Mousekeeping

[AliceIn]

I went to find the general consensus on tipping housekeeping. Most blogs, etiquette sites, tipping guides, etc., recommend a daily tip for the housekeeping staff. It's generally good manners to do so.

Disney Mom's Forum:

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=&page=&qid=175388&pid=45&cid=109

Touring Plans:

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/03/21/disney-world-tipping/

Passporter:

http://www.passporter.com/articles/tipping.asp

Intercot:

http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/money/tipping.asp

Tipping Housekeeping in General:

Good Housekeeping:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/etiquette/tipping-etiquette

USA Today:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/good-amount-tip-hotel-housekeeping-52671.html

Trip Advisor Tip Guide:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

The custom is to tip housekeeping, and it's good manners to do so. You are not obligated to do it if you choose not to.

 

[ols386]

Is it considered bad manners to not tip the cm's, as well?

 

[AliceIn]

Is it considered bad manners to not tip the cm's, as well?

Some positions have customary tips, some do not. If you are not sure, look up tipping etiquette.

 

[lbv7]

Housekeeping is a non-tipped position at WDW. Housekeepers make more hourly than the CMs who clean the park toilets.

You are comparing apples and oranges. The last time I checked custodial staff in the parks do not come into my room, make the bed, vacuum the floor, give me new toiletries, clean the tub, toilet and sink, and give me new towels.

As for being a non tipped position this is correct, but this is for union purposes only, so that wage scales can be set. There is not one piece of paper that exists where WDW says you do not need to tip Housekeeping, and we encourage you not to tip. I have the information sheets from most of the WDW hotels that you get as part of your check in package, and there is not one word or sentence about tipping or not tipping housekeeping.
If not tipping housekeeping is "official Disney policy", then I would like to see some evidence of it.

If you stay at DVC all the time and don't get housekeeping. no need to tip. Otherwise I am no sure why people care one way or the other, and have such a strong dislike what other people do with respect to tipping housekeeping.

As for another poster saying that Hosekeeping probably make more than a teachers aide so what, most waiters at WDW probably also make more, and guaranteed that a good portion of their cash tips is undeclared income. The issue here is the low salary of a teachers aide, not what the salary of a housekeeper is at WDW.

 

[queenofthehive]

This topic has been discussed over and over. If you want to tip, please do so. Tipping is usually done when one feels one was provided "good service". IMHO - It is not provided because one feels that the person providing the service does make not make an adequate wage. That would be charity. Please take up the "cause" with Disney management on the perceived poor wage issue.

 

[cobright]

So tip the persons in the parks as well as housekeeping.

When the person in the park works 30-40 minutes straight, cleaning up a mess I made, I will hand him or her a fiver.

That said, it is unlikely that the custodian in the park is making less than the mouskeeper back at my resort. That's what average salary is all about. If you grab a random CM off the street in MK, chances are they will be earning a higher salary than the random mouskeeper back at your room emptying your garbage.

I know that 30 minutes of my time is worth a lot more than the maximum $7 or whatever the housekeeper is getting paid to give it to me. That's what I get from mousekeeping, the time it would have taken me to do the same job. I'm actually getting a lot more than 30 minutes because it would take me an hour or more to get the same job done. What's an hour of my time worth? A lot. A lot more than the $5-10 I give the maid for it.

 

[cobright]

Absolutely! And those are entry, starting levels. Most housekeepers are making above $10 an hour.

The average mousekeeper is making $18,000 a year, generally this translates to about $8.65 per hour.

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

I travel solo, and I am an extra neat person .... that said .... I tip everyday, and I place my two dollars tucked into the mirror above the sink. I figure that place is going to be the absolute most noticed. If they bring me ALL the extra pillows that I want, I will tip another dollar that day. I never tip on my leaving day.

 

[goofy4tink]

I went to find the general consensus on tipping housekeeping. Most blogs, etiquette sites, tipping guides, etc., recommend a daily tip for the housekeeping staff. It's generally good manners to do so.

Disney Mom's Forum:

http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?sort=&page=&qid=175388&pid=45&cid=109

Touring Plans:

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/03/21/disney-world-tipping/

Passporter:

http://www.passporter.com/articles/tipping.asp

Intercot:

http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/money/tipping.asp

Tipping Housekeeping in General:

Good Housekeeping:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/etiquette/tipping-etiquette

USA Today:

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/good-amount-tip-hotel-housekeeping-52671.html

Trip Advisor Tip Guide:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g191-s606/United-States:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

The custom is to tip housekeeping, and it's good manners to do so. You are not obligated to do it if you choose not to.

If you go to the front desk, of any resort, and you ask them about tipping your housekeeper, you will be told that Disney does not consider that to be a tipable position. That is Disney's official policy. Now, go ahead and do what you want...everyone is free to do what they wish to do. Just stating what Disney has to say on their employees.

You are comparing apples and oranges. The last time I checked custodial staff in the parks do not come into my room, make the bed, vacuum the floor, give me new toiletries, clean the tub, toilet and sink, and give me new towels.

