To tip or not to tip............

[daisyduck123]

Before becoming DVC members (we don't get daily Mousekeeping), we always tipped anywhere from $3.00-$5.00/day (usually depended upon what cash DH had in his pocket).

I NEVER UNDERSTAND why people complain that the sheets are not changed daily in their rooms. You don't change them daily at home do you??

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I am 41 years old and have tipped housekeepers my entire life. Never heard of NOT tipping until these boards.

Just something my mother raised me to do.

It has nothing to do with what a housekeeper is paid, but because they did a service for me.

 

[Cruise]

We don't tip and especially not at Disney Because it is not a tipped position according to Disney. They are paid not figuring on them getting a tip. If I leave a ton of trash like food trays I didn't get back to the food court and all the extra stuff you accumulate at the end of a trip I will leave a few dollars but other wise I do not leave a tip.

I don't tip and don't plan on starting.

If you want to tip, have at it, but don't look to the responses on this thread as a reason to do so. Most people don't tip. They're not going to say that on this thread though, probably from fear of the namecalling they may incur and/or looking cheap.

With that said, I don't tip. From what I have read on the DIS, Disney doesn't consider it a tipped position. They get paid more than waiters, who make less than minimum wage.

Furthermore, while I appreciate housekeepers, I don't appreciate them more than the people who stand over a hot stove at counter service restaurants or the people who are paid to clean the bathrooms in the parks. I don't see people rushing to tip them.

So, like I said, if you want to tip, go for it. You are under no obligation to do so, however.

Both posts reflect my views exactly, thus we don't tip housekeeping.
(but YES to tipping if we ask for something extra to be brought to us or if we make or leave a mess.)

And I'll agree with you agreeing with the other two posts.

We're one of those that puts up the "do not disturb" sign the minute we check into a hotel and then take the sign down the day we're checking out. We don't make a mess, we put all trash in the trash cans, and we neatly pile all the semi-dry towels in one place in the bathroom. We bring our own toiletries so we never make extra requests.

As others have pointed out, this isn't a tipped position. Housekeepers get paid to do a job for which they chose to apply. I don't get tipped at my job for doing the job I was hired to do. It's my job - I'm expected to do it to earn the money that I do. If it was a tipped position earning below minimum wage, that would be a different scenario. But it's not.

 

[momxx5]

I guess I was raised to tip. Also, being in the service industry....at many levels.....I have been on the other end of tipping positions.

We tip at any hotel, especially at Disney. I kinda think of it of spreading the pixie dust to those who work to make our trip happy. We find that tipping ahead of time, through out the trip has lead to a few perks......towel animals, extra towels, extra toiletries, etc. This is going back to before DH & I were married over 17yrs ago.

If a budget is so close that $2-3 a day is going to bust it then I wouldn't be able to even enjoy the trip.

 

[Lori of the Lodge]

Out of curiosity, I googled "tipping at hotels" and found this at about.com:

http://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/a/tipping_2.htmhttp://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/ht/tip_hotel_maid.htm

Hotel maids, although often providing "invisible" services during your stay, can and should be tipped for good service. Tip correctly, and you show your appreciation and ensure the chambermaid will take special care with your room. Tip incorrectly, and misunderstandings can arise. Here's how to tip a hotel maid.

1. Tip daily. The same maid may not service your room every night of your stay. If you wait until check-out time to tip for the entire stay, your tip may not go to the right person.
2. Mark your tip clearly. Leaving cash or change in the room is not a clear enough signal, as a hotel maid must be very careful about taking anything from your room. Enclose the tip in a sealed envelope (check the desk drawer for hotel stationary) and mark it "Chambermaid."
3. Leave your tip in an obvious place. On the television, on a pillow, or on the bathroom counter are all common places to leave the maid's tip.
4. Tip according to service and hotel type. In a luxury hotel, tip about $3-5 each night. For an average hotel, $1-2 per night is fine. If the maid goes above and beyond in service, such as providing extra soaps and shampoos or folding towels in the shape of swans (for example), feel free to leave a dollar or two more.
5. Don't tip for poor service. Like all tips, if you're not satisfied with the service the maid is providing, don't leave a tip (or reduce the amount you would tip).

Apparently tipping housekeeping is more common than I thought.

 

[karen l]

I always tip at hotels, not just Disney. I usually leave $2-$3 dollars a day.

We do too.

 

[seasheller]

I tipped mousekeeping about $3 a day.

My parents were staying in the room next door and waited to tip $20 at the end, and we got a towel animal everyday, they didn't, and they put my mickey and minnie dolls in cute poses each day. So I would recommend tipping a little everyday instead of one big tip at the end.

I'm wondering if the towel animals are not normally provided as often for an adult only room. We have found this to be the case whether we tip or not. Housekeeping is great about providing towel animals if you ask for them - they know they will get extra cash when they do.

 

[holz99]

I have never tipped at a hotel and didn't when I was at Disney last. Never heard of it until now. I understand tipping someone who provides a service and is relying on those tips to live. However, I feel like I am paying for the hotel room and that includes the services that come with it.

 

[SpecialK]

I always tip - $5/day for the four of us. I never realized people didn't tip until reading it on the DIS.

 

[luvmyfam444]

I don't tip @ any hotels - never have - nor does anyone in my extended family - they aren't making waitress pay - it may be minimum wage - but I don't tip the gas attendant or the McDonalds worker or the Walmart employee that also makes minimum wage. I don't see the difference

 

[sameyeyam]

I work for a hotel company and most people do NOT tip the housekeepers unless they have gone out of the way to provide something extra or you have left a huge mess for them to clean. Our hotels are currently 3-1/2 star hotels.

