India - Tipping in India

Sorry if this has already been discussed.

I'll be in India as part of a Friendly Planet Tour group and according to the final documents, it states to tip the in the following fashion:

Driver:3
Local guide:4-6
Tour escort 6-8

My question is do I tip in USD or do I tip them in Rupees?

Thanks in advance!

ND

tip in inr....anywhere between inr 100 - 500 would be good....i usually stick to inr 100 most of the time....

you can also check out this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/india/1121792-tipping-rates-india.html

I would not tip in USD. I'd use Rupees.

I wouldn't tip at all.

I gave the bellman a tip when shown to my room at the ITC Maurya Delhi a few weeks ago. He was quite shocked.

Then we moved to the Meridian in Delhi and the kindly bellman was gone before I could even get my hand into my pocket. Our luggage was delivered by a guy who (contrary to US approach) did not hang around waiting for a tip but just left.

So, I asked some of the Indian guests at the Meridian about tipping and was told it was not done.

Then, went on a tour to the Taj Mahal where it was obvious neither the driver or guide were expecting a tip.

So, as far as I can tell it just isn't an Indian thing.

I wouldn't tip at all.

I gave the bellman a tip when shown to my room at the ITC Maurya Delhi a few weeks ago. He was quite shocked.

Then we moved to the Meridian in Delhi and the kindly bellman was gone before I could even get my hand into my pocket. Our luggage was delivered by a guy who (contrary to US approach) did not hang around waiting for a tip but just left.

So, I asked some of the Indian guests at the Meridian about tipping and was told it was not done.

Then, went on a tour to the Taj Mahal where it was obvious neither the driver or guide were expecting a tip.

So, as far as I can tell it just isn't an Indian thing.

not true....its very much an indian thing....the bellman are told not to expect or pester for tips so they never hang around for one....with the driver & guide, they were definitely expecting a tip, but they would never show it or pester you for it....

Very timely thread, and thanks for linking the previous threads regarding tipping in India. I know I'll be using a private car/driver for a day or two. I never would have thought to supply him with rupees for his lunch. I would feel terrible to find out later, that he had no lunch and I was enjoying awesome Indian curry while he went without. Can't wait for authentic Indian food!
Keyser, thanks for all your help eith destination India!

I'm originally Indian (however I haven't lived there for 20 years but I still think I know the tipping culture unless it's changed :D)... drivers, waitstaff etc. hope for tips, it's customary to tip a small amount, like Rs. 20 ($0.40) for the bellman and maybe 5% at the restaurant is fine. Big tips in restaurants like in the US (15-20%) is not the norm, it's more like 3-5%.

I was with an American friend at a restaurant in Bangalore last year and he tried to give a 20% tip, the waiter got so confused he took the money and brought him change thinking he wanted change, when the guy said "no..it's for you, a tip" I think he nearly fainted! :D

It's still a poor country and a few extra bucks increases service levels drastically ;)

Hmm... 3-5% would be stingy though... 5-10% is my benchmark.

The habit for fishing for tips is terrible in some places. Earlier this year the bellhop in a Taj wouldn't help me hail a taxi because all 4 of them were busy opening doors for departing arriving guests, pockting 50-100 Rs each time. When they finally helped me load my family (incl 2 kids) into the Taxi they litterally stood the with open palms refusing to close the door. I refused to tip, complained to the duty manager who took action. ^

Hmm... 3-5% would be stingy though... 5-10% is my benchmark.

The habit for fishing for tips is terrible in some places. Earlier this year the bellhop in a Taj wouldn't help me hail a taxi because all 4 of them were busy opening doors for departing arriving guests, pockting 50-100 Rs each time. When they finally helped me load my family (incl 2 kids) into the Taxi they litterally stood the with open palms refusing to close the door. I refused to tip, complained to the duty manager who took action. ^
In my experience India is a surprisingly civilized country regarding tips. During my recent trip I never felt I was obliged to tip. One hotel (a Radisson) even had a note in the hotel folder saying that they 'do not encourage tipping individual team members'. The only people I tended to tip were porters, something like 50 INR total. And I suppose that had I paid for my dinners in restaurants myself, I might have tipped around 5% for good service. Service was always good, though. No need to make good service depend on tips anywhere. :cool: