House Keeping

[mommyto3boys]

We are staying off property during Christmas & I was thinking about leaving a present for our housekeeping. It would be some candles, hand sanitizer, lotion, chocolates, & such. I now a lot of people leave tips, but we are on a tight budget and I already have a lot of this stuff from bath and body works that I have gotten for free. I guess what I want to know is if that is acceptable or does housekeeping prefer money? Anyone ever leave a gift instead? What are some opionions?

~Danielle

 

[larina]

When we stayed at PPH at Christmas, we left both. The gifts were small things from our area like chocolates and soaps. On Christmas Eve we left ornaments for housekeeping, it was fun.

 

[mommyto3boys]

When we stayed at PPH at Christmas, we left both. The gifts were small things from our area like chocolates and soaps. On Christmas Eve we left ornaments for housekeeping, it was fun.

I like the ornament idea. I also thought about making ornaments. I saw a blog post for making these really cute Santa ornaments. I was hoping to leave something small everyday. I forgot the kids are also decorating a giant gingerbread man (prepackaged from Wal-Mart) for a sweet treat.

~Danielle

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm not sure if they would actually take them, they may not be sure they are for them and leave them there. Just a thought, I really don't know. We don't usually get housekeeping daily so we just leave a monetary tip on the days we do get it done.

 

[jkattk]

Cute idea, but imagine if they got ornaments or lotion from every room - what would they do with them all? I think people working in industries that get tips rely on those tips as part of their income (often their hourly salary is set at a lower level to account for the tips) - I know I'd be unhappy if instead of my salary my company gave me small items at Christmas on payday!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Cute idea, but imagine if they got ornaments or lotion from every room - what would they do with them all? I think people working in industries that get tips rely on those tips as part of their income (often their hourly salary is set at a lower level to account for the tips) - I know I'd be unhappy if instead of my salary my company gave me small items at Christmas on payday!

I agree with this.

Housekeepers depend on their tips. I would think that a gift in addition to a tip would be fine, but not in lieu of a tip.

 

[Mel522]

We are staying off property during Christmas & I was thinking about leaving a present for our housekeeping. It would be some candles, hand sanitizer, lotion, chocolates, & such. I now a lot of people leave tips, but we are on a tight budget and I already have a lot of this stuff from bath and body works that I have gotten for free. I guess what I want to know is if that is acceptable or does housekeeping prefer money? Anyone ever leave a gift instead? What are some opionions?

~Danielle

I think they would prefer money over a gift. As others have said, the tip is part of their wages, and they might rely on them to pay bills.

It would also be hard to give someone you do not know something they would actually want. For example, there are fragrances that people don't like. My friend is allergic to anything with fragrances in them. I have eczema and cannot use most lotions and sanitizers. They may be on a specific diet or a diabetic, so candy/chocolate could be bad. Not everyone likes candles, and so on.

 

[Congo Queen]

I think they would prefer money over a gift. As others have said, the tip is part of their wages, and they might rely on them to pay bills.

It would also be hard to give someone you do not know something they would actually want. For example, there are fragrances that people don't like. My friend is allergic to anything with fragrances in them. I have eczema and cannot use most lotions and sanitizers. They may be on a specific diet or a diabetic, so candy/chocolate could be bad. Not everyone likes candles, and so on.

I concur. The cleaning/hospitality staff need those cash tips, probably even more so during the holidays. Their base hourly wage is very low.

 

[jrfish96]

Was wondering how much to tip, do you tip each day or just once at the end of your stay? We are staying at the DLH over Christmas.

 

[disneychrista]

If you are going to tip, "standard" is $1 per day per person.

 

[larina]

Was wondering how much to tip, do you tip each day or just once at the end of your stay? We are staying at the DLH over Christmas.

Daily, the housekeeping staff may be different every time. $1 per person per day is pretty standard.

 

[jrfish96]

Thanks for the info

 

[theluckyrabbit]

To the OP: check first with the hotel management about leaving a gift. At some hotels, employees are not allowed to accept gifts or they won't take them because either they don't understand the gift is for them or because they don't want to get in trouble for taking it. In this economy and in the Anaheim Resort area in general, tipping with cash is the best choice. Housekeeping salaries are low, so the housekeepers rely on those tips.

I've always heard (and read on travel boards and in travel magazines) that $1-$3 per person per day is considered normal. If there were special requests or extra work involved (e.g. cleaning up after a sick child), then I would up the tip to $5-$10, depending on the job and the mess. For example, my nephew wet the bed once at a hotel, and we tipped the housekeeper $10 for her trouble.

And if you are staying at the hotel on a major holiday, like Christmas, it wouldn't hurt to tip extra. Housekeeping is a hard job as it is, and working the holidays must be tough.