B and that if they said not to and therefore missed a significant portion of people who were actually in a tipped position, they'd be in the wrong. Therefore I tend to ask for hotels and tip or not tip accordingly. For US timeshares I assume they are not tipped because I am unaware of any that are. In other countries, Caribbean and MX esp, they are often in tipped positions and the resorts generally make it clear this is the case.

I am unaware of recommendations to routinely tip people who are in a non tipped position in any other situation. I would exclude extortion situations such as getting a table where there are no reservations. The only in between type situation I can think of would be for things like a Concierge at a hotel where "it depends" is the order of the day. And given they are often paid to steer you to certain options and often don't work for the hotel or timeshare directly or at all, I'd say that's very questionable in many situations as well.

That's my views on the subject. I need structure but when tipping is in order, I'm usually fairly generous. Overall I despise the system itself though.

 

[ludari]

Being an owner I never considered tipping although I do tip when I stay at non-DVC resorts/hotels. Like some of you stated I too clean up after myself (take out trash, clean dishes if I use them, put the towels in the tub, etc) but I don't clean up like this at non-DVC resorts/hotels but at these other resorts/hotels they clean up every day. I'm also single and alone in the room so I typically only use one bath towel and one towel by the sink and almost never any dishes (I prefer to eat out). Interesting points being made on both sides of this thread.

 

[N365PA]

As one who used to travel a lot for work (being a flight attendant, kinda comes with the territory) I would tip $1 per person, per room, per night. Doesn't sound like much but its better than nothing. If I did a couple nights in a row, id wait to the last night. I know this might miss a housekeeper, but one of them got a nice tip. We were also taught $1 per bag, only if the driver (or bellhop) carries it for you. This was about 10 years ago.

 

[stmize]

If we stay in a studio I put dirty glasses in the sink but normally don't strip beds etc if we stay in a 1 bedroom we do strip the linen off the pullout bed in living area and put it on the couch. And I do put all the dishes in the dishwasher and start it as we leave. Just to help another member get into the villa early.

 

[dvc_bwv]

It is not necessary to strip the beds before you leave, not sure why people do that. As for the dishwasher, we do run the dishwasher to clean any dishes we have used so that mousekeeping doesn't have to do this and then wait for the dishwasher to finish before they can put the dishes away.

We also put all the used towels and wash cloths in the tub. When we tip we put the money either on the pile ofbrowels or on the edge of the tub with the little card on top of it.