Spanish speaking? Please help!

[jory29]

I want to print up some labels for some small gifts/tips for Housekeeping, (Mousekeeping) but one year when we used Mousekeeping envelopes, they were never taken by the Housekeeping staff until we started to write Housekeeping on the labels.

I would like to know if this, in Spanish, is appropriate to say on an envelope:

"Para nuestra criada: Muchas gracias por todas sus atenciones y cuidados."

My concern is that I don't know if Nuestra Criada means, literally, 'Maid', which is a term I have not used for Housekeeping before - I would not want to offend anyone inadvertently.

Muchas Gracias!

P.S. Another reminder for graciously asking how to say " Please, may we have decaff coffee" would also be appreciated!

 

[ParkHopper1]

...annnnnnnd if you housekeeper that day may not happen to be Hispanic?

 

[trill]

I want to print up some labels for some small gifts/tips for Housekeeping, (Mousekeeping) but one year when we used Mousekeeping envelopes, they were never taken by the Housekeeping staff until we started to write Housekeeping on the labels.

I would like to know if this, in Spanish, is appropriate to say on an envelope:

"Para nuestra criada: Muchas gracias por todas sus atenciones y cuidados."

My concern is that I don't know if Nuestra Criada means, literally, 'Maid', which is a term I have not used for Housekeeping before - I would not want to offend anyone inadvertently.

Muchas Gracias!

P.S. Another reminder for graciously asking how to say " Please, may we have decaff coffee" would also be appreciated!

I've always just left loose bills on the bed. They know what it means.
Using Spanish titles gets tricky as they are masculine and feminine and you make assumptions when you decide beforehand who is cleaning your room- especially if they do not happen to speak Spanish! (though admittedly, this is the norm)

How about just using "propina"? It means tip. Add a muchas gracias and you get your message across. Use english and spanish. If you know it's a female, you can use camarera (I believe it literally means room worker as camera means room)

For decaf, call down to housekeeping. They speak english and will send it to you.

Another tip: For anything you want thrown away, write "basura". It means trash.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I want to print up some labels for some small gifts/tips for Housekeeping, (Mousekeeping) but one year when we used Mousekeeping envelopes, they were never taken by the Housekeeping staff until we started to write Housekeeping on the labels.

I would like to know if this, in Spanish, is appropriate to say on an envelope:

"Para nuestra criada: Muchas gracias por todas sus atenciones y cuidados."

My concern is that I don't know if Nuestra Criada means, literally, 'Maid', which is a term I have not used for Housekeeping before - I would not want to offend anyone inadvertently.

Muchas Gracias!

P.S. Another reminder for graciously asking how to say " Please, may we have decaff coffee" would also be appreciated!

I wouldn't use the word criada - that is more like servant.

I would put something like:

Thank you very much. This tip is for you.
Muchas gracias. Esta propina es para usted.

Thank you for your work, this is for you.
Muchas gracias por su trabajo, esta propina es para usted.

Decaf coffee: Cafe descafinado, por favor

 

[Pinup Mommy]

...annnnnnnd if you housekeeper that day may not happen to be Hispanic?

Uhhhhh, I was wondering the same.....

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think putting the same message in English and Spanish would work.

 

[Pinup Mommy]

I think putting the same message in English and Spanish would work.

Yes! This would be best

I am Hispanic, and not a housekeeper and speak both English & Spanish. So I guess I am not the norm according to the PP.

And criada would be offensive to some.

 

[jory29]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies!! Very thoughtful, and helpful. I did intend to use both English and Spanish, for those wondering.

I find Hojo's has had the same great housekeeping staff around for many years, and for us, we found Spanish to be the language that most of the housekeeping staff that we have ran into are most comfortable with, and we would like to embrace that.

Thank you, Mary Jo, for your explanation, that is exactly what I was trying to avoid, calling them 'servant' 'maid' etc. I will be less, rather than more specific then, to avoid misunderstandings.

One time I was sick, my son was sick, and we didn't want to contaminate anyone so we asked for various things at the door so they didn't need to come into the room... we gestured all sorts of things such as no caffeine (shaky, jittery, etc.) and that got the point across, ha ha. They are so sweet there, we like to try to bring small things like Aero chocolate bars (sold in Canada, not in USA), small bath and body washes, hand cream, etc. We leave an envelope each day in each room of the kids suite, since they seem to work in teams.

I appreciate the responses to this thread, and honestly, meant no harm by assuming that most of the housekeeping staff would be Spanish speaking, it is just what we have noticed at Hojo's when we are there.

 

[jory29]

Yes! This would be best

I am Hispanic, and not a housekeeper and speak both English & Spanish. So I guess I am not the norm according to the PP.

And criada would be offensive to some.

