tipping
 

Preview travel gives these tips:

Hotel
$1 per bag for a bellman carrying luggage
$1 to $2 for a doorman hailing a taxi
$1 to $2 a day for a housekeeper (to be left on the dresser at the end of your stay)
$5 to $25 for a concierge who makes your dinner or show reservations

Parking/Taxi
$1 to $2 for a parking valet when the car is retrieved
$1 to $2 for a taxi-cab driver for short routes

Restaurant/Room Service
15 to 20 percent of the check for a restaurant waiter
10 to 15 percent of the check for a room-service waiter (if not already included in check)
10 to 15 percent of the tab for a bartender

Miscellaneous
$1 per bag for an airport baggage handler
$1 per coat for a coatroom attendant
10 to 15 percent of the bill for a hair stylist/barber

what I give in US-restaurants (don't do this in Switzerland - you would spoil our system, tips are included here so please only round up) is about the 15-20% preview travel recommends - but beeing lazy (to calculate) I just write it on the credit-card into the tip-column in % (f.e. 16%) and leave the total open.

Questions:
- is this acceptable?
- is it dangerous? (that way I leave the toal open, but I see little danger as long as these bills are at the hotel-resaurant or bar, I can still discuss the matter at check-out-time, when they present the summarized bill - never had to till now)
- will the owner give the credit-card-tip to the employee? (will he deduct the 3-5% credit card commission from that tip amount? should I pay the tip practically always in cash? paying cash do I help to "cheat" the income-tax-system of that state, country? etc, etc).
- how do I/you tip if on the bill/credit-card-slip there are two tip-columns ? (headwaiter and waiter?)
- is it acceptable if I/we deal with my/our luggage my-/ourself? (for not taking risks, but also for not having to tip).

Good luck carrying your own luggage Rudi - I have had to practically wrestle mine away from overenthusiastic bellboys - which is silly considering that I usually travel with a (heavy) laptop which I won't let anyone else take [they usually don't even try] & a (very light) overnight bag, as I seldom stay more than one night. If I have enough strength to lift it into the overhead locker on the aeroplane I can take it up in an elevator/flight of stairs myself!

This is particularly awkward when you arrive in a new country & don't have the right sort of currency/change. I suppose that you could just travel with a massive wad of US$1 bills & use those, but in some countries that is considered inappropriate.

In fact, at a hotel that I spent one night at, when I wanted to take my own (hand)luggage to my room the concierge said to me "You don't stay in a 4 star hotel & carry your own luggage. We won't allow that" - apparently I wouldn't be getting the full four star experience if I took my bag up in the elevator myself!

Rudi,

1. Its acceptable, I'm just not sure if its wise (esp. in a public place like a bar)
2. Why leave any question: Just take 10% of the bill. Add Half of that to get a 15% tip, double to leave a 20% one.
3. The owner will definitely pass the tips along. Leaving cash would probably make it easier to cheat, but it doesn't really matter since the IRS will usually just estimate tip income and tax accordingly.
4. Not sure about the 2-tip column. I just write what I think is an acceptable total and circle it.
5. Handling your own luggage is acceptable, I think.

Oh Rudi, I feel for you.

This is one of my pet hates. If I can carry my luggage from - the blue carpeted terminal - to the taxi; to the hotel; I can sure as hell manager it to the elevator*.

When I tell the receptionist/concierge this they usually reply that they need to demonstrate the "features of the room" to me.

I'm sorry but I know how to switch on a telly, turn on a light and find the bathroom without someone showing me, thankyou.
MF

*I sacrifice English for American at this point (ie. elevator v lift) on the basis that Mr Otis was an ex-colonial (American). It is very infrequently that an ex-colonial has claim to an invention and therefore credit where credtit is due. Anyone want to argue with me? I refer you to such things are Democracy - Swiss (according to Rudi). The Internet - English (according to all right thinking people).

European's invent it. American's market it.
Nature is a wonderful thing.

Oh Merry - it IS good to have you back! I thought that the Americans wouldn't have the faintest idea what a 'lift' was, so I stuck to Americanese as well. On another thread you'll see that Rudi offered me a US passport... and he's been trying to apologise with Swiss chocolates ever since.

Concerning tipping the housekeeper, I, too, had always left the tip at the end of the stay until a friend told me she always leaves it the FIRST morning with a note explaining that it is the tip (so housekeeping isn't confused and thinks it is just money left out in the open).

She says she gets really good service that way. I've tried it since, and it seems to work.

I put EVERY morning 1$/person on the bed (housekeeping persons also change from time to time during longer stays).

