Room Tips

[juliette]

Quick question. I've stayed at ASMo once in the past and never tipped for housekeeping. I feel really bad now because you guys say you should tip $1pp. Does everyone always tip. I am going back in June and need to know before I make the same mistake twice.

 

[jilljill]

Our family does not tip housekeeping. My dad used to travel 265 days a year and never tipped as these are customarily non-tipped positions. Some people feel the need to tip. Use your best judgement and don't feel bad if you choose not to tip.

 

[admiral nelson]

I disagree that these are not tipped positions, as do many etiquette sites. But to each their own. Do what your heart tells you to, and think about being in their position.

 

[Pat_Elliott]

Personally, I've always felt a tip is either based on performance or to enhance a performance. I don't throw down 15% at a restaurant if the wait staff had an attitude. However, I do hotels in a pre-emptive manor. The first day, we put two bucks in an envelope. If the room shows obvious signs that this was appreciated, we keep it up. If not, we bag it. That's my personal plan of attack, I don't know that there is a set etiquitte.

Pat

 

[dahess]

Ever been on the Disney Cruise Boat? That is where you tip a lot of money$$$$$. I can't remember the figures exactly, but it was around $300.00, you tip the server, the assistant server, the dining room manager (can't remember his real title), your room keeper, room service, wait staff for drinks by the pool, luggage carriers, I am sure I have left some one off. Don't get me wrong, it is totaly worth it to go on the DCB. We would gladly tip that much again

 

[dcfromva]

dahess

Ever been on the Disney Cruise Boat? That is where you tip a lot of money$$$$$. I can't remember the figures exactly, but it was around $300.00, you tip the server, the assistant server, the dining room manager (can't remember his real title), your room keeper, room service, wait staff for drinks by the pool, luggage carriers, I am sure I have left some one off. Don't get me wrong, it is totaly worth it to go on the DCB. We would gladly tip that much again

That is one thing I don't understand. My sister went on a Disney cruise last year and she said the majority of the wages for those positions are derived from tips and it isn't really optional. I wondered why they didn't just include the crews wages in the price of the cruise so you know how much it costs up front? (She said it was worth it, too. They had a wonderful time).

-DC

 

[dcfromva]

juliette,
The tip for the maid is optional. We always tip, though. We leave $5.00 per room per night and we leave it each day (as opposed to once at the end of the trip). I think the maid will do an excellant job for you whether you tip or not. I just like to leave a little something extra.
-DC

 

[juliette]

Yes I know with the disney cruise. We are four and it does take a good part of your money. But like it was said before it was worth it. As for the room tip I guess ill tip because then I'll feel guilty.

 

[CTillberg]

I ALWAYS tip housekeeping now, at Disney and elsewhere. IMO, houskeepers do hard work, get paid very little, and I have found I usually get a little extra special touch when I leave tips.

What I think is silly is tipping bartendenders, doormen, etc. (how hard is it really to pour a drink or open a door?!)

Just my two cents.
Cathy

 

[mad4themouse]

Originally posted by CTillberg
I ALWAYS tip housekeeping now, at Disney and elsewhere. IMO, houskeepers do hard work, get paid very little, and I have found I usually get a little extra special touch when I leave tips.

What I think is silly is tipping bartendenders, doormen, etc. (how hard is it really to pour a drink or open a door?!)

Just my two cents.
Cathy

I tip the guy who handles my bags at the airport and at the hotel. I tip the housekeeping staff and all waiters and waitresses. I believe in rewarding good service.

However, I have issues with the tip cups that you see placed by the register at every Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. Puh-leez! There's a big difference between picking up my dirty towels and handing me a dozen pre-packaged Munchkins!

 

[colleen costello]

I always tip. We were visiting last year, staying in the Ft. Wilderness Cabins, and the cleaning women were coming in as we were going out. My daughter, who was 7, said softly "Boy that's not the job I want someday." We talked a little bit about how hard those ladies work and that yes, there are "easier" jobs out there.

I feel like these women work really hard. Many are here from other countries, and God bless them, they may be sending money back to relatives. I think that for the work they do to help make my vacation a little nicer, I can afford a few extra dollars a day. When you are blowing $3 on a bottle of water, what's a few dollars for the housekeepers?

Just my 2 cents!

 

[Minnie's Mate]

See:
www.tipping.org

 

[Snow Brite]

Or it would just be added on to your room bill. The standard is $1 per person per night, left nightly, on the pillow of your bed. This can be adjusted up or down, based on service received, but remember that often maids are not assigned to the same room each day, so the one getting the tip may not be the one the earned it.

Housekeepers, Dishwashers and Bellmen are the hardest working people at a hotel. They have the most physically demanding and, yes, gross jobs. They get paid at or just above minimum wage and do depend on tips as part of their income. To say Housekeepers are not tipped positions is just uninformed.

