Hotel Housekeeping

[emilym27]

We don't tip the housekeepers. We put up the Do Not disturb sign when we get there and take it down when we check out. We line the garbage cans with our own bags and tye them off when we leave to make it easy for them. We bring our own extra toilet paper so we don't have to ask for any plus we like the kind we buy. We always have more than enough towels and don't leave any mess for them to clean up.

 

[Bungle]

We don't have housekeeping come in until we check out, unless we stay more than 4 nights. So we rarely tip more than $5 because we don't get housekeeping. On the other hand, if we are there longer we request housekeeping 3-5 days into our stay (depending on the length of stay) and we will tip at that time and on check out day. If we do request extra towels or blankets we will tip the person who brings us those items upon delivery, that's usually $2-3.

Same with us. We make our own beds, even on vacation. If we need something I do tip whoever brings it. However we were at great wolf lodge once and my youngest got sick. I cleaned up as much as I could but eventually called for back up. I gave her a very generous tip because besides helping me clean she also brought up juice, water, and some extra rags.

 

[larina]

Also, my 12 year old was in a funk over something. So decorating the envelopes with Disney stickers helped her mood a bit...

Totally going to remember, and use, this one! My kids always brighten at thoughts of our "Next trip to Disneyland!" This is great!

Are there really people who don't tip at all? Hide your toothbrush!

I know, right! If you don't use the service, that is your choice, but to use the service and not tip...I'd be afraid!

...I am also thinking of buying some keychains from my hometown and include one in one of the envelopes...is that a dumb idea? Maybe a postcard, too. Has anyone else done this? Any other ideas?

This is a great idea, and I think I'll do the same!

Same with us. We make our own beds, even on vacation. If we need something I do tip whoever brings it. However we were at great wolf lodge once and my youngest got sick. I cleaned up as much as I could but eventually called for back up. I gave her a very generous tip because besides helping me clean she also brought up juice, water, and some extra rags.

Sick kids throw all the regular rules out the window! We never housekeeping come in every day of a trip. We just have them take the trash (wouldn't dream of leaving food garbage in our room more than one night or day) daily and get new towels if we need them (we usually do). We give a smaller tip, but we still tip (my mom was a motel maid when she was a teenager).

 

[aliceindisneyland]

speaking of tipping.... I always wondered at the GCH, do you need to tip again for the turn down service at night? We usually are back in the day, sometimes after they have cleaned our room and then when we come back at night and there are the candy on the pillows, and my DD's stuffed animals all cutely arranged for bed with the bed turned down and wonder if I should have left them a tip also. I did a couple times, but wasn't sure what to do, or how much, etc.

And, we have never gotten our washclothes folded cute into animals, etc., so I always wonder too and I not leaving enough money. There are 3 of us and we usually leave about $5 a day and we are really neat in our room, we have all the recyclables in one trash can, and the trash in another, etc.

We would leave 2 separate tips when we left the room in the morning with notes labeling them for housekeeping attendant and turndown attendant. On the days we arrived in the room after housekeeping but before turndown, the turndown tip was still there. The kids moved the bunk bed trundle around and the bedding was a tangled mess, plus somehow we generate an incredible amount of trash (in the trashcans of course, but still...) so we left $10/day for housekeeping and $2/day for turndown, except on the day we requested extra chocolate coins -- $5 for that. I don't remember cute towels, and the kids didn't bring toys, so we just received the turndown and the coins. Maybe I need to bump up turndown tip! -- Could everyone please reply with the tip amount you left for turndown attendant and service you received? Thanks!

 

[dana278]

I always try to tip, but sometimes I'm in such a hurry in the morning I forget to! If I specifically request extra towels or toiletries I'll leave a note in the bathroom with some cash under it. It does make me mad when I leave $10 and don't get any extra soaps, though. It's hard to leave a tip the next day after that. LOL When I do tip I don't leave less than $10/day for two adults, and they hardly have to do any work in my room. I tidy up the beds, don't leave a single thing out on counters/dressers/floors, I fold the wet towels and leave them in a little pile in the bathroom, and I always line the trash cans with grocery bags every day as well. I draw the line at bringing in my wet stuff from the shower. LOL I do leave shampoos and stuff in there.

I also bring my own toilet paper, but when you do that you have to remember to hide the roll before housekeeping comes in. They'll automatically replace it with their own and your nice soft roll will be gone. LOL

 

[BriannaRuth]

I work in the hospitality industry -- I actually do hotel reviews. The going rate is $1 to $2 per day for moderate or budget hotels, $3 to $5 per day for upscale or resort hotels. That's total, not per guest. Those are the guidelines we actually get from the hotels themselves on how much we should tip their housekeepers. If you're tipping $5 a day, you're being quite generous.

Housekeepers and other staff members should provide good service whether or not you are tipping them daily. I've actually been required to NOT tip a staff member by my company because they want to see if the staff is being polite either way.