If I stay a while (ski vacations) I add a special swiss chocolate package with a note saying "thank you for helping us to have a great vacation".

I always insist on carrying my own bags and rarely, if ever, get into a confrontation with anyone. When I arrive at the hotel, I am usually tired, want to get settled in my room and unpack. The worst thing is to have to wait for my luggage. Once in a while, I'll let the bellman carry my bag under the condition that he rides the elevator up to the room with me. If he says, he'll meet me be up there with my bags shortly, no dice!

Neal

For luggage, I try to carry my own... the
bell staff can use the time to handle the
families with 425 bags to bring up.

If I am jetlagged, most of the bell people
know it and I just leave the bags with them
and bring them up (the only thing I always
keep with me is my briefcase... Can't lose
my paperwork.)

I leave a few dollars for the housekeeping
staff, and to make it easy on them, I try to
do stuff like hang the towels on the shower
rack, put the sheets, blankets on the bed
wipe around the sink... They work hard enough
without picking up after a messy man.

Restaurants: it depends on the service,
exceptional service gets 20 percent (one
waitress in Toronto asked if I made a mistake
I told her to take herself out for something
beautiful like her.) If the service is poor
I have left as much as 7 cents tip. This could be wrong, but as I said elsewhere it
doesn't take much to be a little cordial.
CATMAN

I agree, Catman - tips are for SERVICE, and there are times when staff almost deserve negative tips. One of my pet peeves is when tips are included in the bill - tips should be discretionary, & unless you have a large party, there is no reason to include a 'service charge'. I have been known to cross these items off the bill when the service has been appalling - and I agree with giving massive tips for great service: this morning's brunch (Ryles, in Cambridge, MA) was one example when a tip of over 20% was more than justified...

I don't understand! What is this "bellman" you folks are talking about??? I asked the check-in guy at the Motel 6 last week for help with my bags and he waved a shotgun in my face and told me to take a hike. But, hey, at the Econo Lodge they've got these great new-fangled ice machines (not to mention the vibrating bed)!!!

;o) -- obviously...

Oh, and Merry, wasn't it a "new worlder" who invented FREQUENT FLIER PROGRAMS??? Not to mention this site!!! :)

Matt - I guess motel 6 doesn't have a 'frequent guest' program... if you stay there ten times & are still alive, consider yourself lucky!

In my student days, during a drive from Vancouver to Newfoundland via the Grand Canyon (it was November, & I wanted to see it), we stayed at a Motel 6 in Provo, Utah. After a massive dinner at a nearby steakhouse (where they looked at us as if we had three heads when we asked about a winelist), we went back to the motel, only to find the cops staking out a room near ours.... I salute your courage!

One thing I like about Europe that I don't like in the U.S. - not having to tip(such as while dining) because the employees already get a decent wage; although I understand that a token tip for good service is customary. I feel like tipping(in N. America) is more of an obligation than a show of appreciation. I also hate, by employees, the constant "suggestion" of tipping.

For those not from the U.S. A few notes on tipping in the U.S.

1) Tax, which can be as much as 10%, should not be included when figuring out a tip.

2) Never ask the person serving you how much you should tip! they will almost always give you an inflated amount. I asked a person serving a drink - was told 20%! how about 10%? (although, if you sit, $1.00 per person is generally considered to be minimum).
3) If the person is an owner of the establishment, it is NOT customary to tip them.

4) Self serve buffets and the like are just that - self serve. But if there is good service with the buffet(like at the Ritz I give 15% anyway), 10% should be adequate. Also, busing(cleanup) tables is not customary to tip for.

I think that tipping is more of a company's way of getting the customer to pay the employee's wage. I certainly don't mind tipping if someone does a person favor(favour for you Brits *s*), for really really good service, or if someone goes out of their way for me; but, I dislike the idea of tipping when someone simply does their job. I do tip the customary amount, usually slightly more, but I don't like it.

My peeves:

#1. I dislike tipping for a service that is provided as part of what I am already paying for. Like a Taxi...why can't they be paid a decent wage to their job? I am already paying for a ride, how personal is that? yes...they might take the time to point out things if I am new in town, maybe that deserves a tip, but simply giving a ride...that is what I am paying for!

#2. Employees soliciting tips!! I don't know how many fast food places I have been that have tip jars...it is fast food!!...I have to pick up my own food, the act of preparing food is what I am already paying for! At one fast food place, the two owners actually had the nerve to put a tip jar out for themselves!...they own the place!! ..they are not employees!

