FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - How do you "take care of" the concierge in a luxury hotel?
Old Apr 22, 2019, 5:04 pm
  #11  
ajca
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 323
Originally Posted by passionforhotels
The more effort you require of the concierge, the more difficult-to-get things they're getting for you, then the more you tip. The only exception to this might be Japan where tipping is still frowned on. In Europe, doormen and concierges do expect to get tips and can make some seriously good money.
Tipping the concierge in Europe when they secure impossible restaurant reservations or organise whatever the European equivalent to a session with the ninja from Kill Bill is one thing and certainly makes sense... but the doormen... are opening and closing the doors and handling luggage? How do you even tip the doormen discreetly - hand out notes like they are a toll booth while entering and exiting the hotel? I don't mean to be in any way disrespectful to the work that they do but this seems crazy.

I am not from the US and so this culture of constantly needing to tip as you're travelling doesn't come instinctively to me and it zaps mental energy to worry about "what is the right amount", "how do I pass it discreetly", "do I have the right change", "am I going to do this every time they do something for me", and also a bit of "ok I'm paying $x amount per night surely opening the door or sending my luggage to the room is included in the room rate"

Part of what I like about the luxury hotel experience (outside the US...), is to not constantly have to worry about things like this (am I naive?) I do sometimes feel that travelling Americans are constantly expanding the global universe of situations where tips are expected by bringing US tipping practices to the rest of the world, which I appreciate for its kindness and generosity as a gesture but I feel it doesn't take into account the large differences in the underlying economic system between the US and say Europe.
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