If someone brings something to your room, tip $1 or $2.

The person who takes your luggage from the car to the lobby gets $1 per bag, as does the person who brings your luggage to your room. If it's just one person, the tip is the same, $1 per bag. I personally don't include small bags in this rate, especially on the car to the hotel one. At an upscale hotel, if there's just one person doing both, I tip a minimum of $5 and will often increase the tip to $2 a bag. But keep in mind that a bellman who brings your bags to your room is also supposed to give you an "orientation" ... tell you where things are located both in the room and in the hotel itself, hours of restaurant operation, ask if you need ice, etc. If they do a good job of this, I add on a couple of $. If they don't, I tip less.

The same applies for the bellman who takes your bags from your room on departure.

You should tip a valet $2 to $5, but ONLY when you pick the car up. Do not tip when you drop the car off.

Tip doormen only if they provide an additional service, such as hailing a cab.

If a repair person comes to your room to fix something, tip them $1 or $2.

Tip towel attendants $1 if they bring you a towel. Do not tip towel attendants if you're just getting a towel from a central area.

 

[vettegirl]

I had never heard of tipping the housekeeper until I saw threads on the Dis.

 

[DharmaLou]

I've only ever tipped at the end of the stay - I'm going to have to break it up by day now that I read this. Thanks for the info!

 

[BriannaRuth]

And be very careful about tipping for room service! Most of the time there is a "service charge" already added on, so you do not need to tip again.

There are times I've reviewed a hotel and have been required to ask the room service server, "Is tip included?" Sometimes they will get tricky with the answer in an effort to get an additional tip. Don't fall for it.

Also watch the restaurant bills at Disney as some of them also include 18% automatically. Don't double tip.

 

[nzer]

Wow! Thanks for that, BriannaRuth. We are coming from New Zealand to California/Las Vegas for 5 weeks at Christmas, and the whole tipping thing is so confusing to us as we don't do it here. I wouldn't have even thought of tipping housekeeping each day.
Could anyone else please tell me about any other tipping 'rules'. I know you tip when paying the bill after a meal....if breakfast is included in the accommodation package we have, do we leave a tip? Do we leave a tip for housekeeping after only a one night stay at a hotel? Arrgh! Very confusing Thanks for any advice.

 

[miss.potatohead]

Wow! Thanks for that, BriannaRuth. We are coming from New Zealand to California/Las Vegas for 5 weeks at Christmas, and the whole tipping thing is so confusing to us as we don't do it here. I wouldn't have even thought of tipping housekeeping each day.
Could anyone else please tell me about any other tipping 'rules'. I know you tip when paying the bill after a meal....if breakfast is included in the accommodation package we have, do we leave a tip? Do we leave a tip for housekeeping after only a one night stay at a hotel? Arrgh! Very confusing Thanks for any advice.

If the breakfast is a sit down meal with waitstaff bringing you your food/drinks then you should probably tip. If it's a serve yourself buffet WITHOUT staff toping drinks up etc (which many breakfasts included in accommodation are) then you are not expected to tip. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong there! But that's what we were told by our TA)

Come across to the Australian/NZ thread, the lovely DISers over there can help you if you have any other questions too

 

[Hayleybot]

Yeahhhh I honestly didn't know about tipping housekeeping. My parents might have when I was growing up but I don't remember. Dh has never said anything about tipping either when we've stayed places. Now I feel bad now we know!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I know you tip when paying the bill after a meal....if breakfast is included in the accommodation package we have, do we leave a tip? Do we leave a tip for housekeeping after only a one night stay at a hotel? Arrgh! Very confusing Thanks for any advice.

Depends what you mean by breakfast being included in your package. If you're talking about a free breakfast at a hotel, chances are it's a buffet where you get everything yourself including drinks. If that's the case, you don't need to tip. However, if the server brings you drinks and refills them, you should leave a tip. In this case, I usually tip 10% or so rather than the usual 15-20%. If the breakfast is a regular breakfast where they bring you everything, you do need to tip ... but only after checking to see if a "service charge" or "gratuity" isn't already included. Sometimes on a pre-paid package it will be included. Usually you will still have a bill to sign even if you're not paying so you can check at that time, or just ask if you don't get one.

Yes, you should still tip housekeeping even if you only stay one night.

Speaking of buffets -- don't know how they do it where you're from, but here if you're at a buffet and you finish eating and want more, you're supposed to leave your used plate on your table and get a clean one for your second trip through the buffet for hygienic reasons. Your server should pick up your used plate before you return with your food. This is one reason they get a tip. Of course, if it's a totally self-serve thing this doesn't apply.

Whether or not the buffet is totally self-serve or partially usually depends on the hotel class. Budget hotels (Holiday Inn, etc.) will usually be totally self-serve. Nicer hotels will have servers and often the buffet itself will have servers on the line giving you food or doing some cooking, etc.