Tipping Mousekeeping didnt work for us!

[dtuleya]

I have a question about tipping. IF you are tipping for good service and IF you are tipping when you leave the room in the morning, you are basically tipping for services in advance, which I have a problem with. Since you aren't assured to have the same Mousekeeper every day, the person who might have done a great job cleaning your room the day before might not get the tip you left today.

I was a server (waitress) for many years and I took pride in a job well done. However, I can't say that for many of the people I worked with. Many of these people expected a tip. In theory, leaving a tip for Mousekeeping in the morning would be like adding 15% onto every check when a guest places an order (in a restaurant). Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I would think they made at lease minimum wage. When I waitressed, we were paid $2.35/hour (last year) and that basically paid my taxes for the week. That was my incentive to do a great job to make more in tips.

I don't mean to start a debate. I already have my Mousekeeping envelopes printed for our November stay and intend to use them for good service. This is just my .02.

 

[cruisnfamily]

Not at Disney and not anywhere else either. I feel like housekeeping is included in my room cost. Aren't they supposed to do a good job cleaning the room because that is their job?

I do tip at restaurants and for pizza delivery, porter services, my hairdresser, etc..The folks who are paid less than minimum wage and use tips as a part of their income and are taxed accordingly, that's who I tip.

I'm curious now to know whether most people tip maids at hotels? Am I in the majority or the minority? It really never entered my mind, EVER, that somebody might tip the maid at a hotel.

 

[Bob NC]

Actually, it isn't considered a 'tipped' position, therefore they are paid more than minimum wage.

Most people DO NOT tip housekeepers.

I frequently tip them if they go above and beyond, or if I ask for something extra. Otherwise, it is totally unnecessary.

I realize many DO tip, but, they are in the minority and I honestly can't figure out why they tip housekeepers but not landscapers, common area cleaners, and other folks who make their stay more enjoyable.

 

[dtuleya]

I guess I mistated my position earlier. I intend to tip for "above and beyond" service. I'm thinking positively in advance hoping for those "extras". We have many friends who travel frequently on business and when asked about this practice, many of them have never heard of/done it before. Maybe it is common only in the vacation/resort areas????

 

[Ted and Holly]

Wow, it took a while to get to the old "why tip housekeeping despite it not being a tipped position" discussion. This has been coverd a few times. There are people who tip and those who don't. Period.

Sorry you didn't get the surprises you hoped for marijeff. Maybe next time.

Ted

 

[Bob NC]

Wow, it took a while to get to the old "why tip housekeeping despite it not being a tipped position" discussion. This has been coverd a few times. There are people who tip and those who don't. Period.

Wow, I think every thread on these boards is in some way a rehash of past ones. As new readers come and go, you're going to see repetition sometimes.

Period.

 

[dtuleya]

I am a fairly new poster and I'm sure I'll post to subjects that "have been covered a few times". That's how those who are new to thse boards learn. Period.

 

[Peter Pirate]

Housekeeping may make minimum wage, but no more and their job is far less glorious than waitstaff - Who make much, much more in the final analysis.

It is not listed as a "tipped" position at WDW but IMO anyone who can afford the trip should be able to afford a little generosity to those who will clean their toilets & change their sheets... and comparing them to landscaping is ludicrous as the landscape staff has no direct contact or personal influence over your stay (and I am a landscaper, btw).

Just as many have expressed their opinion that housekeeping doesn't deserved to be tipped, it is my personal opinion that they do.

 

[animalcrackers]

i did housekeeping last summer and it sucked. Most housekeepers only get slightly above MW, and we have to deal with a lot of stuff, cleaning up after messy people, gross people *nothing is worse than finding a pair of briefs after a checkout that look like they were worn for a month*. And as Peter Pirate said, this is the only one of those jobs that you come ointo contact with. Since i have done that i now always tip.

 

[Disneyolic]

I usually tip a certain minimum amount every day and then add on for extras "niceties" or if I request something specific such as towels or extra soap, etc.

Mousekeepers are not mindreaders. If you really want towel animals, maybe next time you could leave a small note along with a tip. If you don't get them, then you will know not to give that extra tip (if you wish) for that service.

 

[bweagle]

I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents on housekeeping. We left $2.00 a day (one each for DH & I) on our last trip at the Swan. We had fabulous housekeeping. We got turn down service every night and we were given the paper (even though we waived the resort fee), but it was left in our room and not outside the door. I didn't get any towel animals, but let me tell you....coming back to turn down service every night after a long day at the park was a wonderful surprise each night.......and the chocolates sure didn't hurt either!

 

[Ted and Holly]

bweagle, would that be 6 cents then?

Is it my fault for pointing out the fact that the discussion has moved away from the original topic to an arguement that can not be resolved?

I agree that new users will come and go. I also agree that much of the same content will be repeated. But sticking to topic and refraining from childish mockery is how places like this remain useful and retain members, new and old.

Back to topic. We have tipped on our stays. We had our bed turned down for us at CSR every day. We thought it was due to the tip. Who knows. We also got a little washcloth bird with a note this past trip. I have seen stuffed animals looking out the window waiting for their owners with signs. But without kids of my own to get disappointed when there is nothing "special" left, I can't say I really cared either way. We tip due to our belief in tipping housekeeping, not for special treatment. If we got bad service, we would think twice about tipping. We have not had to deal with that yet.

