Tipping

[Deniseuk]

This has probably been asked before. On the tipping, we are staying in a hotel on Idrive. I was just reading a thread regarding tipping the maid, do you have to tip every day or at the end of the holiday? What about anything else. Is one dollar the norm??? Thanks

 

[keswick1uk]

One dollar per person they say.We have two small children and so I intend to leave *2* dollars a day, but more if I feel the room service for that day is worth the extra.

In other words, I usually leave the room serviced myself (beds made, dishes washed) but, if we fly out of the door in a hurry, and don't then I will leave 3/4 depending on how I feel about it.

 

[keswick1uk]

Also I always leave daily as maids will probably come and go. If the hotel rules are to pool tips then thats up to the maids to pool them but if they don't pool them then its not fair to the weekday ones if I leave the full amount on the last day.

Also by the end I have often run out of cash to suddenly dig up 35 dollars from my purse!

 

[UKDEB]

We're serial over-tippers. I'm so concerned about doing the wrong thing that it sometimes seems we're tipping everyone who moves!

I read here recently that you are supposed to tip $1 per bed. Another poster reckoned it should be $1 per person in the room. Some people say you should tip the valet when they take your car away, others argue it should be when they return it to you. We end up tipping both ways. And what about the bell-hop? One guy (usually someone from valet) takes your cases out of the car and loads them onto a trolley. Another takes the car away and yet another takes your cases to your room. You've guessed it: we end up tipping them all.

Another thing which troubles me is whether the tips should be greater the more upmarket the hotel. Servers in upscale restaurants are going to get more as tips are on a percentage basis. I assume the better servers can command these better positions, so I'm guessing it must be the same for those who work at more exensive hotels. When we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando recently, I left $4 a day for the maid (one bed, just dh and me). She did leave a 'thank you' note and one day when I didn't have any $1 bills and left $5 she didn't take it, so I guess that's at the top end of what they'd expect to receive.

And what about restaurants? We usually tip 20%+ of the total tip including tax. I often wonder if the tip should be based on the cost before tax.

We always leave a tip for the maid each day on the basis that the person providing the service should receive the tip and that's the only way of being sure.

 

[Deniseuk]

Thanks. I will make sure i have lots of one dollar bills. I am trying to make sure there are no surprises along the way. Saving very hard now. regards

 

[vernon]

If I'm on a longer ( more than 5 day) stay I tend to leave tips every 4 days or so, that way you tend to cover the eventuality of the person working your room not being "on shifht" on your check out day.

It's usually helpful if you have an envelope that you can mark "housekeeping" so the maids know what you're up to

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I normally leave a $3 tip each day for both me and my other half - if I'm on my own then I usually just tip $2 a day. I leave the money in an envelope like Vernon suggested and I worry that we get different maids so I leave it daily.

Where valet parking is concerned I only tip when they bring the car back to me. I asked one of my American pals and they said they don't tip when they drop the keys off as they feel they haven't done anything yet. However if I am valeting after coming back from an extremely hefty shopping trip or I'm jsut arriving at the hotel with cases then I tip on arrival too.

Non buffet style resturants I usually tip about 18% if they've done a good job and 20% if it's outstanding. And if they did a poor job I still tip 15% I've usually already complained to the Manager by then anyway and I may have been compensated in some form or another. The way I see it the server still waited on me and should get the basic 15%.

I don't tend to tip more if I stay in a deluxe over a value coz at the end of the day I'm already paying more to stay at the resort anyway.