These ladies (and a few gentlemen) are responsible for cleaning your room as well as probably between 10-20 others in the five to six hours they have between when you leave in the morning and check in time. They do not get to take lunch at the usual lunchtime as that is their crunch time. Their Supervisors are constantly checking on them to see "How much longer" until this room or that is ready because someone is waiting at the Front Desk for their room. It is hot, physically demanding work changing that many beds, vacuming that many floors and scrubbing that many bathtubs per day. They take out your garbage, pick up your dirty towels, and clean the crumbs from your table.

I really think a $1 per person per day is little to ask for this service. Compare this to what is required for the server to take your order and bring you your meal in a restaurant and how much you tip them for this service. The difference is the Housekeeper does her work behind the scenes, never face to face. It is so much easier to ignore this type of service.

But then, having been in the hotel business for many, many years this is a bit of a hot button topic for me... You do what you feel is right and deserved.

Jennifer

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I agree- but sometimes it's hard to keep leaving a tip day after day when it's obvious they are NOT doing all that hard work. I have found, in my own personal experience, that when staying quite a few nights they really do nothing more than empty the trash out and put out new towels.
Seriously.
When your bathtub is still dirty, things are still on the floor so you know it wasn't vaccuumed (tiny bits of trash or crumbs), and your bed isn't made/etc..... you know not much was done. And yes, this has been my experience at Disney also. It just seems like when you are staying 7+ (or 9 nights in my case) nights, they tend to do less than they do when a new guest is moving in that room. A lot less.

 

[ScarletIndigo]

It seems like I read somewhere (either here on the DIS or somewhere similar) that the All Star Resorts had a policy of only changing bed linens every three days in order to conserve water. Is this just a fable or the real deal? Believe it or not, I don't think I've ever taken a trip where I've stayed more than one night in a hotel room, so I'm not sure if this is the norm or not! ;-)

 

[jilljill]

If I remember correctly, in all Disney hotels they only change bed linens every 3 or 4 days for the same guest. There is a note in your room about this policy. They will only change your towels if you leave them in the tub.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

A) I didn't say anything about changing bed linen- I said making the bed. And btw- I stayed 9 nights with the same bed linen-I know because the mascara that got on the pillowcase and part of the sheet on my FIRST NIGHT there was still there on my last night.

B) Not sure why you mentioned the towel policy- I said that was one of the two things done.... new towels and tiny trash can emptied.

 

[ScarletIndigo]

Originally posted by BibbidyBobbidyBoo
A) I didn't say anything about changing bed linen- I said making the bed. And btw- I stayed 9 nights with the same bed linen-I know because the mascara that got on the pillowcase and part of the sheet on my FIRST NIGHT there was still there on my last night.

Hi BibbidyBobbidyBoo! I'm sorry, please don't think my question was directed at your situation, I was just curious in general. Didn't mean to be a thread-stealer! ;-)

Take care.

 

[CTillberg]

I may be mistaken, since I haven't been to Disney since 1998, but I thought that in Disney's effort to conserve water, mousekeping only changed the linens if you left a special card on the bed saying you wanted them changed and the towels only when left in the tub as a previous poster wrote.

If you receive poor service, by all means, do not tip. But also, you need to call and let the front desk or housekeeping manager know if you are not happy with the condition of your room. You may have a new, inexperienced, or poor worker doing your room every day, and they need to know that and get it corrected so you (and other guests) are not unhappy.

BTW, Jennifer expresed my thoughts exactly as to why I tip my housekeepers.

Cathy

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I may be mistaken, since I haven't been to Disney since 1998, but I thought that in Disney's effort to conserve water, mousekeping only changed the linens if you left a special card on the bed saying you wanted them changed and the towels only when left in the tub as a previous poster wrote.

There was a card explaining about the towels- but they didn't do it that way anyway. They would change the towels even if they were hung back up on the racks. Why, I do not know. LOL

But there wasn't any special card or note about the bed linen, and I don't have ESP, so I didn't know about that. I also didn't know to let the front desk/etc know- because I just figured that's standard policy if the same guest is still in that room. It didn't kill me- I survived. LOL I just was commenting that when not much is done, it's hard to really justify the giving of tips. This thread made it out like they were doing a lot of work, and all I know is in the 9 days I stayed there- all they did was replace towels (regardless of where I put them or whether I wanted them all replaced or not) and emptied the little trash cans. That's it. So they don't ALL, at all times, do a lot of cleaning justifying $1 or more per person per night as tip.
(oh and btw- they also ignore the do not disturb signs on the doors. I slept in one morning- or atleast I should say TRIED to... was awoken by the door attempting to be opened and "hello hello" -if the darn bolt thing is done where the door will only open a little before it's stopped and a do not disturb sign is on the door.... that should mean something. Atleast I thought so. LOL Yes,I still tipped that day, but I did so grudgingly. I figured a DIFFERENT housekeeper probably did the room later since I asked them to come back later after waking me up attempting to come in. LOL)