Tipping?

[Bubbleboy]

I was wondering what sort of tip everyone leaves for houskeeping given the fact that they clean our "home" once every four days?

 

[KNWVIKING]

We'll leave $5.00 if they do a very good job. On occasion we knew they had been there,but probably for just 5 minutes to make the bed,grab old towels and drop new ones- they got zippo ! Last trip to VB, maids did an excellant job, even left extra towels on the bed in the shape of Mickey,probably the best house cleaning we've ever had at any DVC resort. They got $10.00.

 

[MaryJ]

What if you're only there long enough for trash and towel and not going to get a full cleaning? That will be the case for us in July because we are changing resorts after five days.

 

[DebbieB]

I leave $5 on trash & towel day. On our checkout day, the maid knocked on the door around 9:30 despite my handwritten "do not disturb" sign on the door (no real sign provided). I pointed to the sign and told her we would not be leaving until 11:00. I was ticked, didn't leave anything. When we left at 11:00, she was right there.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by Bubbleboy
I was wondering what sort of tip everyone leaves for houskeeping given the fact that they clean our "home" once every four days?

They don't clean "once every four days." For stays under 8 nights, you just get Trash & Towel service on day 4. Only if you stay more than 8 nights, you get a full cleaning on day 4 and Trash & Towel service on day 8. The cycle repeats at day 12. But I assume that the vast majority of stays by DVC members are less than 8 nights, so most DVC members get either a single Trash & Towel service, or no service at all during their stay.

Of course there is housekeeping involved with every stay. After all, you always check into a fully cleaned "villa."

Originally posted by DebbieB
I leave $5 on trash & towel day.

Considering that Trash & Towel is exactly what it sounds like, that seems very generous. I would imagine that most DVC members leave no tip on Trash & Towel day.

Our stays are generally six nights or less. We leave a tip when we check out, essentially as thanks for having the room clean and attractive when we checked in. But I imagine most DVC members don't do this either.

In the past, there have been participants on this board who have insisted on tipping based on the number of days. That makes no sense to me, given that housekeeping does not provide daily services (except for those who pay for the optional service).

Bottom line: I don't think there's any obligation or expectation to tip at a "home away from home" resort where you don't get housekeeping service during your stay. But if you leave a $5 bill when you check out, I'm sure the housekeepers would appreciate it.

 

[DeeP]

We gave the housekeeper $3.00 on the trash and towel day for 2 people last week and she was thrilled. I always tip on the full cleaning day $8.00-10.00 and $3.00 on trash and towel day and the housekeepers are so happy to get the tip I suspect a lot of members do not tip them at all. The housekeeper last week brought us in about 8 packs of coffee and 6 Mickey shampoos and soaps and a stack of clean towels after we gave her the tip and we did not even ask for anything.

 

[WOW]

We always tip $5.00 for Trash and Towel and $20.00 at the end of an 8 night trip. They are always very appreciative and I feel good about it.

 

[PKS44]

I am sure tipping is always appreciated-heck I don't get tipped at work but I wouldn't be upset if people insisted on giving me extra money...but for the record at Walt Disney World-Housekeeping is NOT listed as a tipped position. Bellhops, valets, waitstaff- these are the jobs where tipping is encouraged.
Paul

 

[ohiominnie]

Originally posted by KNWVIKING
We'll leave $5.00 if they do a very good job. On occasion we knew they had been there,but probably for just 5 minutes to make the bed,grab old towels and drop new ones- they got zippo !

Just curious. How do you tip them based on the job that they did? We leave the room, we come back, the job is done...either well, or not so well. We have no idea which housekeeper did it and wouldn't know who to tip. If we leave $$$ for them before we go we don't know if they are going to do a good job or not. (or will they do a better job because you left them $$?)
We have been burned by this before....left $$ and then come home to a room that wasn't very clean.

 

[Kick it up a notch!]