Thank you, too, for your input, I wondered that when I looked up the definition and it seemed to me it could be offensive, too!

 

[Pinup Mommy]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies!! Very thoughtful, and helpful. I did intend to use both English and Spanish, for those wondering.

I find Hojo's has had the same great housekeeping staff around for many years, and for us, we found Spanish to be the language that most of the housekeeping staff that we have ran into are most comfortable with, and we would like to embrace that.

Thank you, Mary Jo, for your explanation, that is exactly what I was trying to avoid, calling them 'servant' 'maid' etc. I will be less, rather than more specific then, to avoid misunderstandings.

One time I was sick, my son was sick, and we didn't want to contaminate anyone so we asked for various things at the door so they didn't need to come into the room... we gestured all sorts of things such as no caffeine (shaky, jittery, etc.) and that got the point across, ha ha. They are so sweet there, we like to try to bring small things like Aero chocolate bars (sold in Canada, not in USA), small bath and body washes, hand cream, etc. We leave an envelope each day in each room of the kids suite, since they seem to work in teams.

I appreciate the responses to this thread, and honestly, meant no harm by assuming the housekeeping staff would be Spanish speaking, it is just what we have noticed at Hojo's when we are there.

I actually think it is a kind gesture.

Try a Buenos Dias too if you run into a Spanish speaker, a kind greeting is always appreciated too

 

[bumbershoot]

...until we started to write Housekeeping on the labels.

I would just write "housekeeping" then.


I tend to snag a piece of notepaper (most hotels have a pad of paper), write "for housekeeping" on it, and put the money on it. That's worked perfectly. I personally am not comfortable assuming what language my housekeeper will speak or read more easily.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm hispanic, too, and though I think everyone who lives here should speak English, or at least try to speak English, I know a lot of people who do not. Some hispanic housekeepers might understand English, but to be on the safe side, it is a nice gesture to also write the message in Spanish and that way you cover your bases. You're very considerate.

 

[Mama Who]

Even if the housekeeper speaks virtually no other English, they will recognize the word "housekeeping."

 

[SMD]

If I leave a tip in the middle of a stay, I write "thank you" on a piece of paper from the pad in the room and leave it next to the money on the unmade bed. It has never been left behind. I think the cuter you try to get, with special envelopes and contrived names like "mousekeeping" the more likely it is to be ignored or misunderstood. If you want your appreciation to be recognized as such, cash is king in this situation. Do you really thing that housekeeping in a hotel doesn't have access to small hand lotions and body washes? They replace small bottles of toileries all day. And they clean around the travel size bottle people leave in the room and throw them away or whatever when you check out. Visible cash and something simple to acknowledge that it's not just cash that fell out of your pocket works best.

 

[jory29]

If I leave a tip in the middle of a stay, I write "thank you" on a piece of paper from the pad in the room and leave it next to the money on the unmade bed. It has never been left behind. I think the cuter you try to get, with special envelopes and contrived names like "mousekeeping" the more likely it is to be ignored or misunderstood. If you want your appreciation to be recognized as such, cash is king in this situation. Do you really thing that housekeeping in a hotel doesn't have access to small hand lotions and body washes? They replace small bottles of toileries all day. And they clean around the travel size bottle people leave in the room and throw them away or whatever when you check out. Visible cash and something simple to acknowledge that it's not just cash that fell out of your pocket works best.

I worry if i leave the tip in the middle of the stay, then someone who may have cleaned the room for the first few days may suddenly be off duty the day I leave a tip. For this reason, I prefer to leave a tip daily, sometimes it is a little bit of cash, ($2 per side, $4 per kids suite) and sometimes I do enjoy leaving something as a surprise, like hand lotion or body wash, etc. The value of a body wash is a higher value than just $2 (but I can buy it inexpensively when on sale) and I think it would be fun for housekeeping to have. Or, the Aero chocolate bars. Something that they can't buy in the USA. If they don't like it, they can give it to someone else.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

If I leave a tip in the middle of a stay, I write "thank you" on a piece of paper from the pad in the room and leave it next to the money on the unmade bed. It has never been left behind. I think the cuter you try to get, with special envelopes and contrived names like "mousekeeping" the more likely it is to be ignored or misunderstood. If you want your appreciation to be recognized as such, cash is king in this situation. Do you really thing that housekeeping in a hotel doesn't have access to small hand lotions and body washes? They replace small bottles of toileries all day. And they clean around the travel size bottle people leave in the room and throw them away or whatever when you check out. Visible cash and something simple to acknowledge that it's not just cash that fell out of your pocket works best.

I don't know if I really agree with this. When we stayed at a Disney hotel for a week, we had a different envelope with a different character printed on it, and a thank you message with money in it. Our housekeeper got a kick from it, and thanked us, telling she shared it with her coworkers.