tipping??

[millmom]

In the past we have stayed in a villa but this year are staying at Floridays apartments, there is a maid service but think they just do towels and bins! Do we tip daily, weekly or at end of stay, we are going for 21 nights??
Also how much is a fair tip, 2 adults and 1 child?

 

[2Tiggies]

Do you know how often you are expecting them to service the rooms?

 

[millmom]

I'm not sure, I guess every day but maybe not, information isn't clear in broucher ! I think we may have to requset it, putting a sign out perhaps, honestly as long as the trash goes not bothered we have laundry so can do towels myself.

 

[millmom]

also there is a service charge of $12 a night that we pay direct to the resort.

 

[2Tiggies]

also there is a service charge of $12 a night that we pay direct to the resort.

I would assume that this covers it. I don't really know. I do like to tip, but a villa is different to a hotel. I suspect that you aren't getting a daily service of any kind. TBH I probably wouldn't bother but may leave a tip at the end of each week once I had assessed what they are actually doing in terms of servicing the villa. It's not like in a hotel where they clean up, make the beds, etc.

 

[Pegasus928]

We have never had a villa with maid service but if I were in that situation, especially with the service charge already added, I would wait until the end of the holiday and make a decision. This would then be based on how many trips they had made, what service they had provided and the quality of service you had actually received.

ETA - I have just re-read your post and seen that the sevice charge is $12 per night. Based on that I don't think I would be leaving any tip at all.

 

[millmom]

thanks
we didn't want to get it wrong
jill xx

 

[2Tiggies]

No, I think Kenny is right. When you mentioned the service charge I also thought that would cover it. As he said, if at the end of your stay you feel you had exceptional service, by all means, feel free to leave something. However it looks to me like they have taken care of it already. Besides, tipping per person per day (information which is actually specifically provided for those staying in a hotel or fully serviced accommodation) gets quite pricey. I think you stand a better chance that you will have the same person attending to your villa throughout your stay, as opposed to alternate types of accommodation.

 

[wayneg]

thanks
we didn't want to get it wrong
jill xx

You can't get it wrong. Maid service in US is not a tipped position. Thats not saying you shouldn't tip but its entirely upto you what you do tip. They don't expect a tip but they do appreciate it, they are not the best paid position but also not on very low wages like Waiters.

The service charge, do you mean the resort fee? not sure this is for the maid service, that should come in with your room rate.
This is the wording for the resort fee (no idea how they can call all this complimentary if they are charging a fee for it)
Due to the rising cost of operating and in an attempt to remain competitively priced in the market, Floridays Resort Orlando will be implementing a nominal nightly resort fee ($12.66) effective immediately. The resort fee will be initiated to cover the added costs of providing various services and amenities such as: * Complimentary local calls and toll-free telephone access * Complimentary parking * Complimentary internet access * Complimentary shuttle service to and from the theme parks

 

[luke]

Yeah I wouldn't take that fee as replacing any tip you may give housekeeping. Last few times we've stayed at hotels with these 'Resort Fees' and still thrown a couple of bucks a day down on the TV stand for the maid

 

[millmom]

wow you guys know so much! which is great

Is a bit odd staying in a hotel we would leave $1 pppd, but this not same and am expecting to sort of look out for ourselves whilst there. We thought it would be like s/c in UK but never sure in USA.

Guess if we leave a tip and no one comes to service our apartment then it will stay till they do!!

thanks guys.

 

[2Tiggies]

wow you guys know so much! which is great

Hope you're going to stick around. Before you know it you will know plenty!

 

[millmom]

I'm loving this forum so much info is almost an overload!

DH complaining cause I keep yelling him to come and look at this or that, think he is just as excited as me though. Have to stop DD(11) or she would read whole thing, she has a list of things we have never done etc and is making the most of her planning time

thanks again x

 

[wayneg]

DH complaining cause I keep yelling him to come and look at this or that, think he is just as excited as me though. Have to stop DD(11) or she would read whole thing, she has a list of things we have never done etc and is making the most of her planning time

I have been reading DIS for over 7 years, been to Florida 23 times and still have a list we have never done.

 

[j9000]

Due to the rising cost of operating and in an attempt to remain competitively priced in the market, Floridays Resort Orlando will be implementing a nominal nightly resort fee ($12.66) effective immediately. The resort fee will be initiated to cover the added costs of providing various services and amenities such as: * Complimentary local calls and toll-free telephone access * Complimentary parking * Complimentary internet access * Complimentary shuttle service to and from the theme parks

thats funny

i might be alone in this,
but i dont understand the resort fee, surely the room you have purchased should cover all the amenities (with the possible exception of parking and tax.)
is a resort fee just an easy way of tricking gullible people into thinking they have a room for $30 a night plus $25 resort fee ?

 

[2Tiggies]

thats funny

i might be alone in this,
but i dont understand the resort fee, surely the room you have purchased should cover all the amenities (with the possible exception of parking and tax.)
is a resort fee just an easy way of tricking gullible people into thinking they have a room for $30 a night plus $25 resort fee ?

I love point you make with the small print

 

[wayneg]

There are only 2 reasons I can think of a resort fee,
1 is to keep the headline rate lower then the backdoor fee to top it up.
The other possibility is they don't pay as much tax on a resort fee, I know they pay a room tax ontop of state tax, do they pay the room tax on resort fee or do they get away with just state tax?
Either way I have managed to avoid paying a resort fee so far, thankfully the rate I have paid in the UK has included all fees even though booking direct would incur the extra fee.
I know it has certainly stopped me booking a few hotels recently.

 

[j9000]

There are only 2 reasons I can think of a resort fee,
1 is to keep the headline rate lower then the backdoor fee to top it up.
The other possibility is they don't pay as much tax on a resort fee, I know they pay a room tax ontop of state tax, do they pay the room tax on resort fee or do they get away with just state tax?
Either way I have managed to avoid paying a resort fee so far, thankfully the rate I have paid in the UK has included all fees even though booking direct would incur the extra fee.
I know it has certainly stopped me booking a few hotels recently.

im guessing you booked via expedia or the like?
expedias 'includes all taxes and fees' doesn't normally include the resort fee. and they dont mention it upfront (think its hidden under the hotel details page along with extra charges (internet, cot etc) but it is mentioned, somewhere.
bit messed up to be honest.

 

[millmom]

No, we have booked as a package with Cosmos, as this was the cheapest way (flight only was v. expensive), the package was best value for us even with the extra fee. We were told when we booked that there would be a resort fee but not what that fee was for. Hence the query do we tip or not!

We couldn't get a good price on flights as we wanted to go for 21 nights and lots of accommadation was booked up for the dates we could go, our dates were set by school hols and DH work so basically had to take what we could get.

Not too bothered where we stay as we spend most of day out but prefer the extra space etc. Reports on trip advisor seem good so fingers crossed .

 

[meldud]

Due to the rising cost of operating and in an attempt to remain competitively priced in the market, Floridays Resort Orlando will be implementing a nominal nightly resort fee ($12.66) effective immediately. The resort fee will be initiated to cover the added costs of providing various services and amenities such as: * Complimentary local calls and toll-free telephone access * Complimentary parking * Complimentary internet access * Complimentary shuttle service to and from the theme parks

Haha.........complimentary.......haha