I work in the restaurant business and have to say that I encourage tipping. That being said, I never understood the concept of tipping housekeeping, do you tip the dishwasher in a restaurant because he made your plates clean? Don't get me wrong tipping is good but you need to draw the line somewhere. I have read on these boards that housekeeping makes animals out of towels and leaves the kids stuffed animals doing some crazy stuff. That is pretty cool and deserves a tip for the effort, but just tipping housekeeping because it it the thing to do just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[PamOKW]

do you tip the dishwasher in a restaurant because he made your plates clean?

With that reasoning, why do we tip the waiter just because he brings out the plates?

Tipping housekeeping in hotels is a standard practice. However, more people don't tip a maid than wouldn't tip a waiter....maybe because they don't always see the maid.

With DVC it seems to be up to the individual how much or whether to tip at all. I try to give a fair (maybe even generous) tip that varies based on the size of the unit. I used to tip at the end of the stay but now I'll tip on the T&T day as well. My theory, right or wrong, is that if the housekeepers do not get at least some tips at DVC resorts, the better ones will want to work at the resorts where they do get tipped. I also think a tip is in order when they bring something you request....more coffee mugs, missing items, etc.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Tip for what!! They leave a fresh set of towels and take the old ones out. That is it. The garbage is taken out by us everyday. The beds are made by us everyday. They are not there 5 minutes. Give me a break. I would tip if they cleaned and did normal maid work but the change the towels, forget it.

 

[PKS44]

Our dues pay the housekeeping salaries. Disney is not shy about recommending tipping---they do at restaurants, even buffets, and for valets, but Disney does not suggest tipping housekeeping...there are rumors- I cannot substantiate them, that housekeeping is not even supposed to keep any tips, but to turn them into management to pool for all housekeepers for some other purpose....Based on all of this- we do not tip housekeeping AT Disney....at other hotels the wage structure is such that tipping is encouraged and allowed and we tip at those hotels, but apparently this is not the standard at Disney. Any tips may never actually go to whom or where you intend them.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by PamOKW
With that reasoning, why do we tip the waiter just because he brings out the plates?

Some service industry positions have a compensation structure based on tips, while other do not. As consumers, we learn over the the years when we're supposed to tip and when we're not. And when we travel to other countries, we figure out what their tipping "rules" are.

At airports, if you check your bags at the curbside, you tip the skycap, but if you check your bags at the ticket counter, you don't tip the agent. If you buy a beer at an airport bar, you tip the server, but if you buy a beer on the plane, you don't tip the flight attendant.

Some people choose to tip very generously when service is particularly good. Some people overtip to avoid any possibility of undertipping. Others try to tip exactly "what's expected." And some people don't feel guilty about not tipping at all; after all, nobody is going to arrest them if they don't tip. In the end, tipping is a personal decision (although it seems rude and mean not to tip at all).

There are the grey areas. Do we tip the tour guide? The counter service employee? The delivery clerk? The shuttle driver? The concierge who simply recommends a restaurant? The concierge who successfully gets us a hard-to-get reservation? The concierge who books an activity for which he/she gets a commission from the vendor? The answer, I guess, is "it depends."

As PKS 44 wrote, "Disney is not shy about recommending tipping." That's common in the hospitality and tourism industry. Usually, if it's a tipped position in the "grey area," you'll know it.

When it comes to housekeeping and other services at a full service resort, I gladly tip -- not just because it's expected of me, but because we usually get wonderful service, and the tips assure continued wonderful service.

On our recent Disney Cruise, we tipped way more than the recommended amounts for our server, assistant server, and stateroom steward -- they were the best. They worked long, hard hours. And we knew all along that, for all practical puroses, their services are not included in the price of the cruise.

On the other hand, I don't feel obligated to tip for DVC Trash & Towel service -- nor has Disney ever suggested that we should do so. I don't tip Disney bus drivers or ride operators.

I once tried to tip a housekeeper at OKW who did some emergency cleanup work that was way "above and beyond," and did so with such a wonderful attitude. It was hard to get her to take the tip -- I got the feeling she wasn't supposed to accept tips. I insisted, but it appears she spent the tip to buy a gift for my daughter.

