Should I tip the maid? [Merged threads]
Mar 24, 2007, 5:59 am
#392
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Join Date: Apr 1999
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Mar 24, 2007, 9:15 am
#394
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT/CNX
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For short, overnight stays, no, I don't. For longer stays, I generally do.
For example, many of my longer stays are at the HIX, Lompoc, CA. After the second night, I'll generally leave 10 bucks. At the end of my stay, I'll leave another 10 or even a 20. If it is an 1.5 week or longer stay, I'll usually leave another 10 sometime during the middle of the stay.
For example, many of my longer stays are at the HIX, Lompoc, CA. After the second night, I'll generally leave 10 bucks. At the end of my stay, I'll leave another 10 or even a 20. If it is an 1.5 week or longer stay, I'll usually leave another 10 sometime during the middle of the stay.
Mar 24, 2007, 10:21 am
#395
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BTR, MSY
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Posts: 200
I agree and feel it is included in the bill. Why should I have to tip when the hotel is making $100/night for me to sleep, shower and use a small amount of electricity? If the management were truly concerned about the occasional messes left in hotel rooms, they might consider bigger trash cans. Let the management/owners take a pay cut and pay their staff more!
Mar 24, 2007, 10:50 am
#397
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: UA GS, Amex Centurion, UA 1MM
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For short, overnight stays, no, I don't. For longer stays, I generally do.
For example, many of my longer stays are at the HIX, Lompoc, CA. After the second night, I'll generally leave 10 bucks. At the end of my stay, I'll leave another 10 or even a 20. If it is an 1.5 week or longer stay, I'll usually leave another 10 sometime during the middle of the stay.
For example, many of my longer stays are at the HIX, Lompoc, CA. After the second night, I'll generally leave 10 bucks. At the end of my stay, I'll leave another 10 or even a 20. If it is an 1.5 week or longer stay, I'll usually leave another 10 sometime during the middle of the stay.
You could be tipping for a week of service and the person who cleaned your room for the past 5 days, who now has a day off gets zero and the fill in person just scored!
Mar 24, 2007, 12:00 pm
#398
Join Date: May 2005
Location: PIT/CNX
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Posts: 2,874
I should also say this:
I'm with many here who say tipping has gotten waaaaay out of hand. I'm actually a big proponent of NOT tipping for things I don't believe should be tipped. These would include: Starbuck's employees (that actually pi**es me off), my garbage man, postman, Subway sandwiches employees, etc, etc, etc.
Lastly, the following post by Feliceesq is not illustrative in the LEAST as to why I tip the maids. I'm of the opinion that if you're not happy making what you do/hour, find another job. I tip becuase I appreciate what they do.
My eyes were really opened by this book by Barbara Ehrenreich (I highly recommend it). She is a university professor who took off time from teaching to see what work was like in these types of minimum wage jobs. She described things like people who had to live in their cars, because it was too difficult on a minimum wage to get together the security deposit and first month's rent.
I never fail to leave money. What seems to be a pittance to us, an amount equal to a latte, means so much to someone making $250 a week. Getting 20 bucks a day more is a godsend to some people. It might mean that someone has money enough to eat or get medicine or buy their child a "new" outfit at the Salvation Army thrift store. When you are flying around, getting upgraded, staying at nice hotels, eating dinners on expense accounts, just think about sparing a few bucks for the maid.
And I won't even get into the whole argument about the hotel should be paying their people more.....they aren't, and a few bucks means a lot to some people. (Just be glad it isn't you....)
I never fail to leave money. What seems to be a pittance to us, an amount equal to a latte, means so much to someone making $250 a week. Getting 20 bucks a day more is a godsend to some people. It might mean that someone has money enough to eat or get medicine or buy their child a "new" outfit at the Salvation Army thrift store. When you are flying around, getting upgraded, staying at nice hotels, eating dinners on expense accounts, just think about sparing a few bucks for the maid.
And I won't even get into the whole argument about the hotel should be paying their people more.....they aren't, and a few bucks means a lot to some people. (Just be glad it isn't you....)
Mar 24, 2007, 4:35 pm
#399
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: One of those "Fly-Over" states
Posts: 176
Yes, each day. Generally paper cliped to the comment card filled out with good marks and a line in the comment section, "For Housekeeping, Thanks, and my first name. In the US 2USD in the more basic hotels and motels I stay. If I can't say anything nice about the hotel I leave it blank.
I keep the room tidy (it pays so you don't leave anything behind) and leave the bath and sink clean and free of my sheding's. And always the toilet spottless. Maybe the German in me.
