In many hotels the receptionist guides the guest to the room (the porter comes later with the luggage).
I never thought of tipping the receptionist checking me in - but the matter may be different if he/she guides me to my room.

Please NO! This is getting out of hand. Why not tip the grocery store clerks? Why not tip the cop who gives you a speeding ticket?

I have heard stories, back in the day, of offering to buy an understanding officer breakfast/lunch and no tickets being issued. Though I think these days this will probably get you in jail quicker. Maybe this also only works on the southwest side of a large unnamed midwestern city.

It depends what is, is! Guides me means? I don't feel a gratuity is appropriate or expected in most circumstances.

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Let the whole town say that you're bad, everyone you know should be glad, just to know for a moment they had, the pleasure of you.

He/She goes with me to the room and shows me the room (e.g. switches; what normally the porter does).

Until now I didn't give a tip because I didn't find a big use of this procedure or think of it as a special service where the receptionist does something praiseworthy. But I felt always unsure and wanted to get your thoughts.

Anyone who shows me the room and does what a porter does gets a tip. Tips incent people to make my stay a nicer one. I have no problem doing this.

I don't usually tip the receptionist who shows me to my room. They aren't carrying my bags and I can follow the signs to find my room at a hotel. I also didn't ask for this service. It is sort of forced upon you. The hotel I stay at in the UK has this service and I have never felt compelled to tip this person. The porter who brings up my luggage always gets a tip. I am not going to tip one person to show me to my room and another person to show me the features of the room, which by now I am very familiar with at this specific hotel.

If there are too many hands to grease then I only grease the one who finally brings my bags to my room. I don't like it when too many people handle my luggage in hopes of getting a few bucks out of me. At some larger NYC hotels so many people touch my bags from the cab to the desk to the room I now only tip the person who finally brings them up to me.

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Rachel
CO - Platinum
Hilton - Diamond
SPG - Platinum
The Princess' Pictures