Do you tip mousekeeping?

[gmboy95]

I absolutely leave a tip for housekeeping!!!......regardless of what disney considers them, it is a crappy job that pays very little!

 

[nu2dvc]

Wow, I'm surprised that a lot of folks here don't consider a tip to be standard practice. I always thought for a hotel "maid" it was. We usually leave $10 a day in a standard room for our family, and on the day we check out of our DVC 1-BR's we do the same. I really just considered it the right thing to do. With all the money that gets spent on those trips, what is another $10, really?

I don't tip on Trash and Towel though, cause it's basically a 5-minute job. A complete cleaning takes over an hour, so that is different to me.

 

[elijahpep]

We always tip

 

[Sammie]

No, if they simply do their job. Yes if they do something extra which they often do. Disney does not consider Mousekeeping a tipped position. Ultimately the decision is yours but it is not expected.

Ditto

 

[Dean]

These days? Tipping housekeeping is not even close to something recent.

I love to tip. I love having a reputation as a generous tipper. I love knowing when the maids come to clean our home the ones with seniority get first crack at us because we tip. They were among the first to call us after the tornado to make sure we were ok.

But neither is it standard. I saw a report about 3-4 years ago that said appox half of hotels expected tips for their housekeepers and half didn't. Thus I'd say it isn't even standard for hotels. I am not aware of a timeshare that expects tips for housekeeping in the US. The only ones I'm aware of are in other countries AND provide daily housekeeping (usually 6 days a week). I think it's only standard to tip for people who do service that are paid as tipped employees. I know some will come up with the pay scale and the fact they do jobs that help the members. I'd say that there are many other people that do just as much for the membership, aren't paid any better and in many cases, have even lower level jobs. Unless one advocates tipping them as well, it doesn't make sense to advocate tipping one non tipped position and not the others. I also can't speak of another job that anyone would consider routinely tipping that isn't paid as such. Therefore since Disney does not consider them tipped, tipping is essentially non existent for timeshares and it's fringe for hotels in general, it does not seem reasonable to me for people to tip housekeeping for routine service no matter how clear the unit is.

 

[quirty30]

As I stated previously in this thread, MANY hotels I've stay at (and I stay at hotels an average of 5 nights a month) have envelopes with the housekeepers names on them, specifically for leaving a tip. Up until a few years ago, I would only leave a tip at the end of my stay; now I tip each day when I get daily housekeeping. I remember my parents tipping housekeepers when I was a kid and we stayed at hotels. So this is not at all a new concept to me.

For DVC stays, yes, I know our dues technically cover housekeeping, but DVC properties are not separate from WDW properties; my housekeeper on a DVC stay does not work any less hard before or after my stay than she would for any other "paying" guest - sure if you gather up towels and strip the beds it makes it a little easier on them. I just happen to have a lot of respect for these people who do a very difficult, labor intensive job, cleaning up after me and/or my family. So I leave $5 - $20 when we leave, depending on what size unit we've stayed. It just seems right to me knowing they don't make much more for bell services. I keep seeing this comparison and people pointing out that bell services IS a tipped position; I simply can't comprehend WHY I should tip bellmen and not my housekeeper.

For the record, I've never tipped for T & T service, only because we've never stayed long enough. We like split stays : )

 

[BeesKnees]

But neither is it standard. I saw a report about 3-4 years ago that said appox half of hotels expected tips for their housekeepers and half didn't. Thus I'd say it isn't even standard for hotels.

It doesn't matter what the hotel's policy is. I am certainly not going to research the labor agreements for every place I stay. I would rather err on the side of being generous than run the risk of accidentally cheating a maid who needs that tip to get to scale.

Our membership dues pay for a portion of their salary. As a collective we should be concerned with things like turnover because it is expensive to train new employees. These service positions have one of the highest turnover rates as it is. The maids that come into the room I leave will be happier employees and with the way they are stretched thin I'd like to give them additional incentives to stay.

The other thing to consider is that because of us and Disney the cost of living is higher there. I daresay these maids need the tips to help ends meet. It is nice to know I have made a direct and positive impact on someone's life that despite having a job may be living below the poverty line.

 

[disneynutz]

Tipping is a two edged sword. Corporations actually lower the wages of employees who routinely receive tips, the corporation is rewarded, not the employee. Corporations also manipulate their customers. The only reason that Disney Guests must be present when Bell Services delivers luggage is to give Bell Services a opportunity to get a tip.

Human nature causes employees to expect tips and they spend their time doing a good job for those who are willing to tip while providing minimal service to those who don't.

Bill

 

[Dean]

It doesn't matter what the hotel's policy is. I am certainly not going to research the labor agreements for every place I stay. I would rather err on the side of being generous than run the risk of accidentally cheating a maid who needs that tip to get to scale.

Our membership dues pay for a portion of their salary. As a collective we should be concerned with things like turnover because it is expensive to train new employees. These service positions have one of the highest turnover rates as it is. The maids that come into the room I leave will be happier employees and with the way they are stretched thin I'd like to give them additional incentives to stay.

