robb

I hope you're not getting too personally engaged in this.

I think we do have an irreconcilable difference here. I think that a society run entirely by logic and rigid rules would be far more horrid. Instead, it's a much more pleasant place with its social graces and ettiquette that serve only others and not ourselves.

I agree that tipping has gone too far. I don't tip for counter service at a fast-food restaurant; I don't tip everyone who touches my bag; and I don't tip just because someone throws out a tip jar. But, I do tip where it's generally expected. It is a part of their expected compensation whether they make minimum wage or not.

Should bonuses only be given out to office workers who make a sub-par wage? No, when people are hired, they find out what bonuses they are eligible for and work towards them. It's part of their employment contract.

Tipping the housekeeper is part of the social contract.

dolcevita

I fail to see how the daily housekeeping service, if part of the advertised hotel policies is considered personal service. If the hotel says that they provide daily housekeeping, then it is part of the package you purchased.

Typically, if you compare the rates for places that offer daily service, such as Residence Inn, with the ones for places like Towne Place, which offer limited housekeeping services, you’d find a substantial difference in price for similar accommodations. And I don't think that you can blame it all on the lack of breakfast buffet at Towne Place.

As for the widely patronizing comment of who should and shouldn't travel - somehow I doubt that Marriott and Hilton would appreciate it if I stopped spending my $800/week at their properties, just because I don't tip for services which are included in the price.

On a personal level, I would love to be able to reward all the people who admittedly work very hard to make a living. Unfortunately, my company does not count tipping as a legitimate travel expense, and I can hardly afford to spend an extra $30/week in tips. I prefer to give my contributions to society and those less fortunate (whether humans or animals) in the form of charitable donations.

dolcevita

I fail to see how the daily housekeeping service, if part of the advertised hotel policies is considered personal service. If the hotel says that they provide daily housekeeping, then it is part of the package you purchased.

Typically, if you compare the rates for places that offer daily service, such as Residence Inn, with the ones for places like Towne Place, which offer limited housekeeping services, you’d find a substantial difference in price for similar accommodations. And I don't think that you can blame it all on the lack of breakfast buffet at Towne Place.

As for the widely patronizing comment of who should and shouldn't travel - somehow I doubt that Marriott and Hilton would appreciate it if I stopped spending my $800/week at their properties, just because I don't tip for services which are included in the price.

On a personal level, I would love to be able to reward all the people who admittedly work very hard to make a living. Unfortunately, my company does not count tipping as a legitimate travel expense, and I can hardly afford to spend an extra $30/week in tips. I prefer to give my contributions to society and those less fortunate (whether humans or animals) in the form of charitable donations.

taucher

Not at all. That's been pretty much my stock response to a lot of supposed obligations and customs which I've found wanting over the years. I took no offense.

It's certainly all right to indulge in such things oneself, but it's another matter when attempting to confer new obligations on others.

Same here, except that we don't seem to agree on where that might be.

So you maintain, while my experience has been to the contrary. Lacking an authority, I rely on the IRS minimum wage test. One has to draw the line somewhere, and that seems like a very logical place.

I've just gone over the fine print, and it seems someone must have omitted it in mine.

Seriously though, as I said before, I have only rarely encountered this outside of FT. I'm primarily an adventure traveler, not the sort who needs or wants pampering. Perhaps there are different rules for those who do.

taucher

Not at all. That's been pretty much my stock response to a lot of supposed obligations and customs which I've found wanting over the years. I took no offense.

It's certainly all right to indulge in such things oneself, but it's another matter when attempting to confer new obligations on others.

Same here, except that we don't seem to agree on where that might be.

So you maintain, while my experience has been to the contrary. Lacking an authority, I rely on the IRS minimum wage test. One has to draw the line somewhere, and that seems like a very logical place.

I've just gone over the fine print, and it seems someone must have omitted it in mine.