Sorry for all the rambling thoughts.

 

[ReneeQ]

I have never tipped housekeeping, DVC or otherwise, for cleaning. I do tip if I REQUEST an item that isn't usually in the room, like a toaster, a larger coffee maker, etc. But if something is supposed to be in the room and is missing, I do not tip when they bring it, as it should have been there in the first place.

 

[PKS44]

Originally posted by PamOKW


With that reasoning, why do we tip the waiter just because he brings out the plates?

No, you tip-T-I-P To Insure Promptness. Supposedly that is the root of the phrase...Meanwhile, the dishwasher is supposed to make sure the dishes are clean...not a position where one can insure promptness...Valets, bellhops, and waiters can do things quickly or slowly-hence the tip...

Originally posted by PamOKW
Tipping housekeeping in hotels is a standard practice.

BUT, tipping housekeeping is NOT standard practice at WDW. Housekeeping is very specifically not listed as a tipped position. Other positions are listed as tipped positions. I don't know if WDW salaries are higher for housekeeping than average hotel industry, but there must be some reason they do NOT list housekeeping as a tipped position.

Paul

 

[PamOKW]

I don't know where this infamous list of tipped positions is to be found. I hear it mentioned on these boards from time to time. It is possible that they have to pay a higher base salary. This can be due to several reasons including the extreme difficulty in getting good housekeeping help and to balance the guests who do not tip the housekeepers. In most deluxe hotels the majority of guests would tip. At WDW that may not be the case.

I don't know if you've ever seen the work that goes into getting one of the villas ready. It's a lot more work than cleaning a standard hotel room. In some cases, it's equivalent to cleaning a house.

It's a personal choice whether or not to tip. I choose to tip the housekeeping staff at WDW equivalent to what I tip at any hotel and sometimes actually tip more due to the large size of the units. Others can choose not to tip. I don't think it's necessary to attack my decision. The poster asked for opinions. I gave mine pro tipping and others are giving theirs for not tipping. Each person can make their own decision.

It is also not always correct that the dishwasher isn't tipped. In some restaurants the tips are pooled and the entire staff shares in the pot.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

In many places dishwashers, busboys, hostesses ect. are tipped. Many waitresses must give a percentage of their tips to these non-service workers (as they should...a clean plate is part of good service).
I used to tip at the end of our stay ($5/day). I now tip day by day, because who knows what that one housekeeper that cleans your room on checkout day does with the loot?

 

[eva]

Pam is right. In most restaurants the tips are shared by most of the staff. The hostess that seats you, the bartender that makes your drinks, the person who buses your table, even the cook and dishwasher may receive a portion of your tip. I know this because may daughter is a server at a Famous Dave's and only takes home about 40% of her tips. I know that people think that the server receives that majority of the tip but this is not correct. In most restaurants they are lucky if 50% hits their pocket.

I usually tip housekeeping when I stay at any hotel or resort. As mentioned above TIP means to "to insure prompt service". A long time ago a person actually tipped prior to the meal. When I leave a tip for housekeeping I usually received a lot better service than if I leave nothing. On this last trip to OKW we only received T&T service but we were staying in a grand villa and the mousekeeping had left all kinds of animal towels all over the villa when we arrived. They definitely received a generous tip from us on T&T day. I left it to show my appreciation for having the room in such great shape when we checked-in. It is a tough job cleaning those villas. I guess it is up to the individual as to whether they tip. I do it to insure good service and to show appreciation for a great job.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We too do not tip housekeeping. They are doing their job, and not a special service to us. Now, if there was a problem and they had to go above and beyond their normal obligations...Then I would tip.

I find it interesting that some of you think MOST DVC members stay less than 8 days!! I felt that most stayed more than 8 days. When we bought DVC as a timeshare, we expected to stay at least a week. We now tend to stay 8-12 nights for most stays. It truely seems like a home away from home then!