Tipping Mousekeepers after the fact

[WDW2002]

In most serve areas you tip the person after they have performed their service (cab drivers, servers, hair dressers etc) but with housekeeping (mousekeeping) you leave the tip BEFORE they perform the service. Is it possible to leave a tip for a mousekeeper (at the front desk) after they did the room?? I do not plan on tipping mousekeeping (just my personal prefrence) but if one mousekeeper does an "over the top" job on our room and I choose to tip can it be left at the front desk for them??

 

[erikthewise]

I prefer to just tip once at the conclusion of a short stay; tipping each day feels like paying "protection". And perhaps it is. Last year during a four-day stay at Polynesian in the concierge building(!), we received what was clearly substandard service on the third day: half our standard supply of clean towels (so we knew housekeeping had been there) and beds left untouched. We complained and the situation was rectified, but it seemed like an intentional snub. I guess we were lucky we weren't short-sheeted!

Needless to say that reduced the tip we DID leave at the end of our stay.

 

[WDW2002]

Tipping only after you stay doesn't work for me either, because you may have more then one Mousekeeper during your stay and the one who did the good work may not be the one who is the mousekeeper on your last day (in fact it could be one during the entire week except the day you leave).

 

[princess angel]

I used to tip at the end off the stay, I would just leave a lump sum in the room when we checked out, but that was because that was what my parents always did.

not until these boards did I ever hear of leaving a tip each day, but I think it's a good idea, your mousekeeper does have days off, so the fill in person deserves a tip also!

and I think the housekeeper should always be tipped. they dont need to make animals out of towels to deserve a tip, they are cleaning our mess, my goodness, they deserve a tip more than anyone else imho!!!

we sometimes get great mousekeepers, and sometimes just someone with a frown who cleans good enough and that's it, but either way the one who just cleans good enough.. I still leave my normal tip of $4 a day.
the great mousekeepers, the ones who smile and talk to me in the hallway, and do make animals, (like Virginie at the YC concierge!!) well, they get a little extra tip thrown in! they make your day just a little brighter.
but they all deserve a tip! (again - imho!!!)

Laura

 

[Meriweather]

If you are going to tip...do it daily. They do get days off.

We stayed for 2 weeks and definitely had more than one housekeeper. It was obvious.....but you know, the substitute for the 3 days that the regular housekeeper was off, didn't take the tip. Of course, they didn't leave the cute towel animals or any extra shampoo either.

We had such fun with our regular housekeeper. Left notes. My DH got into the competition by thinking of different ways to leave the tip.....oragami-style. I think he was enjoying it almost as much as the rest of the trip. We looked forward to coming back to the room each afternoon or evening to see what we would find. It was a disappointment when it was nothing (regulars day off).

We missed her one day...we went down to the gift shop before heading off and came back a little later to find she had already been there!! DH went looking for her to give her her tip.....very nice woman

 

[Krissalee]

I leave a tip daily in a Mousekeeping tip envelope (somewhere around here there is a link to the ones you can print out with Disney characters). Housekeeping can be tough, backbreaking work, and the housekeepers don't always make a lot of money for the work. I think they deserve a tip for cleaning up my mess. That said, I usually leave $3 per day (just DH and me). If I receive exceptional service, I will usually add a few more dollars if I know that particular housekeeper was working in my room again.

Our housekeeper at the WL in October, Norma, was exceptional. I even wrote a letter to the Executive Housekeeper at the WL, singing her praises. She was very pleasant when we ran into her in the hallways, she wrote us sweet little notes each day, and kept our room spotless and filled with towels and ammenities. After sending the letter, I received an e-mail from Norma. She had been given a copy of the letter I wrote, and the letter was read aloud in a staff meeting. Her boss commended her work. She said she felt proud of her job, and was very thankful for the recognition. I was glad I took the time to write, because feeling your work is appreciated is very important - I know from personal experience in my own job.

Krissy

 

[WDW2002]

I did not intend to make this into a debate about tipping and whether you should or shouldn't tip. I am asking one simple question, is it possible to leave a tip for a maid at the front desk??

 

[Krissalee]

WDW2002 - I suppose you could leave a tip at the front desk, but you may want to check with the front desk CMs to make sure they will be willing to take it. Many people in the service industry do not want to be responsible for making sure cash tips reach the person it is intended for. If you see your housekeeper in the hallway, you may want to tip them personally. Another option is to contact the housekeeping director and see if they will pass the tip along to the right person.

My sister is the Executive Housekeeper at a 5 Star hotel, and recommends a tip in the room, as opposed to letting the tip find the way through the ranks. Especially with cash, you never can be guaranteed that the tip will find its way to the person it was intended.

Krissy

 

[WDW2002]

I will ask when we check in. Most likely it won't be necessary because I don't plan to tip mousekeeping for cleaning the room, that is their job and it is not considered a tiped position. But if I choose to tip a mousekeeper for going the extra mile (which to me is the only good reason to tip) then I want to know my option.

Thanks

 

[erikthewise]

If you leave a tip in a restaurant, sometimes the busboy, not your server, will clear the table. Sometimes the person who takes your order is not the same person who brings your food. Yet we leave one tip at the end of the meal. Why can't that work with housekeeping?

Better still, why can't you add a housekeeping gratuity to your room charge when you check out? Then we don't need to worry about who finds the cash. That is my favorite way of handling it in restaurants; adding the tip to the charge slip.

I guess I'm a grump but I find it a nuisance to have to leave a tip in cash each day. I'm bound to forget at least one day, and likely to run short of ones as well.

 

[cassie]

Disney clearly states tipping policies on the brochures you receive at check-in. The tippable positions are for bell services, waitpersons, and bartenders. Housekeeping is not listed. I always tipped everyday, and this exact topic came up last week while we were having a drink at the pool bar. The bartender said the housekeepers make a great wage ($15 an hr) and that's why they are not on the tip policy.

So, another side of the coin.

 

[cassie]

Disney clearly states tipping policies on the brochures you receive at check-in. The tippable positions are for bell services, waitpersons, and bartenders. Housekeeping is not listed. I always tipped everyday, and this exact topic came up last week while we were having a drink at the pool bar. The bartender said the housekeepers make a great wage ($15 an hr) and that's why they are not on the tip policy.

My mousekeeper at CBR didn't take the tip for three days. She also didn't leave a card with her name on it. So now I'm more confused than ever

 

[sogger]

we left a tip every morning before we left for the day and out of 9 days housekeeping only took the tip three times. we had the envelope labeled and everything...oh well we tried..................