To explain my background here, I am British but believe in tipping and doing things right (I know that British people don't always have a good reputation for this). However, the US seems to have gone "tipping mad" recently.

My main question involves tipping of "Bell Boys" (or the gentlemen who help take your bags from the car to your room at a hotel). Recently I have notticed a growing trend for your bags to be loaded onto a trolley by one porter and then delivered by another: there seem to be "foyer"/car based porters and room based porters. This in itself tends to tug at my conscience - who should I give the $1/$2 a bag to (the first guy or the second guy?)? To be honest, I am really not keen on tipping both: it seems like tipping for the same service twice (am I being mean?). So far we have always only tipped the guy delivering the bags to their final destination (whether it is the room or the car). But I have notticed a growing trend for the other porter to get quite "aggressive" with hints that they want to be tipped (i.e. "so and so will deliver actually be delivering your bags to your room", "is there anything else that I can do for you", "I'll be going now then..." and physically hanging around you). I had hoped that porters would pool tips or something, but am beginning to wonder...

One of my main tipping pet peeves (apart from people trying to aggressively procure them at every opportunity), is bathroom attendants in very descent restaurants in the US. I haven't come across this in the US before this Summer, I have only come across it in poor European/Eastern European countries. You feel as though you should tip as you get handed a paper towel or the attendant runs across and sprays soap on your hands. If you don't have any money on you (or any small notes), it can leave you feeling awful (as it is obvious that a tip is expected). I don't appreciate this just before my husband signs a $400+ bill for our dinner at the Navy Pier, Chicago. Should I not go to the restrooms in such an establishment if I don't have any small change?

Your thoughts are appreciated (since both of these situation will arise again...).

Boo