#3. While in Las Vegas, it is usually customary to tip the Black Jack dealer if they were nice and you won; however, did you know that all the tips go into a central collection that is then equally distributed to all the dealers equally? This was explained to me as a IRS requirement so that the IRS would know how much each the dealers were tipped. I say the IRS is probably overstepping their bounds, but, since it is the way things are, the collection of tips really amount to a "wage" that is paid by the customers. The Casino should take care of wages themselves and leave me out of it. My tips weren't intended to pay the whole staff, they were for the individual - so, I no longer plan to tip at the casinos since the individual can't keep it.

#4. A business that has signs indicating how I should tip...why don't they pay a good wage first!

In my younger days, I worked at a number of service jobs and never expected a tip nor asked for one. At one job, I occasionally got a tip, but it was not common and considered a special bonus - never expected or requested; ...and I was always happy to do special requests...again, no tip nor was it expected.

I wish more businesses would put up signs like "Our staff is paid well, no tip is expected. We are happy to serve you!"

How did all this tipping come about? Maybe a long time ago there weren't waiters or waitresses and someone walked into a eating establishment and said "let me bring your food to you, so you don't have to get up" and tipping was born...but now, since it is part of the meal, lets drop it!

We could do the opposite:

tipping fees:

Would you like your food cooked? 20% tip.
Do you want your salad tossed? another 20%
Want eating utensils to help with that food? 25%
Need a napkin? 5%
Want to come inside out of the cold? 30%
Want to sit down? another 20%
Want us to kill the cow or do you want to? 40% if we do it.

ok, no tips, but in order to eat you have to:

Kill the cow
butcher the cow
light the grill
Slap the steak on the grill
set table
could make this list of "personal" services very long, but how about?..just give me one price, then pay be taxes, staff, and overhead out of the total and keep the rest for your profit. On this issue, Europe wins my vote.

Aubie... when was the last time you went to the bathroom in a semi-public place (eg a restaurant) in Europe? There is often a little old lady sitting outside who tidies the bathroom after it's been used... and there is a plate for tips. While this isn't endemic throughout Europe, it certainly is common - and a little unnerving the first time one encounters it!

As for tipping croupiers - my younger brother worked as a croupier in Victoria Falls. There, too, they split the tips. He didn't like the tip-sharing idea either, - but if you decide on principle not to tip your croupier however good they may be, you are punishing them, not their employers, who certainly aren't going to increase their wages. My brother's employer paid him a living (but not great) wage, and he used his share of the tip point to indulge his passion for cycling - his newest racing bike is a product of tips like yours.

The rationale the management gave my brother for pooling tips, (other than tax reasons), was that tips were pooled with those from another, less trendy hotel, & shared among all the croupiers - they didn't want to penalise the croupiers who worked in the less fashionable hotel.

I agree that in much of North America tips have come to be expected/demanded, and I don't like that either. When I choose not to tip I make certain that the 'service' staff know the reason for my decision.

Aubie... when was the last time you went to the bathroom in a semi-public place (eg a restaurant) in Europe? There is often a little old lady sitting outside who tidies the bathroom after it's been used... and there is a plate for tips. While this isn't endemic throughout Europe, it certainly is common - and a little unnerving the first time one encounters it!

As for tipping croupiers - my younger brother worked as a croupier in Victoria Falls. There, too, they split the tips. He didn't like the tip-sharing idea either, - but if you decide on principle not to tip your croupier however good they may be, you are punishing them, not their employers, who certainly aren't going to increase their wages. My brother's employer paid him a living (but not great) wage, and he used his share of the tip point to indulge his passion for cycling - his newest racing bike is a product of tips like yours.

The rationale the management gave my brother for pooling tips, (other than tax reasons), was that tips were pooled with those from another, less trendy hotel, & shared among all the croupiers - they didn't want to penalise the croupiers who worked in the less fashionable hotel.

I agree that in much of North America tips have come to be expected/demanded, and I don't like that either. When I choose not to tip I make certain that the 'service' staff know the reason for my decision.

When I am overseas and the service is exceptional, then I will leave some extra money in cash. In Shanghai, the waiter at the restaurant seemed confused but I ran out
before he could ask why (He spent the time explaining the menu, giving my friend and I
tips and getting around and helped up beat the lines at the Rail station to get train tickets. College student, English better than some Americans.)

Aubie: I did not know that the casino workers
have to SPLIT the tips. I tip the blackjack
dealer based on how friendly he/she is and if
they can put up with my occassional memory
lapses about Blackjack rules.

But tipping should be an option. One comedy
club tacked on a 15 percent tip and the waitress was nasty. I sat there and refused to pay the bill unless the tip was completely
taken off. I was not laughing.