For those of you worried about them making minimum wage, well that is not generally the case. Most of our housekeepers start around $10 per hour, we do hire teenagers/college students to assist the housekeepers during the summer and they make say $8 per hour. Many of the housekeepers make in the $12 - $15 per hour range; with our senior housekeepers making $15-$18 per hour. I'm sure some hotels may pay minimum wage, but for the most part it would be hard for a hotel to find anyone willing to clean rooms for minimum wage.

Tips are generally not expected, but are a nice bonus if you choose to give one. Our rooms are inspected by our head housekeeper after they are cleaned, so the cleanliness of your room is not at all dependent upon a tip being received.

I would encourage people to leave tips if they feel they received outstanding service, if a houskeeper went out of their way to fulfill a special request etc.

 

[marypopins06]

My parents vacationed in the 70's with us. They always tipped. Back then I remember my dad telling me it was a very low paying position and we tipped for the service. We vacation 3 or 4 times a year, from 3 days up to 4 weeks at a time. I always request clean sheets every night, extra towels, coffee and pillows, I do not get this great treatment at home so love to get it on vactions. I always leave a tip for the extra work. We always keep the room clean, but I am on vacation and want to be on vacation. I love the extra treats I do not get at home.

 

[johnnymo99]

Add me to the list of NOT tipping unless we make a big mess. Only time I left anything extra was when my daughter threw up on the comforter. I think tipping at Disney is crazy considering the cost you pay for the rooms.

 

[puffkin]

Add me to the list of NOT tipping unless we make a big mess. Only time I left anything extra was when my daughter threw up on the comforter. I think tipping at Disney is crazy considering the cost you pay for the rooms.

Obviously you have never been to the Jersey Shore Disney resorts (well except for some of the Deluxe) are a bargain compaired to the $200+ per night rat traps we have stayed at the Shore.

I also don't think compairing housekeeping to waiters is a fair comparison, especially at Disney. The waiters are some of the most coveted positions on property. They routinely pull in tips of $20+ a table, and they have more than one table at a time. Even with splitting tips with bus boys and stuff, they still are making GOOD money!!!! Even if the housekeepers are making $10 an hour and clean 4 rooms an hour....probably only 1 room tips. Say that tip is $3....that is $13 an hour....nowhere near what a Disney waiter/waitress is pulling in.

I choose to tip because I think they do a great job and it is a thankless position. And honestly, if $2 or $3 a day is going to break your vacation budget, then it probably wasn't the best idea to even take a vacation.

 

[SaraJayne]

We don't make a mess, we put all trash in the trash cans, and we neatly pile all the semi-dry towels in one place in the bathroom. We bring our own toiletries so we never make extra requests.

As others have pointed out, this isn't a tipped position. Housekeepers get paid to do a job for which they chose to apply. I don't get tipped at my job for doing the job I was hired to do. It's my job - I'm expected to do it to earn the money that I do. If it was a tipped position earning below minimum wage, that would be a different scenario. But it's not.

We don't tip, either. I've never heard of such a thing until the Dis.

 

[mjkacmom]

If you want to tip, have at it, but don't look to the responses on this thread as a reason to do so. Most people don't tip. They're not going to say that on this thread though, probably from fear of the namecalling they may incur and/or looking cheap.

.

I know we all base our opinions on our own realities, but I always assumed that most people tipped - many hotels even have envelopes made up. Maybe you assume that most don't, because you don't.

 

[dburg30]

I tipped mousekeeping about $3 a day.

My parents were staying in the room next door and waited to tip $20 at the end, and we got a towel animal everyday, they didn't, and they put my mickey and minnie dolls in cute poses each day. So I would recommend tipping a little everyday instead of one big tip at the end.

Out of curiosity, I googled "tipping at hotels" and found this at about.com:

http://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/a/tipping_2.htmhttp://hotels.about.com/od/hotelsecrets/ht/tip_hotel_maid.htm

Hotel maids, although often providing "invisible" services during your stay, can and should be tipped for good service. Tip correctly, and you show your appreciation and ensure the chambermaid will take special care with your room. Tip incorrectly, and misunderstandings can arise. Here's how to tip a hotel maid.

1. Tip daily. The same maid may not service your room every night of your stay. If you wait until check-out time to tip for the entire stay, your tip may not go to the right person.
2. Mark your tip clearly. Leaving cash or change in the room is not a clear enough signal, as a hotel maid must be very careful about taking anything from your room. Enclose the tip in a sealed envelope (check the desk drawer for hotel stationary) and mark it "Chambermaid."
3. Leave your tip in an obvious place. On the television, on a pillow, or on the bathroom counter are all common places to leave the maid's tip.
4. Tip according to service and hotel type. In a luxury hotel, tip about $3-5 each night. For an average hotel, $1-2 per night is fine. If the maid goes above and beyond in service, such as providing extra soaps and shampoos or folding towels in the shape of swans (for example), feel free to leave a dollar or two more.
5. Don't tip for poor service. Like all tips, if you're not satisfied with the service the maid is providing, don't leave a tip (or reduce the amount you would tip).

Apparently tipping housekeeping is more common than I thought.

These are good points, and the first point was what I was going to reference to the 1st quote. If you wait to tip at the end of the trip, you COULD be giving someone a tip that didnt do anything for you.