Does anyone do this? Meg Schullte(?) had a column in US Today recently where she recommended that travellers leave a tip.

Personally, I have been doing so you a bit over a year, after David Grossman authored a similar column. Don't get me wrong, I am not a big tipper. As a rule, I leave $2.00 per room for the first night and $1.00 for each succeeding night. I leave the $$ on the bed, partially tucked under the pillow.

I would appreciate learning what others do in regard to tippingon housekeepers.

Regards,

Tom

I always leave a couple of bucks per day at the end of my stay. Close to the holidays, a bit more . . .

$2 per day for me left each day in case there is a different person each day. $3 if its a big city or I made a big mess.

I usually leave $10 per stay, and usually have 2-3 night stays. $20 when I make a mess or use all the amenities, etc.

Usually, I leave the tip on the first day of the stay, with a note that says, "Thanks in advance for your service during my stay."

This leads to much enhanced service during my stays, like second robe in C level, lots of towels, etc.

albatross

Couple bucks a day - usually at the end of the stay. Thinking about changing to daily, though.

A funny reason why I started tipping - my daughter worked as a housekeeper for Country Inn and Suites. She came home one day and asked "would it kill you to leave a tip once in a while???"

So now I do. And have been for a years now, otherwise I have to answer to her!

Cheers

I always tip housekeeping, but the amount depends on my location, however method is always the same.

I put the equivilent of $5US on the pillow after the first night, and then every fifth night if it's an ongoing stay. While $5US doesn't mean a lot to US housekeepers, when you're in Asia, I've found this to be quite effective.

I was staying in Bali a few years ago to return home to see my laundry bag (that I planned to take home and launder myself) had been cleaned, and ironed, without me asking. I was never charged for this, but I assumed that my 50 IDR was clearly enough to keep housekeeping in my good books.

... so I don't tip (and neither do my American colleagues). I particularly don't tip at the Residence Inn where I ordinarily stay as the maid is always using the room radio to listen to some Spanish station as she cleans the room and then she switches it to Alarm On (not Radio Off) as she leaves, three days out of four. You can walk down the hotel corridor on that floor any morning and know absolutely which rooms are unoccupied - their alarms are going off! I am always complaining about this, and the housekeeper keeps saying that the maid has been told. I suspect however she hasn't been shown, which is something else altogether. So, tipping? For what? Doing her job? I don't tip the woman who prepares the breakfast nor the check-in/-out staff. Why single out the maids? Because she's "in my space"?

I've never suspected the woman who prepares my breakfast of rifling through my clothes, nor does she have access to steal my belongings.

I tip 2$ per night when doing personal travel because maids do switch so whoever cleaned the room on a Monday may not be the same person who did it on a Tuesday, so every day seems to work better.

If I tipped every night I travel for business I'd be broke! And as RTWFF pointed out, I am not quite sure they warrant being tipped as much as say a waiter/waitress or a barber.

From my experience it isn't uncommon but it's not too frequent either

It is a case where some small amount-$2-$5 which I will never miss and means nothing to me will make a big difference in someone who is less fortunate(finacially)than I.
I also get a few goodies and perhaps a little more time is spent on my room.
Now at hotels with turndown it does start to add up-but it is still less then the price of a good drink or movie.
So yes-I tip,but if the room is not cleaned well,or supplies not restocked then the tips tend to decrease-til the level is raised again.

Frankly, I do wish that hotels paid the housekeeping staff at a rate that would make tipping a non-issue.

But the fact is they don't and I feel very fortunate that I don't have to do what these folks do to make a living.

So, I leave $2 on the pillow each AM; if there's turndown I leave another buck on the bed before going to dinner. When the wife's with me we leave double since she's celebrating not having to pick up after herself (or me).

This thread reminds me of something that happened to us this past November as guests in the Renaissance Mayflower in DC.

We weren't paying attention to the time this one day and were late returning to the hotel to shower and change clothes before going to dinner. And, as a consequence were just getting ready to leave when there was a knock at the door and when I answered, there was the evening chambermaid coming to do the turndown (asked us If we desired it and we answered in the affirmative.)

We were in the living room (hotel had upgraded us to a beautiful suite) when the chambermaid reappeared on her way to get something from her cart (Mints, I supposed).

I realized I'd neglected to leave a couple of singles on the bed, so I got her attention, and simply handed them to her.

Her reaction was surprising, (and in a way, heart-breaking). She voiced her thanks (in heavily-accented English - she was from somewhere in Asia, I think), lowered her head and then preceded to bow to me!

I remember muttering something along the lines of "Please, that's not necessary; you're very welcome."

She then scurried out the door and returned in an instant, not only with the expected mints, but also with a ton of towels (far more than required as replacements for those used) and disappeared into the bathroom and then into the bedroom.

Then she came through the living room once again, our robes under her arm.

In an instant she'd returned with two fresh ones (was not necessary, believe me), put them in the bedroom, came out one last time, gave us a smile and a short bow (before catching herself), said something I didn't catch and finally left.

The wife and I talked about it over dinner.

We agreed that we'd just gotten a pointed reminder as to how fortunate we are and that we'd never forget that expression of gratitude tendered to us in return for what we consider a pittance.

Good point about the different people doing the room. Also, your $2.00 per day seems appropriate.

Thanks!!

FWIW, as one might expect, this has come up before in several threads previously and these are a few of these:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...ip+housekeeper

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Hope this helps.

Mark

Not likely in any US property maybe a Resort, But the Ren I stay at for 50+ nights throughout the year Overseas has a 15% Service in the rate, so I assume that it inludes tips in a pool kind of way.

didnt know it until I left a tip in the Coffee Shop and the Waitess came after me to thank me, seems the Bills there also had a 15% added on for Service so I ended up tipping Her twice. the next time I ate in the coffee shop I didnt leave an extra tip and she was surprised as she asked me what was wrong. I told her nothing was, only I didnt know the other day that a tip of 15% was added onto my bill already as a tip.