Originally Posted by
Jaimito Cartero
Most of the 4 and 5 star hotels I got to in Asia include a 10% service charge, that is supposed to go the employees. If I'm already paying $15-$30 a day for this charge, why would I want to tip any more? Only if I've requested something special, like body disposal, or getting blood off the walls and carpet do I tip them.
Tipping is way overboard around the world.
So as not to be off topic, I typically leave a tip at the end of a stay, usually a total of $1 to $2 per day.
But I rather much resent the tipping culture. By and large, it smacks of a surcharge that subsidizes not the recipients, but the employer who does not otherwise pay a suitable wage. And, yes, I know, higher wages would get passed through. But it has come to the point (think of the "tip jar" at Starbucks, fishing charters, etc.) that the employers all but solicit tips for their employees, which I consider a meaningful breach of etiquette.
I understand that only 27% of guests leave a tip - although that figure may be higher in higher caliber hotels. But it seems that when the figure is this low, the generous amongst us essentially pick up the slack for the stingy. This cannot be a good outcome, as even the most kindhearted folks will eventually conclude that they are chumps. Hotels are particularly problematic in that the guest seldom sees the housekeeping staff, and may enjoy relative anonimity, insulating the guest from disappointed looks from stiffed employees. I suppose it remiinds one of the saying that what you do when no one is watching defines the kind of person you are.