The other thing to consider is that because of us and Disney the cost of living is higher there. I daresay these maids need the tips to help ends meet. It is nice to know I have made a direct and positive impact on someone's life that despite having a job may be living below the poverty line.

Neither am I, that's why my default is not to tip housekeeping (for the reasons I noted above) at timeshare or hotels unless I have additional info that it's appropriately expected. I think it's unreasonable to think that this issue will have any impact on turnover, quality control or similar. Actually the cost of living in the Orlando area is cheaper than many other parts of the state. I responded to your post specifically because your post implied that tipping was standard and as I noted, I don't think that true. As a couple of others have implied, for situations where tipping is truly appropriate, it's generally based on the quality of the service. What you do is your business.

Not directed at you specifically but as I've said before, I think many DVC people feel guilty about what they own and tipping is a way they satisfy their conscious.

Tipping is a two edged sword. Corporations actually lower the wages of employees who routinely receive tips, the corporation is rewarded, not the employee. Corporations also manipulate their customers. The only reason that Disney Guests must be present when Bell Services delivers luggage is to give Bell Services a opportunity to get a tip.

Human nature causes employees to expect tips and they spend their time doing a good job for those who are willing to tip while providing minimal service to those who don't.

Bill

As I've said several times in the past few years, I think it's likely that mousekeeping will be converted at some point and if that happens, those who were "trying to help" by tipping would have actually hurt the employees.

 

[dzorn]

Tipping is a two edged sword. Corporations actually lower the wages of employees who routinely receive tips, the corporation is rewarded, not the employee. Corporations also manipulate their customers. The only reason that Disney Guests must be present when Bell Services delivers luggage is to give Bell Services a opportunity to get a tip.Human nature causes employees to expect tips and they spend their time doing a good job for those who are willing to tip while providing minimal service to those who don't.

Bill

I don't think that is only to ensure a tip, but to verify that all the luggage is delivered so a customer cannot then say they are missing things.

Denise in MI

 

[SamSam]

Not directed at you specifically but as I've said before, I think many DVC people feel guilty about what they own and tipping is a way they satisfy their conscious.

.

Okay, I can say that I definitely don't tip because I feel guilty for what I own...I tip at all hotel stays, or DVC stays just because I feel that housekeepers (in general) don't make a decent wage and if my tip helps their lives in a small way, that makes me happy.

 

[TagsMissy]

We always tip, we would not have it any other way... how much we tip depends on size of room/number of people in the room.

 

[TagsMissy]

These days? Tipping housekeeping is not even close to something recent.

.

Definitely nothing new to tip housekeeping. My earliest memories are from the 1970s of my parents tipping housekeeping and I doubt it was even a new thing then....

 

[disneynutz]

I don't think that is only to ensure a tip, but to verify that all the luggage is delivered so a customer cannot then say they are missing things.

Denise in MI

When confronted about the policy and the rational of why ME luggage deliveries don't require anyone to be present, I was told that the ME tip is included in the cost of operating ME. Based on the look on the faces of the Bell Services Cast Members when I asked if it was a "tip thing" I have to say that tips are the primary reason for the policy.

Bill

 

[quirty30]

Definitely nothing new to tip housekeeping. My earliest memories are from the 1970s of my parents tipping housekeeping and I doubt it was even a new thing then....

Ok, so it wasn't just me...I'm 47 and I remember the exact same thing - thank you!

 

[kdzgon]

As I read your answer about least wanted WDW job, I thought about it, and no, it's not my least wanted job. My least wanted position would be the person they call if a snake or alligator was reported and the animal had to be dealt with.

As I said previously, we tip...in spite of the fact that some people here think that tipping mousekeeping would lead to the ruin of our nation's economy!

I think this response is a bit harsh and belittling, not to mention uncalled for. No one insinuated anything even close - up until this post, it was just exchanges of opinions without any accompanying cheap shots.

 

[JBx3]

When confronted about the policy and the rational of why ME luggage deliveries don't require anyone to be present, I was told that the ME tip is included in the cost of operating ME. Based on the look on the faces of the Bell Services Cast Members when I asked if it was a "tip thing" I have to say that tips are the primary reason for the policy.

Bill

I do agree with this as well.

 

[AnnaS]

We tip a few dollars on T & T and on our last day.

 

[a742246]

I tip, but if I was on a fixed income or a young family just making ends meet
then I may not tip and there's nothing wrong with that. I tip
because I can still afford to leave something as my appreciation to
housekeeping.
I have never had a problem with housekeeping.

 

[JasonDonna]

Hi all,

What should I do? We are shortly stopping at AK in a club level room. We will get the daily mousekeeping and also I believe the nightly turndown service (I think thats whats its called). In previous years when we have stayed (not DVC) we have always left a daily tip.

Do I need to leave another tip for the turndown?? Will it be the same maid or a different one. Its all getting very confusing lol!

Thanks in advance!