Originally Posted by
craigthemif
Do you really think that $5 added to your hotel bill is going to magically convert itself into $5 in the specific server's pocket?
Leave a cash tip. Otherwise assume that the hotel owner, the taxman and the rest of the hotel's service employees are going to get a slice of it in exchange for your handful of MR points.
(1) I'm not carrying cash for this purpose, period. It's 2017. Sorry.
(2) The hotel owner shouldn't take a cut of a server's tips - that sounds like a big class action lawsuit waiting to happen, although IANAL. In all of the discussions of tipping cash vs cards, I've never heard this discussed (business owners taking a vigorish out of credit card tips). I'm 100% it would be - often - if this were a common thing.
(3) Do hotel waitstaff usually pool tips? I knew a guy who worked as a valet where they did, but they put all cash tips in the toke box and you could get fired immediately for pocketing anything on your own. If a hotel is doing this, then I would think they'd have rules in place requiring cash to go in a similar kind of box. (I really didn't think this was a thing for restaurant waitstaff though.)
(4) I'm not carrying cash for the purposes of enabling someone else's tax evasion scheme.