please do us a favor and stay in the UK. You seem like a bitter person.

legally the hotel can not skim off the tips. If they do they will be in for a lot of trouble. Its happened in the service ind unfortunately and when found out all heck will brake loose. There was a restaurant in Chicago recently not properly paying the employees and skimming tips. Iirc it added up to a half a million bucks or close to it. How the restaurant is still open I have no idea. Besides the fact I got sick there twice I wouldnt eat there because of their screwing their employees.

When I was in Doha last Fall, I could not believe how some tourists in Souq Waqif just strolled through in shorts or sleeveless shirts. Same for parts of Uzbekistan and western Kyrgyzstan. I just feel like a little effort goes a long way.

In the states that allow tip credits, the total has to come up to at least minimum wage, or the employer has to make up the difference. Except at resort-type hotels, I doubt that tips would be enough to cover the difference between the tipped minimum wage and the standard minimum wage, so the hotel will still have to pay the extra amount necessary. Therefore, when you tip, all you're doing is saving the hotel some money on wages.

Unlike restaurants, where tipping is all but mandatory and failure to tip is a social faux pas, tipping in hotels in the US is still optional and I hope it stays that way. I will tip for special service, but I'm not tipping housekeeping just for doing their job. I guess that works out because I usually decline housekeeping services anyway.

It's been clear for a long time on Flyertalk that many people assume their garbage and dirty sheets clean themselves, and that there is disdain for certain working people. This thread confirms it.

Ironically, if there was garbage in a room upon check in, the same people who insist they aren't receiving any housekeeping would be the first to complain and demand compensation...and the first to complain if hotels increased room rates to provide a living wage.

Housekeeping is not legally considered a tipped position and housekeepers have to make at least minimum wage, as opposed to restaurant servers. Most Americans do not tip housekeeping. I can still remember a time in America when asking for tips would have been considered tacky, and there was some expectation that your tip would be commensurate with the service received.

If this nonsense hasn't yet reached your country consider yourself blessed.

Lol which US citizen do you think is leaving $20 for a housekeeper?

I left 10$ for the maid in Puebla at check out Tuesday.

I'm not sure what America you are talking about, but Under both the FLSA and most state laws, hotel employees are indeed eligible to be paid the tipped minimum wage so long as they customarily receive more than $30 a month in tips.

I agree that there used to be stronger Norms of tipping service workers and less "why should I tip DYKWIA", which minimized the need to remind customers that they are benefiting from a tip-based service.

before you keep disparaging the workers who dare to expect tips for cleaning the toilet and tidying your room, perhaps read this article from last week.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...ipped-workers/

There are ways to express dissatisfaction with the tipped wage model without insinuating that hotel workers are to blame, are greedy, uncouth, etc.

In 2009, I went to Hong Kong and Singapore. Stayed at IC in both city. For the 35 nights in Hong Kong, I tipped the housekeeping lady HK$1000 (around $125) on my second day. For the 3 nights in Singapore, the hotel sent a 20 year old girl to clean my room. I tipped her S$20 but I REALLY REALLY wanted to give her was a diamond ring.

Thank you for putting faces to this issue and context.

Obviously my comment was tongue in cheek, but the vast majority (to the 99%+ level) of housekeepers in the US are not getting that much tip.

Aaah ok. The joys of not being able to read tongue and cheek online. I havent done a lot of domestic travel the last two year most of it has been south but even on the rare occasion I travel domestic I will tip $5 a day and $10 at check out. I do more at checkout because ideally should do a bit deeper clean than if it's the same person a number of nights in a row.

LMAO

Not to demean housekeepers... But they shouldn't be called Ambassadors the same as Marriott's best customers.

I'll admit it. I was 100% wrong - I was cautiously optimistic about SPS-Marriott merger.

This reflects everything that's bad w Marriott culture - title inflation, low wages, gauche salary raising techniques.

BTW, I don't like America's tipping culture. It's not really part of the culture... It's a system forced by corporations to get their employees paid reasonable amounts without coming out of budget and thus hurting stock prices. It disgust me