BUT MATT... you have me rolling with some of
your entries today. I'll post the Motel Six
entry next. CATMAN

Omni alert!!

Aubie... I salute your approach to dining/tipping as well. You too have me
dying in laughter too, today.

Matt: Your Motel Six adventure reminded me of an incident last year in teh greatest state in the nation, Texas, where my friends
and I pulled into a Motel Six looking for rooms. My buddy Steve joked to the desk clerk that I was upset that Motel Six didn't
give frequent flyer miles and suites. The
desk guy (Who looked like one of those
wrestlers) said he didn't know what country
I was from but if I wanted the "special" room I could sleep in his pickup truck with his
dog. It was two days to my birthday and I told my friends I didn't want to get killed.

Still Motel Six can have a ff program. It
can be partners with Southwest and Denny's.

My friends call me pretentious (sp?) and say
I need to bring myself to reality by flying
SOuthwest, eating at Denny's and Staying at
Motel Six. I told them maybe one day when
I have a drink or two and feel adventurous.
CATMAN

baobab, yes, I dislike the European restroom tipping! In Belgium, where I often visit, it isn't really tipping, it is more of a mandatory fee to visit the restroom. I always wash my hands before eating and after too, so that means at least 2 trips to the washroom. I think that the tipping or fee for use restrooms maybe discourages good hygiene. I also dislike the charging for water! As far as I know, at U.S. restaurants, both drinking water and washrooms must be supplied at no charge.

As for punishing employees...well...when a person applies for a job where a substantial part of the wage comes from tips, they figure that when decided whether the wage is sufficient. If people stopped getting tips, the they would expect companies to pay higher wages or they would look elsewhere for better wages. Since many people don't want to punish employees, I think that the company must be one to make the move. Maybe we should start a consumer revolt? However, still, if I know in advance the employee cannot keep their tip, I don't feel obligated to supply their wage just because the company won't pay. Why not turn over the tips to the company and let them keep the tips, but pay a decent set wage? ..we are really doing that now, just that the wage is determined on a day-to-day basis.

boabob...my spell checker tried to substitute "baboon" for your name *LOL*

Well, Aubie, baobabs & baboons can often be found in the same places.... you'll have to 'add' my name to your dictionary.

Perhaps a way to look at the split-tip deal is that 'your' person is getting a share of the money that you tip them - and they also get a share of the other tips, too, so it should even out in the end. At least where my brother works, management don't take the tips, they just divvy them up. In a sense this is fairer to the backroom people - how else can you tip the chef? (And in situations like these, when one person consistently gets low/no tips, the others in the pool make certain that s/he starts making an effort!)

But I don't think that tips should be considered to be part of one's salary.

The rest room attendant with outstretched palm is not restricted to Europe, although it is almost a standard fixture there. I've run into in several places in the US, usually in upscale hotels. In a couple of places, I've found that the attendants were not hotel employees. Instead, they were independent contractors who were actually paying the hotel for permission to work the washroom. There must have been enough folks who just wouldn't or couldn't walk passed that outstretched hand (or skip the hand washing) to make it worthwhile.

Lots of wealthy European tourists stay in those hotels, philforest - they probably consider it to be normal!

Well, I'm a little late for Catman's post about TEXAS and Motel 6. But here goes, anyway. Catman, everyone in TEXAS knows that Motel 6 "Leaves the light on for you", so, there is no room in the budget for WN segments. but you could use your Amex Card and get a few points. Now, Denny's is a different story. They take the Amex Card also, but what you have to do before going to Denny's is spend the night at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth drinking beer(Shiner Bock or Lone Star) and line dancing and get smashed.
Then you go to Denny's.

Now, about tipping the washroom attendant. You know, down here in TEXAS, Momma taught us to not go to the bathroom on ourselves, so really, there is no need to wash your hands afterward, and therefore, no tipping!!!

Concerning croupiers splitting tips reminds me of an incident from my younger days. I happened to be at a casino in Bad Kissingen (beautiful place, by the way), and was chatting with a person who claimed to be a manager of the casino. Somehow we got on the tips for table croupiers, and he mentioned that they were split across all the tables. When I inquired as to why, he said that some thought an expert croupier could affect the play of the game (roulette wheel) by when and how he released the ball, and the requirement to split tips was intended to reduce the likelihood that he would favor a high-tipping player by "throwing" him more luck (since he would get only a small amount of any added tips).

At the time I accepted this uncritically, probably because I figured the underlying premise was true (i.e., that a croupier could affect the game if he was good enough), but later I began wondering. If the croupier was *that* good, the greater evil would be that he would "deal" with a player for cash under the table - e.g., afterwards - than for "tips".

