Originally Posted by
Miami305
I do know how poorly hotel housekeepers are paid, and leave a few dollars as a kind gesture. I don't think I have ever left more than $5, and I have been stopped on many occasions by grateful housekeepers who express their gratitude. That moment is worth far more than the Starbucks coffee that $5 would have bought me.
I don't really know what the labor demand curve for housekeepers looks like or how (if?) tipping affects it. I figure that's between the direct suppliers and consumers of the labor, with the hotel guest being an indirect participant.
My expectation is that the hotel handles paying their staff a competitive-enough wage for that market to successfully provide the service, with a reasonable amount of regulatory oversight to ensure they aren't violating labor laws in the process.
But if you want to tip them, fine.
Originally I liked Uber's no-tip model because of the complete transparency. The market would function and correct itself in real-time via surge pricing. But then I gravitated over to Lyft, at first for better service, and have accepted their tipped model in the process.