Tips for housekeeping staff

[aubriee]

About a year ago I was reading on some site that some people will give the dollar/person/day, but will also add a little personal gift to it. Maybe put it in a mug (that has your state's name on it) along with a few pieces of candy or something like that. Anyway personalize it to the part of the country you live in. Last January I printed off the mousekeeping envelopes and put crisp dollar bills in them, but also added a little pkg of Texas Bluebonnet seeds to each one. In May I made the same envelopes and again stuffed them with the same amount of cash, but added a Texas magnet for each day. We're leaving this Saturday for WDW and I already have the mousekeeping envelopes made and stuffed. Again I put cash, but then added a little something to each one. This time I found a couple decks of cards that had Texas armadillos and Texas longhorns on them, a few Texas magnets, and again a couple pkgs of Texas Bluebonnet seeds. They can always use the cash and I would never short change them on that, but it's also fun to look around and see what you can find from your state that might add a little something and make them smile.

As far as where to put it: I always straighten the room up before I leave in the morning. I roll the towels up in a clean towel, put them on the vanity, and just put the mousekeeping envelope on top of them.

 

[Disneyorl]

Your ideas of providing state souviners is great! I will be going to Disney and will be adding the various types of Hershey Candy Bars to the cash tip. I work for Hershey Entertainment so providing something fresh from Hershey, PA sounds like it would be appreciated. Thanks again for the ideas!

 

[liamsaunt]

When it is just me and DH at Disney we leave $5/day on the bed with a note that says "to housekeeping." We used to leave the tip on the nightstand but they did not always take it. Now, next trip we are taking our niece and nephew along (and DSis). If the kids tear up the hotel rooms the way they tear up my living room, I am going to have to leave some extra cash!

 

[Mulan'sMom]

Can anybody advise me here? Our resport provides turn-down service in the evening. Is that a separate tip? How much? And, how do you differentiate it from the tip for Mousekeeping if you are going to be out of your room all day?

 

[briarberry]

I am a rubber stamper so I made up little cards that were about 3"x5" and folded them in half and stamped a cute picture and Thank You on one side. I put the cash in the little folders and stuck one on the shelf in our bathroom area each morning (we were at POFQ). We got several towel animals and the cutest toothbrush holders wrapped around the glasses. We saw our maid several times and she did not speak any English but she was very sweet and always smiling. Our room was always spotless and we had lots of towels! My daughter didn't want me to "wreck" the towel creations so I took pictures of them so she could "keep" them. I realize tipping isn't for everyone but when you are spending so much on a trip to WDW it isn't much and it made someone else happy.

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

Call me ignorant but I wasn't raised to tip in hotels and when I found a similar thread a few months ago I was shocked. I had never really thought of it much before, didn't realize so many people did tip and I felt bad that I had never tipped before!

Now, as we are looking forward to our upcoming October trip, we're planning to make up envelopes before we leave. I'm also planning to bring some homemade candies in small plastic bags with some pretty ribbon to keep them closed!

Originally posted by Mulan'sMom
Can anybody advise me here? Our resport provides turn-down service in the evening. Is that a separate tip? How much? And, how do you differentiate it from the tip for Mousekeeping if you are going to be out of your room all day?

I'm curious about that, too!

 

[grcmag]

has anyone ever tipped with disney dollars?

 

[chrismb22]

While I would love the disney dollars I think the housekeeping staff would be insulted -- after all, I wouldn't want a gift card from where I worked. I think cash is best. Who knows where these people shop and as for phone cards -- I have one that I just threw out recently. With cell phones they are a dying breed. Just my opinion though.

 

[tekmom]

We always tip at any hotel. At Disney we left $3.00 per day, on the shelf in the vanity area, by the sinks. The mousekeeper had left her card there, so that's where we left the tip. No envelope. I couldn't imagine leaving a gift or card....I believe cash is best. It must have worked, our room was spotless and we got towel animals.

 

[YCFAN]

Also please remember that you may not have the same mousekeeper each day. If you only tip once during the week then it could be the only day that particular person was working cleaning your room and the person that had been cleaning it all week got nothing. Please tip daily if you are planning to tip.

 

[raksha2]

Thanks for that info, it was something I was going to ask, I would prefer to tip at the end of my trip, but if I don't have the same mousekeeper, i need to remember to do it every day.

On another note relating to mousekeeping, do disney use a reduction policy to limit enviromental damage or is this just a UK thing?

The way it works is - you leave your towels you need replaced in the bath, so that they get replaced, any others that you are willing to reuse you leave on the rails or shelves and they won't automatically be replaced. This means that 1000's of towels havent been used dont get washed unnecessarily


toni

 

[YCFAN]

Yes, I believe I remembering seeing that on my last trip. If you wanted the towels replaced you left them on the floor.

 

[Disneyorl]

That is what I do. I place all of the dirty towels/cloths in the bath tub. I leave the unused ones in place. The mousekeepers just replace the ones used. In the past I have seen notes in the resorts stating that Disney is active in "saving the environment".

 

[SparklieSunShine]

I am not sure if they still do it, but on each of my past visits there had been a little sign in the bathroom that says to put all unused towels in the tub and that they will assume that all other towels are going to be reused. In different words of course. I haven't stayed at Disney since October 2003 so I am not sure if that is still there, but I don't see why they would change it.

 

[jenelope]

I know there was a sign about the towels on my last trip. I believe it said something about "enviromentality."

I'm doing envelopes or something this trip because on my last one, my usual method fell through. They have the little card on top of the TV that gives the name of the Mousekeeper. I always put my tip under that card. One morning, while putting the tip under the card, I accidentally flipped the card behind the TV stand/dresser. Housekeeping didn't take the tip for two days. Luckily, I returned to my room early one day and she was still making up the room next to mine, so I could reassure her that it was a tip.

 

[SparklieSunShine]

Is there anything else besides cash that would be appropriate? I would like to add a small gift not insead of, but in addition to money.