As for being a non tipped position this is correct, but this is for union purposes only, so that wage scales can be set. There is not one piece of paper that exists where WDW says you do not need to tip Housekeeping, and we encourage you not to tip. I have the information sheets from most of the WDW hotels that you get as part of your check in package, and there is not one word or sentence about tipping or not tipping housekeeping.
If not tipping housekeeping is "official Disney policy", then I would like to see some evidence of it.

If you stay at DVC all the time and don't get housekeeping. no need to tip. Otherwise I am no sure why people care one way or the other, and have such a strong dislike what other people do with respect to tipping housekeeping.

As for another poster saying that Hosekeeping probably make more than a teachers aide so what, most waiters at WDW probably also make more, and guaranteed that a good portion of their cash tips is undeclared income. The issue here is the low salary of a teachers aide, not what the salary of a housekeeper is at WDW.

Believe me....the housekeeper is not vacuuming your floor, scrubbing your tub, sink and toilet!! They do empty trash, make beds, replace towels and leave new toiletries. I have had the vanity swiped down. The tub? Never. The toilet? Maybe wiped down but certainly not scrubbed.

When the person in the park works 30-40 minutes straight, cleaning up a mess I made, I will hand him or her a fiver.

That said, it is unlikely that the custodian in the park is making less than the mouskeeper back at my resort. That's what average salary is all about. If you grab a random CM off the street in MK, chances are they will be earning a higher salary than the random mouskeeper back at your room emptying your garbage.

I know that 30 minutes of my time is worth a lot more than the maximum $7 or whatever the housekeeper is getting paid to give it to me. That's what I get from mousekeeping, the time it would have taken me to do the same job. I'm actually getting a lot more than 30 minutes because it would take me an hour or more to get the same job done. What's an hour of my time worth? A lot. A lot more than the $5-10 I give the maid for it.

The average mousekeeper is making $18,000 a year, generally this translates to about $8.65 per hour.

There is no way possible that any housekeeper is spending 30-40 mins in your room!!! If that were the case, rooms wouldn't get cleaned. 15 mins tops. Unless they have decided to have a break in your room!! And yes, I have had that happen to me. Waited hours for my room to be ready at Kidani. Finally got the text saying the room was ready. Got to the room about 20 mins after the text arrived. The door had a note on it saying it was being serviced!!! Excuse me??? So, dh knocked and entered. The housekeeper jumped up off the sofa, grabbed her mop that was on the floor and thanked him for knocking. Then, she proceeded to tell us that she was killing time at the end of her shift!!! Then, after she scurried away? We found a dirty coffee cup on the side table in the living room, behind a lamp, dirty tissues on the bedroom floor, and the toilet didn't flush!!! Glad to know she had a good rest, with the TV on, no less.

I have seen some pretty nasty rooms that housekeepers have had to deal with. And the truly sad thing? Those aren't the guests that are tipping!!! They probably left a dollar or two the entire stay!!! And a housekeeper did spend a good long time in there cleaning.
I don't care what people do. I tip when I feel it's warranted. It's not automatic. When I have to wait until close to 3pm to get into my made up room? I don't tip the next day! I've paid for that room, I want the use of it. I don't want to worry about returning in the afternoon to relax for a bit, only to find the beds unmade!!!


And that average of $18, 000 a year? Nope. I know, for a fact, that many housekeepers are making more than that. They are making more than $8.65 an hour if they have been there for awhile. Entry level people?Sure. And as I said before, when you add up those tips??? The housekeepers are taking home a fair amount. It's work that takes no education at all. Is it great work? No. But someone has to do it. And I don't mean that to sound the way it does. But, you don't need a degree to clean toilets and make beds. If you figure a housekeeper has 13 rooms to clean, and each room leaves $3 a day, that's almost $40 a day. Times 5, is $200 a week...that's between $9 and 10 thousand a year in tips. Sort of.

Like I said, I don't care what everyone wants to do. But this whole 'those poor housekeepers clean up my huge mess and get barely minimum wage' argument is just in error. I tip when I feel I've received something out of the ordinary. And that doesn't take much. Empty my trash, make my bed, leave fresh towels and wipe down the fixtures. Leave me new toiletries. Most of all? Don't take my dd's iPod that she stupidly left inside her pillow!!! Yeah, that housekeeper got a nice mention to the front desk!!! I was sure it would be gone when we got back to the room. But, the housekeeper left it on the bedside table!!! Gotta love an honest person. I'm sure that housekeeper appreciated the good report. There was no way I was sure the housekeeper the next day would be the same one that was so honest. So, I went with the glowing report.

 

[AliceIn]

If you go to the front desk, of any resort, and you ask them about tipping your housekeeper, you will be told that Disney does not consider that to be a tipable position. That is Disney's official policy. Now, go ahead and do what you want...everyone is free to do what they wish to do. Just stating what Disney has to say on their employees.


