Tipping Maids on DVC

[quirty30]

So why should tip bell services if they make about the same as housekeepers?

 

[CMOORE185]

So why should tip bell services if they make about the same as housekeepers?

You convinced me, I will no longer tip Bell services.

 

[goofy4tink]

I stay primarily DVC. I don't tip the same way as when I stay on cash and get daily housekeeping. BUT...if I feel that a tip is warrented on T/T day, then I may leave a few dollars. I know that when I stay on cash, and get daily housekeeping, I leave maybe $3 per day. I am very neat...I make up the beds myself, tidy the vanity area, hang up our towels. There really isn't anything for housekeeping to do. And when it's a T/T day???? REally, all they are doing is replacing towels and emptying the trash...that's it. So, why in heaven's name would I leave them more than a dollar or two???
On full clean days, I may leave more. BUT...here's my issue. What happens if my full clean day is on, say, Wednesday. Do I leave a $5 tip out that morning?? And then what happens if I return to my villa, find my $5 gone, and the floor is still covered in baby powder, there are dust bunnies in the bathroom and crumbs all over the floor??? Now, I have left money for someone who doesn't deserve it. BUT, on the other hand, do I wait until Thursday, and see how my villa was cleaned the day before?? If I do that, and want to leave that $5, there is no way to be sure that the housekeeper you are tipping today is the housekeeper that did such a good job yesterday!!! That's why I don't tip on my last day either.

I have had some less than stellar experiences with housekeeping in DVC resorts lately. They just haven't measured up to my expectations. Last Oct, I had to wait to get into my Kidani one bedroom. But, as soon as the text came that it was ready (at about 4:20ish), we went up. The door had a hanger telling us that the room was being serviced. Tried to get in, but the lock was on. So, knocked. Nothing. He then used his room key...door opened and as we entered, the housekeeper jumped up off the couch, turning the tv off!! And she thanked us for knocking and said she was almost done, but was close to the end of her shift so was just hanging out there until it was time to leave for the day!! And, there was unemptied trash and dirty tissues on the master floor!!! A used paper cup in the living room!! We were not happy.
I've had other instances where the villa was less than clean, and we basically didn't do much about it. If it was bad we would report it and ask to have it redone. My issue is that it seems to be happening more and more lately.

I really don't feel that I should be held hostage to tipping in order to get a decently cleaned room. The housekeepers are being paid a 'starting' amount of $8.35 to clean that room. That's starting...who knows what more experienced housekeepers are getting. And I don't much care. When you accept a job, you accept it knowing what the job entails and what your pay scale is going to be. You are offered too little? Then don't take the job in the first place.

I have asked at all the resorts I have stayed at...DVC and regular...eachtime I have been told that housekeeping is not considered to be a 'tipped' position. BUt, than again, they are allowed to leave those little name cards out. One has to wonder what the purpose of those is.

 

[quirty30]

You convinced me, I will no longer tip Bell services.

My point is simply that there are many tipped positions (such as bartenders and bellmen) that make comparable wages to housekeepers. As far as I know, only wait staff make less than minimum wage. So base salary alone is not a gauge for whether or not a position is "tipped."

 

[Dano1182]

I have never had a bartender tell me they are not allowed to accept tips.Is the beach house a bar? I have not been to HHI

If that is the case why is there is a line on every bill for a tip?

I have never seen anything from DVC telling me that any employee can not or should not be tipped.

Are the mousekeepers for DVc the same people who clean hotel rooms hotel?

If i stay in a BWV I should not tip but if I am in a BWI room I should tip?Or should you not tip any time you stay in a disney hotel or DVC?

As I said I tip becuse I think it is the right thing to do.Provided that I am happy with the service.

I agree that you should not tip in the hopes of getting good service.

If you believe it is not proper to tip then that is your choice.

 

[CMOORE185]

I have never had a bartender tell me they are not allowed to accept tips.Is the beach house a bar? I have not been to HHI

If that is the case why is there is a line on every bill for a tip?

I have never seen anything from DVC telling me that any employee can not or should not be tipped.

