cordelli

I do now, every year at Christmas.

Prior to this where I was living had the laziest dumbest garbage pickers uppers ever. They didn't deserve to be paid, let alone tipped.

Kevin AA

^

Ancien Maestro

Exactly.. door people and bellmen get the action..

I like to spread the tips around to those who usually don't receive them.. Especially, in Mexico, Cuba, and Hawaii, its seems greatly appreciated by the staff.. Besides, some of the staff somehow know me by name at the Fairmonts I stay at..

Passmethesickbag

I'm sure that must make you liable for unlimited damages under the Helms-Burton act Being Canadian can't be a defence, surely.

Yaatri

I do tip at restaurants in the U.S. I usually won;t tip a taxi driver, but I have when they did a great job, or I just felt like tipping. Doorman, only once in my life. I prefer to carry my own luggage to my room, but when someone gets to my luggage before I do, which is very rare, I would tip the bellboy. In general, I tip when someone does something over and above their job. I went to visit someone, who had left after waiting for me. I left my luggage with the gate-man while I did other stuff. I tipped him when I came back.

Tipping is voluntary. It's a choice. Non-tippers or tippers are not born that way.

It has been pointed out that house keepers deserve to be tipped house-keeping is a very hard job. It maybe so. But it's beside the point. Firefighting is too but they have to fund raisers. Soldiering is too. Police work is hard work too. Come to think of it teaching is hard work. Baking is hard work. Fixing cars? It's hard.


I see the word gratuity being equated with tip. In Commonwealth countries, gratuity is the money your employer sets aside, that's given to the employee at the end of the contract. Gratuity is not just for people in service industry. There was a time when only the rich employed people, in household help. They gave their household staff gifts for X-mas, and when their guests stayed overnight, they would leave something for the help. In that context it makes sesne to tip.

But i country, where you have a situation, where your employer is contributing money for your retirement, but you were not "vested" in it
for years, until the congress stepped it, there is little rationale for someone to tip housekeeping staff for a couple of nights of stay in a hotel. I know people who have worked all their life, but have no retirement or pension. If tip is mean to remedy that, it's best remedied by the employer diligently contributing to their employees' pension. What we see the quite opposite. Employees pension is seen as an unnecessary expense.

Most people here have said they got extra amenities when they tipped housekeeping every day. Does one really need that many soaps, shampoos etc? When I am travelling alone, I don't even finish what's already in the room.

There is a stash of amenities that the employee has paid for. Guest tips house keeping and housekeeping gives you extra goodies. If the employer did not plan for tipping to be reciprocated by extra goodies, it's stealing. If they did, why this indirect way of paying their employee? Simply pay your employee and be done with paying your employees fair wage instead of having them look for a handout. Making your employees depend on generosity or handouts from customers is bad.

Yaatri

No. I wasn't complaining. Sorry to say you did not get the point. The point is employers shifting their responsibility on to someone else, which is what happens when employers expect their customers to pay their employees or expect the employees to eat the loss. I have never seen a employer do that ever in my life. It was singular.

Moreover, Federal Govt would build tipping into per diem-rate, if tipping was considered a valid expense. In a city where normal per-diem is $140 and you have $60, it's quite obvious that employer does not want you to give tips.

Things are not always what they seem.

Fed Govt publishes every year, what's a reasonable rate for most places in the world. It was less than half. As an individual, or private business not on govt contract, you have more flexibility But you have to follow rules when working on contract with Federal Govt. You can't underpay your employees to underbid for a contract, for example. These issues or OT, however, as is how I should have spent my money.

I believe we are discussing tipping. I will apprerciate if I am left out of it.

RobbieRunner

I've swung both ways on this issue. Have tipped a lot, have tipped a little or none as years went by and by income went up, down, sideways...

Ive traveled with guys and gals on business, and traveled with gals for pleasure. I learned a lot by traveling with them. Especially the gals.

Most that had worked in the service industry (Waitresses) and had a decent career tipped readily and a lot (in my opinion). Way more than I would. Like $10 for maid. To me, that's excessive.

Many that never worked in those areas, and were more concerned about their money were very lean tippers, or did not tip at all.