Seriously though, as I said before, I have only rarely encountered this outside of FT. I'm primarily an adventure traveler, not the sort who needs or wants pampering. Perhaps there are different rules for those who do.

pinniped

Wow...a tipping thread. Never seen one of these on FT before...

I work very hard to make a living. I'm sure you all work very hard to make a living. We all have those days where we feel underpaid and underappreciated. What does that have to do with tipping?

I had never even heard of the concept of tipping a hotel maid before visiting FT. I've traveled with groups and shared hotel rooms with all sorts of people, and nobody has ever once said "Hey! We need to tip the maid!" Therefore, I would conclude from my lifelong experiment that tipping is not part of the "social contract" in either the US or Europe. If some people do it, great, but that doesn't make it an obligation for the rest of us.

pinniped

Wow...a tipping thread. Never seen one of these on FT before...

I work very hard to make a living. I'm sure you all work very hard to make a living. We all have those days where we feel underpaid and underappreciated. What does that have to do with tipping?

I had never even heard of the concept of tipping a hotel maid before visiting FT. I've traveled with groups and shared hotel rooms with all sorts of people, and nobody has ever once said "Hey! We need to tip the maid!" Therefore, I would conclude from my lifelong experiment that tipping is not part of the "social contract" in either the US or Europe. If some people do it, great, but that doesn't make it an obligation for the rest of us.

robb

Well, I had alwyas been taught to tip the hosuekeeper, long before flyertalk.

But, I just asked our IT department to put this question up on our intranet weekly poll:

"Do you tip the housekeeper when staying at a hotel?

Yes - Daily
Yes - At the end of my stay
Sometimes - Only if I've made a large mess
No - Tipping has gone too far"

Probably 100 people from a variety of socioeconomic levels answer the poll each week, so we'll see what we get!

robb

Well, I had alwyas been taught to tip the hosuekeeper, long before flyertalk.

But, I just asked our IT department to put this question up on our intranet weekly poll:

"Do you tip the housekeeper when staying at a hotel?

Yes - Daily
Yes - At the end of my stay
Sometimes - Only if I've made a large mess
No - Tipping has gone too far"

Probably 100 people from a variety of socioeconomic levels answer the poll each week, so we'll see what we get!

TromsoFlyr

I want to apoligize to the people who are reading this and thinking, "This is SO not OMNI" but I felt this was a good place to ask a question like this. The folks in this forum have a wide variety of opinions on all different subjects, I wanted to get a good feel for what you all though.

Thanks for all of your inputs, maybe Ill think twice next time! :-)

TromsoFlyr

I want to apoligize to the people who are reading this and thinking, "This is SO not OMNI" but I felt this was a good place to ask a question like this. The folks in this forum have a wide variety of opinions on all different subjects, I wanted to get a good feel for what you all though.

Thanks for all of your inputs, maybe Ill think twice next time! :-)

robb

I didn't mean that to be critical. You can talk about whatever you like here, it's just so travel related that occasionally people make jokes about moving travel stuff out of OMNI as "off-topic."

robb

I didn't mean that to be critical. You can talk about whatever you like here, it's just so travel related that occasionally people make jokes about moving travel stuff out of OMNI as "off-topic."

lili

Sorry, but many of the "maids" I've seen pushing those humungous carts are male. Has the news gotten out that they can make minimum wage cleaning up after others, or are they starting at the bottom working their way up?

Tip the maid. Like your dinner "server." Just do it. Say 15 percent of the room charge, for instance.


Edited for spelling, grammar, and stupidity. Probably didn't get all that stupidty. Ah well.


[This message has been edited by lili-dui (edited 09-24-2003).]

lili

Sorry, but many of the "maids" I've seen pushing those humungous carts are male. Has the news gotten out that they can make minimum wage cleaning up after others, or are they starting at the bottom working their way up?

Tip the maid. Like your dinner "server." Just do it. Say 15 percent of the room charge, for instance.


Edited for spelling, grammar, and stupidity. Probably didn't get all that stupidty. Ah well.


[This message has been edited by lili-dui (edited 09-24-2003).]