Still, as they say, "ben trovato".

OK, not to get gross here, but...a friend of my who works at CDCP (center for disease control and prevention) always points out to me that the convention of washing hands AFTER urination is backward.

She explains that urine is sterile and that your privates, covered by clothes all day are relatively germ free and clean. Your hands, however, are constantly exposed to filth, germs and other nastiness through normal daily activity, and particularly from shaking hands with others.

So it makes far more sense, she claims, to wash your hands BEFORE urinating (and, presumably, touching your privates), rather than after. She claims this is more important for women than men, but that it makes more sense for everyone than washing your hands after its too late...

It may seem gross and silly, but as we all know, no one is exposed to more germs than frquent fliers, so whatever we can do to control the spread of disease, well, that's or ff duty!!

And I won't even ask for a tip for that piece of advice! (Although if this doesn't qualify me for the next emmit/nancy/roberto OMNI award, then nothing will)!!!

Matt, Quite to the contrary about the award.
I, too, have heard that advice from many people. You also do not get the award because the post is very intelligible, spelling is correct, for the most part(you
spelled urination correctly), it makes good sense. So, NO AWARDS!!!!

So I guess we should wash our hands before and after using the restroom.

Or you could just carry wet wipes/that instant hand cleanser (I forget the name, but think it's a softsoap product), & avoid the little old lady entirely.

I always wondered about washing hands & then having to open the restroom door afterwards - who knows if the people who opened the door before you bothered washing theirs? Not to mention touching the taps (faucets) to turn them off - surely there are germs on those from dirty hands too.

Not that I'm overly uptight about these things. I saw a poster about how to wash your hands in a Memphis restroom a few years ago, & it set me thinking... according to the poster you should use a paper towel to shield your lovely clean hands from the germ-bearing taps.

I like the fully automated airport restrooms where you don't have to touch a thing. The self-flushing toilets do make me a bit nervous though....

IN the ol tom's eyes, Matt, Jaws, Aubie and
Baobab will share the newly created "Lion
Roars" award for going off the topic but
putting postings in clear, understandable
English. Congratulations!

Getting BACK on the topic, I remember a year
ago when I left my favorite Brooks Brothers
navy blue Blazer at the EWR security checkin (I stopped to fish out my wallent, put the jacket on a table and walked off because I was afraid of making my buddy Billy the cab
driver wait longer than he had to.)

Did not realize I lost it for several hours
until I had to get the dry cleaning together.
Went back to the airport and Hester foudn it
and gave it to Lost and Found. Got the Jacket and offer Hester ten dollars for going to the trouble of being honest. She refused
the tip, refused an offer of a coke, free
movie tickets saying "I will get my reward
from the LORD." And it's against our policy
to take tips.

The other tip story: the cab driver was surprised I gave him an 80 cents tip. I normally round off the fare to the closer dollar amount and add a little for courteous
service. He said it was his first tip in the
six hours he worked.

Yes, some may disagree about tipping the cabbie but I figure its a few cents and most
try.

Now lets save Health 101 to Dr. Koops site! And I ALWAYS WASH! CATMAN

I don't think I would stay in a Motel 6 unless it was a last resort. That, of course, could change if they offered a frequent stay program. Free travel has a way of distorting rational thinking. However, if you ever tour Europe on a student budget, you'll be begging for a Motel 6 in no time!!!

Rudi brings up a good point that has not been discussed in detail. Being relatively new to this travel thing, how much is one supposed to tip a room service person when the hotel charges a 17% room service charge. I asked one of the folks once if they received any of that and they said some, but not much ... fat lot of help that did me. What is customary from all of your vast experiences?

TravelCrazy, generally on Room Service if they are on time, the breakfast is hot and they are courteous I will tack on a little
extra tip and round off the bill total.

Again, tipping should be an option, especially for good service. CATMAN

Earlier in the thread somebody asked about how the IRS views tipping in the US:

The IRS assumes that waiters receive 7% of revenue as gratuities and taxes them on that basis (unless higher tips are reported by the taxpayer). Therefore, tipping less than 7% might actually cost the waiter money.

Any thoughts on calculating the tip when wine is ordered? This isn't an issue with an inexpensive bottle, but it is quite easy for the cost of the wine to exceed the cost of the rest of the meal. Does one tip on the whole bill, or does one apply some arbitrary wine price?

Any thoughts on restaurants that "pool" tips? I like to vary the tip amount significantly based on the service, but if tips are pooled it provides very little incentive or disincentive to the waiter.