Yaatri

Recent thread on lack of housekeeping on X-mas day kicked up many opinions some of which, I felt, went beyond the topic. .
There was a thread on Skymiles forum about whether one should tip or not tip bartenders in SkyClubs.
I don't want my room tidied every day as I prefer not to have my things rearranged. I have been used to making my bed first thing in the morning since I was 10. I do not order room service, so there is no extra mess to be cleaned.
I rarely tip housekeeping. I tip only if they do something extraordinary such as bringing extra cream for tea/coffee (which I use only if the tea is good and cream is not the artificial kind).

I wonder if am alone or there are more like me.

cordelli

There are a few threads on tipping housekeeping, and a few threads on not having the room cleaned every day. Some chains even gave bonus points for not having your room cleaned.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...s-per-day.html

that links to something similar on Starwood

The threads always fall into two sides.

Why tip somebody for doing their job

Tipping daily gets you better service

Personally I don't care if they make the bed or not, just give me dry towels and empty the garbage.

dchristiva

I'm not prone to tipping housekeeping when I'm only staying one night, especially if, like you, I don't utilize any additional housekeeping services. If they aren't providing you with any "service", why tip them?

Yaatri

What's an acceptable tip? US$5 per night? If I tipped every one whom people say you are supposed to tip, I would starve on per diem one company paid me. I don't know how they got away with it at US$60 per day (meals and incidentals) for London. Breakfast was 30 pounds in the hotel.

GRALISTAIR

If I stop 1 night I never tip housekeeping. If I stop more than 1 night I will nearly always tip.

dchristiva

If $5/night is the going rate, I'm undertipping. I don't give more than a couple of bucks a night. In fact, when I've tipped housekeeping, it's usually on the front-end of a stay to invite better service while I'm a guest. But, still, I probably haven't given more than $10-$15 for a 4-5 night stay.

Maybe that explains why I've rarely received service above or beyond the norm!

tsastor

Your company should pay a decent rate for a decent hotel and that hotel should pay a decent wage to the housekeeper. That is how it should work, you're allowance is for your lunch, dinner, dry cleaning and car wash and a fully acceptable tip is $0.00.

Nugget_Oz

In the US I will usually tip $10 - $20 per stay for a 3-5 night stay. Elsewhere no. I usually pull the covers over and leave the towels neatly.

I have occasionally gotten a thank you and once even change!

Yaatri

You are absolutely right. Whatever the company pays me is between me and my company and what the housekeeping should get paid is between the housekeeping and their employer, the hotel.

Any tip that you give comes out of your meals and incidentals allowance. I still don't understand how they got away with it since they are a federal contractor. I put down the per diem rate for London, but my supervisor refused to sign my expense report and would not deny it in writing. When I did not make any headway, for a year, I gave it as further delay would have made it difficult for me to get any reimbursement. The amount involved a few thousand dollars that I could ill afford to lose.

Federal Govt has very strict standards for allowable expenses. My wife, working for a bank, stayed in better hotels than I did.

Maybe those who tip can provide a guidance about what is considered a reasonable tip by them since those of who don;t would have no idea.

cordelli

Don't eat breakfast in the hotel? Probably could have gotten it for a fraction of that at someplace around the corner.

fastflyer

We had a survey on tipping a few years ago -- maybe even 10 years ago here on Flyertalk. The output: about 75% do not tip housekeeping in the US. Our international participants were more like 90%+ do not tip.

Sunny 1

We tend to leave something for the housekeeper if staying, say, 5 nights or more in a hotel and have, sort of, gotten to know a housekeeper - but onlynwhen we're sure she's going to receive it. Many times, there are multiple people servicing the room daily.

planemechanic

I generally hand the DND sign when I check in and then leave it there until I check out. I have no need to "get to know" the housekeeper, and feel no need to tip them. They are paid to do a job, just as I am.

AlanInDC

Usually tip $2 per night and I leave it each night. I usually stay in a regular full service Marriott or a Courtyard, or similar quality in another chain. Occasionally, I stay in high-end places and I've left $3 per night.

Studio54

I tipped once when I was staying in Los Angeles many years ago but since then I've never felt it to be necessary. They're paid to do a job. Outside of the US I've never even considered it.