The Beach house itself is not a bar, but there is a bar at the Beach house. All I can tell you is what this guy told me, and that is Disney employees are not allowed to take tips. Is this just for HHI?, I don't know. As far as a line on the receipt, there must not have been one if they don't take tips. I will be there in about a week I will check the receipt. I always paid in cash.

 

[Dano1182]

I will be in BWV is a couple of weeks.I will have to do some research at various bars to verify that the "tip"line is on the tab.

 

[disneynutz]

There are 3 types of tips IMO. The bribe tip where the giver expects to get special service or recognition. The award tip because the service person is good at sucking up, and the guilt tip because someone told you that it is "customary" to leave a tip.

Service people know what to do to get a tip and they go out of their way to make them. Over the years at WDW we have come to know Bellmen and other service personal at the various resorts. At the BWV, we have a Bellman who watches for us. He waits on us almost every stay, he will ask when we plan on coming back and he admits that he reviews the scheduled check ins each day looking for his high tippers.

The problem with tipping is that the service people will follow the money and ignore the people who don't tip. Maybe that's why some rooms don't get cleaned properly, the housekeepers are spending too much time in the rooms who tip.

Bill

 

[childsplay]

I can second the Beach House bar at HH, if your talking about the open air thing off to the side of the pool at the Beach house.. the guy would not accept a tip when i tried a couple of years ago.

 

[CMOORE185]

I can second the Beach House bar at HH, if your talking about the open air thing off to the side of the pool at the Beach house.. the guy would not accept a tip when i tried a couple of years ago.

That's the place.

 

[Twinprincesses]

I always tip $10 regardless on if we even have the Mousekeeping or not.

 

[Dean]

My point is simply that there are many tipped positions (such as bartenders and bellmen) that make comparable wages to housekeepers. As far as I know, only wait staff make less than minimum wage. So base salary alone is not a gauge for whether or not a position is "tipped."

I would agree and thought I'd made it clear that I do not consider salary itself a factor in this decision. It makes no sense to do so as there are many factors, many who make around the same who no one tips and other factors including benefits package. Plus we're not going to consistently know who makes what. IMO the ONLY factor that should determine whether a tip is routinely expected is whether the position is considered a tipped position by the management and, to a degree, what the national standards are which should go hand in hand. I don't know what bell services at WDW makes and I really don't care. I do know that it's reportedly not uncommon for a good valet in CA to make 6 figures, I've seen that from several sources over the years.

I understand that in the past bell services was considered a tipped position at WDW though that could have changed with the outsourcing of the valet parking. I also don't believe that how hard the work is should be a measure of tipping, market forces will control this issue. If you can't get anyone to do the work at a given price, you'll pay more. Regardless, it wouldn't be difficult to justify tipping bell services and not housekeeping from standards, personal services rendered and etiquette.

I'm still waiting for a real example of a timeshare in the US that does not have daily maid service and where tipping is considered expected or standard. I'm also waiting for an example of another job where tipping is routinely expected but the job itself is not considered as a tipped position. We see many examples in our daily lives of people who make no more than the housekeeping staff, do as much or more for us than does this group and that we do not tip.

There are 3 types of tips IMO. The bribe tip where the giver expects to get special service or recognition. The award tip because the service person is good at sucking up, and the guilt tip because someone told you that it is "customary" to leave a tip.

Service people know what to do to get a tip and they go out of their way to make them. Over the years at WDW we have come to know Bellmen and other service personal at the various resorts. At the BWV, we have a Bellman who watches for us. He waits on us almost every stay, he will ask when we plan on coming back and he admits that he reviews the scheduled check ins each day looking for his high tippers.

The problem with tipping is that the service people will follow the money and ignore the people who don't tip. Maybe that's why some rooms don't get cleaned properly, the housekeepers are spending too much time in the rooms who tip.

Bill

I would add a 3B, to sooth one's own conscious about being able to go to WDW or similar places.

 

[SamSam]

There are 3 types of tips IMO. The bribe tip where the giver expects to get special service or recognition. The award tip because the service person is good at sucking up, and the guilt tip because someone told you that it is "customary" to leave a tip.