And many of us have had bad experiences with tipping. I love the line "Do you know how the television works?" I have not heard a bellman say that in many years, but it always brought a smile to my face. I'd say "Sure, and I know how to flush the toilet too!", Then hand him a few bucks.

My worst case was in London a few years ago. I was helped to my room by a fairly tall and athletic guy with a bit of an attitude. I'd just received some British pounds and really did not want help to the room anyway. When we got there, I pulled out a 10 pound note. TEN POUNDS! "I said, this is the smallest I have... can...."
he snatched it and said "That will do" and left. That will do? I was about to ask him if he could give me 8 pounds back! Really pissed me off!

Through all this, I guess I still tip. Probably just not as much as most.

SylviaCaras

Yaatri: I don't know how they got away with it at US$60 per day (meals and incidentals) for London.

$60 is very low for London - I use US State Dep't for international benchmark - they now allow twice that.

Sylvia

skyhawk64ca

Having been in hotels most all of the past 2 years I have mixed views on housekeeping tips as a result.

I have left $5 tips and not even had my ice-bucket "reset" or fresh shampoo.

On the other hand when the message gets through (message being: I'm away from home, if things are kept just a little bit nicer it's worth $5 or possibly a bit more to me for that 'little extra touch') it can enhance a multi-night stay. ($5 - $7 seems about right ~$40 a week at standard Holiday Inns, Ramadas and such.)

The clear problem though is that different housekeepers may service the room each day (presumbly they are given the list from on high) and so building a service-reward rapport is not so effective as it might be.

As one witnesses in restaurants almost daily "service" is no longer really the thing it once was (and I really dislike expectation of a tip without providing service). On the whole though I think it's at least worth a couple nights of $5 investment to see if you detect any increased (not expecting miracles of course) attention to detail.

That said, one thing that drives me crazy is that no matter how much I tip they always move the alarm clock from where I have swivelled it to in order to be able to see the thing, to its "default" position which is always where you can't see it at all when lying in bed! In short: people aren't thinking these days are they? If they did, they'd know that would drive patrons crazy. (Perhaps they just do it for that reason.)

But it can't be often a pleasant job and I'd say I'd rate my success at about 60% of the time $5 daily appears to effect a modicum of improvement (toiletries and stuff arranged, over-provisioned, water refilled, ice-bucket serviced with a new liner).

Often1

1. A reasonable tip is about 5% of the room charges. $5/night is fine in a $100/night hotel. If you are in a $400/night room, $20/night seems reasonable.

2. What your employer pays you as compensation and reimburses you is between you & your employer. Particularly those reimbursed on a Federal government rate, the "I" in "M,I&E) is for "Incidentals" such as tips. If your supervisor won't approve an expense voucher which complies with the rates for the locale (under your contract if you are a contractor), report it to the Inspector General for your agency (or the agency which let the contract).

3. It's plain cheap not to leave a tip. One can argue that it would be a better system if hotels paid their cleaners more, raised their rates and tips weren't necessary (kind of like the European system for restaurants where "service" is added and a tip is very small and only for extraordinary service). But, argument or not, it's not the way it is.

User Name

<sigh> In your opinion.

And round and round we go...

RichMSN

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Thanks, couldn't help myself.

Perhaps with $400 room rates the hotel could pay the help a bit more than minimum wage.

Yaatri

That, I believe, would be the normal reaction of anyone. It's lost on a couple of posters that it's highly unusual, offering suggestions such as looking for cheaper breakfast/meals.


Either some posters must not know about the list, which is rather unusual too, or they must process information in a different way than you or I do, or maybe there is something else. Mot people would react the way you did.

A Federal contractor not using federal govt approved rates is something I have never come across in my life . That's what everyone does and is supposed to use in Federal contract work.

I cite this as an example how some Employers try to shift cost on to someone else.

Often1

Who says the contractor isn't using Federal rates? More than likely the contractor is and is paying below that to the employees and pocketing (tax free) the difference. That's why reporting the employer/Federal contractor to the contracting agency's Inspector General is important.

planemechanic

Why would they need to? At that ridiculous rate, and cleaning three rooms an hour, they would be taking in $60 an hour, TAX FREE!