Ted

 

[Meagansmom]

In all of our past visits, we have never had any of the extra special "perks" in our room until this past visit. We have always tipped because we wanted to. I can tell you it was really fun to receive the extras. It seemed that maybe it only happened with a certain maid. The first couple of days, nothing, then for a couple more days, the room was decorated. The last few days, again nothing. I actually did not expect it. And I also did not tell my daughter for fear she would expect it or be disappointed if it did not happen. I guess all you can do, is be happy if it happens. I cannot figure out how the system works. Enjoy!

 

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I stayed at WL May 14 - 21 this year. As a business traveler, I almost always tip housekeeping each day ($1 or $2 depending on the size of the room and the mess I leave behind). I also try to leave a little note saying "Thank you" for cleaning up after me.

We left mousekeeping envelopes each day. We did not have any expectation that the mousekeepers would do anything in return beyond cleaning the room. Our experience:

1 day we got extra towels
1 day we got extra shampoo and soaps; this day they stacked the soap boxes so it made a complete Mickey (kinda cute)
1 day my Tigger toy was wrapped up in a towel with a note saying "Thanks for taking me to WDW. I had a great time at the spa!"

Every day our room was immaculate, it smelled great, and the service was what we expected.

One morning my DW was feeling ill. Our mousekeeper quietly knocked on the door. I told her my wife was ill and asked if they might come by later in the day. By noon my DW was feeling better and we took off to go shopping. When we returned, our room was spotless again and our mousekeeper left us a note saying she hoped my wife was feeling better. She hoped we were having a "magical vacation" (her words).

Like others here, I look at arranged toys, extra towels, etc. as extras -- not expected, but nice if they appear.

 

[Disneylvr]

We used the Mousekeeping envelopes 2 weeks ago at the Caribbean Beach. The room was spotless but no towel animals or window displays extra soap/shampoo etc. Oh well. We have always considered that above and beyond the duties of the housekeepers but it was something nice to return to each day. However we tip because being a resort/motel/hotel housekeeper is a very hard job with low wages. I want to show my appreciation.

At ASMovies in December we came back to extra soap, towels, window displays, towel animals, and more each and every day. Neat!

I think it all just depends on the housekeeper.

 

[dreamflight99]

We have always tipped Housekeeping, not for any extras...just to reflect our appreciation for the day to day chores they perform. Any extras (towel animals, plushes arranged in a cute manner) are just "frosting on the cake" and seem to make our stay a little more magical. Yet, we always leave the full tip at the END of our stay, so the housekeeping has no idea IF we are intending to tip or not. Therefore, when they have done extra things for us, I believe it is never based upon whether or not they'll receive a tip. They presume they will NOT, and are always so DELIGHTED when presented with the envelope on our last day (nice surprise).

With this in mind, I'm sure there are familes on a "tight" budget, with children, staying in the value resorts-who truly can not afford any tipping. I believe the housekeeping staff is well aware of this, and still makes the magical towel animals and plush arrangements. It all depends on the housekeeper(s), and decidedly not the tip. IMOHO

 

[Bob NC]

When I do tip I never save it up until the last day. I'm always afraid I'll leave the tip showing my appreciation for a weeks worth of housekeeping to the weekend housekeeper who only works that one day and has never cleaned my room before.

 

[Disney Debbie]

Until I started coming to the DIS, I'd never heard of tipping housekeeping either. But I don't mind doing it at all. I've had cute animals sometimes, sometimes not. I usually leave a note requesting extra towels (we like to shower a LOT at WDW!) and they always leave more then plenty.

Because I got "educated" on tipping here - when I stayed at a nice historic hotel in Americus this weekend it did actually occur to me to tip when the housekeeper washed out a plastic cup and spoon I'd brought in to have chocolate milk in before bed. I thought that was really nice of her and above and beyond - so I tipped there too!

 

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by Peter Pirate
IMO, leaving tips for mousekeeping & having the little towel animals made are two completely differnt issues. Tip's should be left in gratitude for the mousekeepers good work in the cleaning of your room. Anything extra that comes your way is a bonus and should not be construed as something you "purchased" with your tip. (BTW marijeff, I'm not saying you had this specific mind-set, just in general)

These boards do a lot of good but they also lead us to expectations that are sometimes out of the ordinary, IMO. If someone gets something special, all of a sudden everyone EXPECTS it...

I absolutely agree. When I leave a tip it is to show gratitude for the services they have rendered. I don't leave tips expecting extras. I would however leave a larger tip if Mousekeeping did do something extra, such as bring more towels or for turn down service, etc...

 

[disney4us2002]

Until I found the dis I didn't know anyone tipped housekeeping. I leave in more than a week and have already printed the mousekeeping envelopes and put a $5 in each as that is the number in my family. My dh thinks I'm absolutely nuts. He is a bit tight with his money but thinks it's absurd to pay someone for doing their job. We have honestly not ever tipped before this trip, at least not housekeeping. I have no idea what to expect so I guess I'll not be disappointed at least.