Originally Posted by
Battleship
For those who have been before, how have you handled individual staff tipping? I’ve read the tipping section at the top of the thread, but am having a tough time figuring out what might be considered appropriate given the service charges that are already included. What’s reasonable for housekeeping, wait staff/bartenders, hosts and excursion staff?
Cash in hand goes to whoever you give it to, additional gratuity left on a bill is shared within that group (excursion shop, F&B, etc). We didn't feel obligated to tip generally. But we left a thank you note and a $20 for housekeeping, and the occasional $5 or $10 to a generous bartender. $50 to the Sri Lankan chef who made us a Thai feast at Drift (we were the only ones dining) and who found us and gave us top cuts of seafood at the seafood grill. The excursion team went above and beyond, so we gave each of the two guides a $100 tip. I don't think I ever had a reason to leave additional gratuity on the bill... better to give greenbacks to the person you want to tip. Also, at least as important is leaving a TripAdvisor review where you name the staff you thought were excellent -- there is some monthly contest where whoever gets the most mentions in online reviews gets a bonus. (The service charge, by the way, does in fact go to the staff -- when we did the back-of-house tour, they showed us where they post the monthly service charge collection totals in the staff area for all to see... everyone gets a cut plus a bonus to those who get honorable mentions etc.)