I am now a hair short of 60 from (for America) an old city for the mid atlantic states. Untill about 1960 service staff were instructed to call children "Master X." It was a class issue not a race issue.
The worst memory for me was seeing the old often facially disfigured orthopeticaly dissabled men who only could get jobs as "Bell Hops." They would litterly jump to attention before you and load themselves up with multipal bag in outragioslly painfull positons and carry them to the room - not letting go when the elevator rised.
I suppose I saw it as a race issue and was really uncomfortable when it happed. I would say, "Please call me (my first name)" Some would - others would quietly say, "I know, just play along, it won't happen to your children when you grow up."
It still bothers me when people call me "Sir" and do the "formal hi service stuff." and try to ask people not to and will avoid places where "Hi Service." Is the norm. It's creepy. Flight Attendents will always observe my request.
We really forget how not that long ago overt classism was the rule. I know class diffences are very real and growing in America but at least now there is less an expection that the "lower economic" classes stay in thier place and bow down to those even of middle class means.
Glad to see "The good old days" gone.
Master Sassy!
I keep the room tidy (it pays so you don't leave anything behind) and leave the bath and sink clean and free of my sheding's. And always the toilet spottless. Maybe the German in me.
I am now a hair short of 60 from (for America) an old city for the mid atlantic states. Untill about 1960 service staff were instructed to call children "Master X." It was a class issue not a race issue.
The worst memory for me was seeing the old often facially disfigured orthopeticaly dissabled men who only could get jobs as "Bell Hops." They would litterly jump to attention before you and load themselves up with multipal bag in outragioslly painfull positons and carry them to the room - not letting go when the elevator rised.
I suppose I saw it as a race issue and was really uncomfortable when it happed. I would say, "Please call me (my first name)" Some would - others would quietly say, "I know, just play along, it won't happen to your children when you grow up."
It still bothers me when people call me "Sir" and do the "formal hi service stuff." and try to ask people not to and will avoid places where "Hi Service." Is the norm. It's creepy. Flight Attendents will always observe my request.
We really forget how not that long ago overt classism was the rule. I know class diffences are very real and growing in America but at least now there is less an expection that the "lower economic" classes stay in thier place and bow down to those even of middle class means.
Glad to see "The good old days" gone.
Master Sassy!
Mar 24, 2007, 5:07 pm
#400
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Not precisely your point, I know. But I think tipping perpetuates the class system by keeping the servant classes in their place - depending on the largess of their masters and denied a living wage.
Tippers might claim they have no choice, and that is mean not to help out with a few $$$. But really they are complicit in the system. Other countries seem to cope - tippers' propensity to tip when travelling to non-tipping cultures suggests that they rather like the feeling of status it gives them.
Tippers might claim they have no choice, and that is mean not to help out with a few $$$. But really they are complicit in the system. Other countries seem to cope - tippers' propensity to tip when travelling to non-tipping cultures suggests that they rather like the feeling of status it gives them.
Mar 24, 2007, 5:45 pm
#401
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: One of those "Fly-Over" states
Posts: 176
Not precisely your point, I know. But I think tipping perpetuates the class system by keeping the servant classes in their place - depending on the largess of their masters and denied a living wage.
Tippers might claim they have no choice, and that is mean not to help out with a few $$$. But really they are complicit in the system. Other countries seem to cope - tippers' propensity to tip when travelling to non-tipping cultures suggests that they rather like the feeling of status it gives them.
Tippers might claim they have no choice, and that is mean not to help out with a few $$$. But really they are complicit in the system. Other countries seem to cope - tippers' propensity to tip when travelling to non-tipping cultures suggests that they rather like the feeling of status it gives them.
Yes, in a couple of the gay bars in the tourist parts of Amserdam I have had the occasion of the bar staff insist on a one Gilder tip for a 4 Gilder drink (bottled water). They don't anymore as I just use the Dutch for bottled water and they don't go after me for outragious tip.
Mar 24, 2007, 6:41 pm
#402
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: NYC
Programs: Scorched earth and base metal in everything these days
Posts: 459
If I'm traveling with my children, and the housekeeper has been especially attentive (i.e. arranging all the stuffed animals on the childrens' beds like they were having a party or a picnic), I'll generally leave a tip.
A quick rule of thumb with me and service personnel (housekeeping, waitstaff, doormen, bellhops) is that the nicer you are to my children, the more likely I am to appreciate it and show that appreciation in monetary form.
A quick rule of thumb with me and service personnel (housekeeping, waitstaff, doormen, bellhops) is that the nicer you are to my children, the more likely I am to appreciate it and show that appreciation in monetary form.