Believe me....the housekeeper is not vacuuming your floor, scrubbing your tub, sink and toilet!! They do empty trash, make beds, replace towels and leave new toiletries. I have had the vanity swiped down. The tub? Never. The toilet? Maybe wiped down but certainly not scrubbed.





There is no way possible that any housekeeper is spending 30-40 mins in your room!!! If that were the case, rooms wouldn't get cleaned. 15 mins tops. Unless they have decided to have a break in your room!! And yes, I have had that happen to me. Waited hours for my room to be ready at Kidani. Finally got the text saying the room was ready. Got to the room about 20 mins after the text arrived. The door had a note on it saying it was being serviced!!! Excuse me??? So, dh knocked and entered. The housekeeper jumped up off the sofa, grabbed her mop that was on the floor and thanked him for knocking. Then, she proceeded to tell us that she was killing time at the end of her shift!!! Then, after she scurried away? We found a dirty coffee cup on the side table in the living room, behind a lamp, dirty tissues on the bedroom floor, and the toilet didn't flush!!! Glad to know she had a good rest, with the TV on, no less.

I have seen some pretty nasty rooms that housekeepers have had to deal with. And the truly sad thing? Those aren't the guests that are tipping!!! They probably left a dollar or two the entire stay!!! And a housekeeper did spend a good long time in there cleaning.
I don't care what people do. I tip when I feel it's warranted. It's not automatic. When I have to wait until close to 3pm to get into my made up room? I don't tip the next day! I've paid for that room, I want the use of it. I don't want to worry about returning in the afternoon to relax for a bit, only to find the beds unmade!!!


And that average of $18, 000 a year? Nope. I know, for a fact, that many housekeepers are making more than that. They are making more than $8.65 an hour if they have been there for awhile. Entry level people?Sure. And as I said before, when you add up those tips??? The housekeepers are taking home a fair amount. It's work that takes no education at all. Is it great work? No. But someone has to do it. And I don't mean that to sound the way it does. But, you don't need a degree to clean toilets and make beds. If you figure a housekeeper has 13 rooms to clean, and each room leaves $3 a day, that's almost $40 a day. Times 5, is $200 a week...that's between $9 and 10 thousand a year in tips. Sort of.

Like I said, I don't care what everyone wants to do. But this whole 'those poor housekeepers clean up my huge mess and get barely minimum wage' argument is just in error. I tip when I feel I've received something out of the ordinary. And that doesn't take much. Empty my trash, make my bed, leave fresh towels and wipe down the fixtures. Leave me new toiletries. Most of all? Don't take my dd's iPod that she stupidly left inside her pillow!!! Yeah, that housekeeper got a nice mention to the front desk!!! I was sure it would be gone when we got back to the room. But, the housekeeper left it on the bedside table!!! Gotta love an honest person. I'm sure that housekeeper appreciated the good report. There was no way I was sure the housekeeper the next day would be the same one that was so honest. So, I went with the glowing report.

Wow -- sounds like you really don't like housekeepers!

 

[cobright]

Just a couple of things about this post:

Believe me....the housekeeper is not vacuuming your floor, scrubbing your tub, sink and toilet!! They do empty trash, make beds, replace towels and leave new toiletries. I have had the vanity swiped down. The tub? Never. The toilet? Maybe wiped down but certainly not scrubbed.
[...]
There is no way possible that any housekeeper is spending 30-40 mins in your room!!! If that were the case, rooms wouldn't get cleaned. 15 mins tops.
[...]
And that average of $18, 000 a year? Nope. I know, for a fact, that many housekeepers are making more than that.
[...]
If you figure a housekeeper has 13 rooms to clean, and each room leaves $3 a day, that's almost $40 a day. Times 5, is $200 a week...that's between $9 and 10 thousand a year in tips. Sort of.

We have never returned to our room to find that it hasn't been vacuumed, the tub thoroughly cleaned, toilet sparkling, etc...

I have been in the room directly and had hidden surveillance in the room every other day we stayed (sorry, I keep expensive stuff that doesn't fit in the safe). 30-40 minutes for our room was about right. But there's 4 of us and we're messy. Looking online, I find similar numbers for quality resorts.

I pulled $18k/yr average from Careerbliss, I have spoken to, perhaps, a dozen different mousekeepers over the years, never one who has been there longer than 5 years. That's just my personal experience but it supports what I have read. Chances those girls are getting more than a dime or two a year raise? Not much.

So it comes down to a person without many other options, working (say) 30 minutes for me in a capacity that makes my vacation special. For that 30 minutes she is getting paid by her employer $5 if she's lucky.

It would take me an hour to do what she does and still not do as good a job. What is an hour of my time worth to me? So what if everyone tipped her $5, doubling her salary to a whopping $40k a year. Raise a family on that in Orlando. Or not, it doesn't matter. What matters to me is letting the people who make my vacation perfect know how much I value what they do.

Perhaps that's why you get such lousy service.