DHAST

All,

This question is specifically in regard to tipping at properties where a service charge is automatically added to your bill as a percentage of your room rate -- ie SE Asian properties -- definitely not US properties.

What is the tipping protocol for all points and C&P stays? At places where I pay full freight (there's been a couple) I assume that the service charge covers every normal thing (whatever that is.) I'll throw a token amount to the porters handling my bags, however.

But what about award stays? What about the tipping then? If I were an employee, I'd resent getting stiffed by a guy on a "freebie" stay. So how is tipping supposed to work then? Does it sort of revert to the US-style and you tip bell boys, maids, and what not as one sees fit? Or is it truly a free ride and one should not sweat it?

This question is posed in the context of "what is the cultural norm in these circumstances."

justspg

1st of all, employees (other than front desk employees) would not know which guest is staying on an award stay or paying so that argument is moot..tipping is usually up to the guest if someone did a good service, i.e. helping with bags, then go ahead and tip as appropriate. I do know that in the US, tipping is something done on a regular basis.. just because there is a service charge does not mean a tip is included in that. you can decide to tip on top of the service charge or not, entirely up to you. the service charge you speak of is in place at certain hotels/resorts, just a different name (resort fee). I would suggest googling up and checking out the cultural norms to better get a sense of what you are asking.

mahasamatman

If you tip, you should tip the same whether it's a paid stay or an award stay. Why would you think any differently?

This is exactly why most restaurants that accept coupons add a mandatory gratuity because people for some reason will tip based on the discounted rate instead of the full rate.

Points Surfer

Good point....we sometimes talk about the Hotel devaluing our points stay (ie its free don't expect to much) so makes sense that we don't do it to ourselves and behave in a lesser manner on a points or C&P stay.

bradj

I'd assume that whatever money comes out of a normal paid stay and goes to service employees would then be paid by the hotel/spg as the currency of your awards stay is points.

sc flier

When you say, "included in the room rate," do you really mean that? Or do you mean properties where the service charge is an additional automatic charge assessed as a percentage of the room rate? Can you cite some specific properties as examples?

If the service charge is included within the room rate, then I would expect that the service charge would be reimbursed as part of the payment from SPG for the award.

If the service charge is an additional charge assessed as a percentage of the room rate, I'm not sure if that gets calculated and paid by SPG or not. An example of this scenario is the St Regis Punta Mita in Mexico:
"SERVICE CHARGE of 10.00% Per Room / Per Night is not included in the rate."

TrojanHorse

I will start by saying I don't understand what the OP is referring too by "service fee"

however on this comment, its no longer a tip if its mandatory, its an additional fee for the price of the dinner

DHAST

The later. And as I mentioned in my OP, I'm talking about SE Asian properties where the ++ thing is standard, definitely NOT US hotels.

Examples:

Plaza Athenee BKK
Le Meridien Chiang Mai
Sheraton Krabi
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur
Laguna Resort and Spa Bali
and other non-SPG properties in the region

Which is why I asked what the appropriate thing to do is...

DHAST

'Cause in Asia I wouldn't normally tip on a paid stay because there is a service charge automatically added to my bill?

DHAST

Well, I specifically wasn't referring to US properties -- and no, the resort fee at North American is definitely not another name for what I'm talking about. In North America, they at least claim to give you something in return for the resort fee. In Asia, it's just a "service charge." And I suppose I could google "tipping on award hotel stays in thailand" or something like that (which incidentally returns this thread as the top result) but my google search skills suck and I figure I'd get better responses here.

justspg

try this link..

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ry-region.html

or google "tipping in foreign countries"

sc flier

Well, I definitely do not know. But I have voiced my opinion to Starwood that I think it's poor form of them to not make mention of the hotel-controlled service fee on the Announcements page. I also pointed out that I think it's a slimy practice anyway to add this on top of the room rate.

Percentage-based tipping is often a very illogical practice. At the Sheraton Krabi Beach, for example, I don't get why someone in a basic sea-facing room should pay more for service than someone in a basic garden-view room.

Meanwhile, at the St Regis Punta Mita on 2/1/2011, someone booking a $2490 1-BR Suite with private pool will also be charged an additional $249/nt in service fees. The person in a $1491 Deluxe Suite will be charged $149. Someone in the $539 Deluxe Garden room will only be charged just $53. And those are all discounted rates; many of the public rates are substantially more. Fair and reasonable? If I book a Deluxe Garden room and get a Plat upgrade to a 1-BR suite, should I tip an additional $200/nt?

Jaimito Cartero

Most properties in Asia have a service charge included. Therefore, I don't tip at all. Same for an award stay at the same property.

mahasamatman

What are the first three words in my post? I'll give you a hint: If you tip. And since you don't tip on a revenue stay, your point is moot.

And hence the reason I didn't call it a tip.

I would say almost always. Why should a waiter who serves you 5 $10 dishes get less of a tip than a waiter who serves you one $60 dish? The first waiter is doing much more work, so deserves more. Too bad society hasn't caught on to that. At hotels, I've never heard of a percentage-based tip. The people I know who tip hotel employees do it on a per-service basis.

DHAST

Everything I've ever read suggests that the 10% service charges in Thailand are compulsory tips, so I sure as hell do tip on a revenue stay. And if you want to claim that by definition, tips are voluntary and therefore anything compulsory can't be a tip, then so be it, but it's no reason to insult me for trying to make sure I follow local custom properly.

Whether or not service charges are tips, they're split amongst employees, no? All I'm trying to do is ascertain whether or not employees get stiffed on service charges during award stays, and if so, whether or not custom/tradition suggests we should compensate for it out of our own pockets (I'm okay with that if "it's the right thing to do") or if it's a freebie that we should be happy about (which is also fine too) cause SPG takes care of it somehow.

I'm not a bleeding heart socialist, and prefer to keep my cash in my pocket. But I'd never tell a foreigner visiting the US that since restaurant tipping is not compulsory, he should feel free to leave nothing for the server. Likewise, if I'm committing a major faux paux by tipping very little on an award stay, then I want to know.

So cut it with the semantics and just tell me whether or not the Baht should be a bit more forthcoming out of my own pocket when I'm on an award stay.