Originally Posted by CrazyOne
10-15% service charge? Is this common somewhere? I haven't stayed that many places outside the US, but in the places I have stayed both here and abroad I've never paid 10-15% service charge for a room.
I've just checked -- it may not be common in the States (picked a random hotel), but quite common elsewhere around Asia:
- Taipei, Taiwan, Holiday Inn
TAX: 5% PER NIGHT INCLUDED IN RATE EFFECTIVE 3 NOVEMBER, 2005 THRU 4 NOVEMBER, 2005
SERVICE CHARGE: 10% PER NIGHT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE EFFECTIVE 3 NOVEMBER, 2005 THRU 4 NOVEMBER, 2005
EXCLUDES GRATUITY
- Tokyo, Japan, Interconti Tokyo Bay
TAX: 5% PER NIGHT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE EFFECTIVE 3 NOVEMBER, 2005 THRU 4 NOVEMBER, 2005
SERVICE CHARGE: 10% PER NIGHT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE EFFECTIVE 3 NOVEMBER, 2005 THRU 4 NOVEMBER, 2005
EXCLUDES GRATUITY
- Beijing, China, Interconti Financial Street
SERVICE CHARGE: 15% PER NIGHT NOT INCLUDED IN RATE EFFECTIVE 3 NOVEMBER, 2005 THRU 4 NOVEMBER, 2005
EXCLUDES GRATUITY
Even if the service charge is not (expressly) included/added to the room charge, I'd like to believe that I pay the hotel for providing me a clean room. I will complain to the hotel if the room is not clean. If the tipping franzy continues we may even end up tipping the person who checks us in, or the person passing the room key when we return to the hotel. They all do some kind of personal service, but again: I expect that I pay for that with the room rate.
HTB.