Service people know what to do to get a tip and they go out of their way to make them. Over the years at WDW we have come to know Bellmen and other service personal at the various resorts. At the BWV, we have a Bellman who watches for us. He waits on us almost every stay, he will ask when we plan on coming back and he admits that he reviews the scheduled check ins each day looking for his high tippers.

The problem with tipping is that the service people will follow the money and ignore the people who don't tip. Maybe that's why some rooms don't get cleaned properly, the housekeepers are spending too much time in the rooms who tip.

Bill

Luv ya, but you need to add another category...there are actually those of that tip just because we feel the job done deserves it. We always tip housekeeping..not to get any special service, we don't feel 'guilted' into leaving a tip, nor is it an award 'sucking' up tip. We tip housekeeping because we like to. We leave our room clean, so that's not it. We just have always felt that housekeeping is an underpaid job (considering all they do), and if a few dollars may make their day brigher, then we will gladly leave some dollars to make thier day a little happier.

 

[hockey mom]

While there are many jobs at Disney I would do housekeeping is not one of them.

I appreciate the fact that someone is willing to do that job and for that reason alone I will always tip.

I don't care if it is considered a "tipped position", or they make above minimum wage, or the bellman makes a little less than they do. Any one who is willing to clean toilets so I have a clean one to sit on deserves my tip.

 

[jekjones1558]

Luv ya, but you need to add another category...there are actually those of that tip just because we feel the job done deserves it. We always tip housekeeping..not to get any special service, we don't feel 'guilted' into leaving a tip, nor is it an award 'sucking' up tip. We tip housekeeping because we like to. We leave our room clean, so that's not it. We just have always felt that housekeeping is an underpaid job (considering all they do), and if a few dollars may make their day brigher, then we will gladly leave some dollars to make thier day a little happier.

Count me on your category, SamSam.

 

[jekjones1558]

While there are many jobs at Disney I would do housekeeping is not one of them.

I appreciate the fact that someone is willing to do that job and for that reason alone I will always tip.

I don't care if it is considered a "tipped position", or they make above minimum wage, or the bellman makes a little less than they do. Any one who is willing to clean toilets so I have a clean one to sit on deserves my tip.

Well said, hockey mom. I think that the fact I have never seen a male cleaning rooms, not even once in 40 years of trips to WDW, also influences me.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Well said, hockey mom. I think that the fact I have never seen a male cleaning rooms, not even once in 40 years of trips to WDW, also influences me.

I've seen male housekeepers at OKW and BCV, where we have stayed the most. In fact, one time we were delayed getting into our villa until almost 6PM because the previous guests had a big party the night before (it was NYE that evening and we were checking in on NYDay). When they finally got the guests to vacate the property, around 4:30PM, a whole bunch of housekeepers including several men got to work on the villa. It was a total mess. I don't know how many bags of trash they removed from that villa, but it was a bunch. The previous guests should have been charged at least an extra night for departing so late and leaving such a mess.

 

[Dano1182]

I think that the term tipped position is a accounting issue and labor issue and not a concern of mine . Frankly It would never enter my mind to ask.

If disney did not want us to tip they would tell us.There would be a card in the room with donald duck telling us that the mousekeeping staff are concidered a tipped position and are not allowed to accept tips.

They would not leave a card letting us know who our cleaner is.In fact I would think that they would discourage these cards.

For those of you who have felt the need to ask.Have you been told that these people are not allowed to accept tips??

If we go by that then we do not tip an housekeepers ina Disney Hotel outside of DVC? Even if we recieve daily service and it good service?

 

[MouseMomx2]

Well said, hockey mom. I think that the fact I have never seen a male cleaning rooms, not even once in 40 years of trips to WDW, also influences me.

We have had several male housekeepers at Disney. On one Pop Century stay we had a wonderful male housekeeper and his wife worked the set of rooms next to his. He said they had been working together for years.

 

[CMOORE185]

Well said, hockey mom. I think that the fact I have never seen a male cleaning rooms, not even once in 40 years of trips to WDW, also influences me.

Why does the sex of the person cleaning your room influence how you tip?