Welllll, thank you! thank you very much!

You know, I don't know what it is about FTer's taking all these threads so personally, especially when discussing such issues! This issue especially ... that's the ridiculous thing...

Keeping a profile with notations like, "rude," "cheap," "great guest," "knows GM" is indeed not ridiculous, just ask g_leyser on his brilliant Ask Me A Hotel Question Thread, or the hotel manager at the Hilton or Marriott where you stay. You do have a profile. They know you. They keep a profile on you, if you are a repeat customer.

Even if they don't keep a profile, chances are, you will run into the same people, and people do remember things about you, I guarantee.

But don't take my word for it - who am I?

[This message has been edited by anonplz (edited 10-01-2002).]

Doch...or au contraire, if you prefer. Housekeepers aren't paid sub-minimum wage, nor is the service provided discretionary. It is an integral part of the product purchased. As such, there is no reason to tip except in extraordinary circumstances or if you wish to.

So you would tip the chambermaid even if you didn't use the room one night for whatever reason? That's like tipping for takeout...little or no service provided. So what's the point? They're entitled?

Somehow, despite all these years of missed tips, the Housekeepers' Union hasn't gotten around to breaking my legs yet... http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/rolleyes.gif

I'm not asking anyone to go out of his/her way for me (if so, I tip generously), just to provide in an acceptable manner the services already contracted.

Thinking back, I haven't noticed any slipping in the cleanliness of the room. Who knows, maybe they don't feel they have to be bribed to do their jobs properly?

Ahh wine...well now here is a topic of tipping i can really discuss at length.
Aside from my duties as the Maitre d' , I am also the Sommelier.
For wine there are two schools of thought. The first are those who never tip on wine. Which personally I find to be a bit silly and ignorant. The thinking goes, that wine, being preprared and expensive is somehow exempt from the gratuity.
If I buy a kobe steak, at a $130 do i then get to forgo the customary tip, because the beef is more expensive, and the prep time no more involved than a choice porterhouse steak? Following this logic, a person also tips less on White truffles.

The second school of thought is: I will tip the full amount, for the full amount of my meal, including wine, because it is as much a part of my dining experience as everything else. But on bottles which cost more than $200 each I will only tip on half their cost.

Despite what people may think about wine service and gratuity, most people I have encountered in my years of service fall into the later catagory.

Thank God! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif




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Just My 2¢

You do what you want.

Tipping if the room is not used? Bribes? Break your legs??? You're being absurd.

I've supported my case that a gratuity is in order to housekeeping, unless you have a specific reason not to, and no, I do not mean, because "I don't have to", or "I've been so clean, she'll never even know anyone checked in." I mean, housekeeping didn't make my bed or pick up my soiled towels or clean my toilet.

That's never been in doubt.

Sorry for taking so long to catch up. Thanks for waiting! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif

Actually, you haven't. I pursued this in hopes someone could demonstrate a convincing rationale for expanding tipping to housekeeping staff. So far I have seen none.

"Custom" may have sufficed as an answer back in the days of the manorial economy, but I like to have valid reasons for obligations others try to convince me I have.

Tipping 10% of the room rate for fear of chambermaid reprisals is ludicrous. YMMV, but if it does, don't expect it to suddenly become universal.

In coming up with my personal tipping guidelines, I looked at how much per hour these guys were making. I don't think any waiter deserves more than $20/person tip for dinner. That being said, I do occasionally tip up to $30/person, but only if the meal was superb.

On the other side, I agree that 20% is reasonable on a very small check.

The turning point in my tipping career was when waiters at Smith & Wollensky in New York were bragging that they had a guy who made $500k per year off tips.

QL

"Thanks for waiting" for what??? Not being the brightest bulb on FT, I can't decipher riddles. What is your point?

You're wrong. In fact, I have done so, over and over and over. If you fail to see the reasoning, I can't possibly add anything further to the debate, except ad hominem attacks, and I'm not going to go there with you.

This thread was started as a request for advice, someone seeking guidance. I am not Emily Post. I am not even g_leyser. I am someone who has responded to a request posed to the FT community, of which I am a member. If you disagree with my post, folks, if you think I am talking about YOU, think again.

I am talking about - drum roll, please - me.

[This message has been edited by anonplz (edited 10-02-2002).]

The housekeeping one is interesting. We usually travel with my son and that means an extra bed or making up the sofabed. It really ticks me off at hotels where it's $30 charge per night for an extra person, but when I get to the room I have to call housekeeping to get the bed. That means a tip on top of the $30 a night I'm already paying. If I have to call for an iron, hairdryer, second robe, etc., it's more tips to housekeeping. I really dislike those hotels that seem set up to extract more tips in this fashion. They get little or nothing left in the room when I check-out.

I don't tend to tip housekeeping on one-night stays, but do tip on longer stays, especially if the maid has gone out of her way to make us comfortable. Those who realize there are three of us and leave extra towels, robes, slippers, water, toiletries get nice tips. The basic service gets considerably less.

My husband and I have debated the wine issue. He tends to give a 20-percent tip on $100-200 bottles of wine. I think it should be less unless the sommelier set up special pairings for us, was very helpful or decanted the wine. In the end though, he pays the bill and I don't ask so we avoid the discussion.

So is this what you would do?

And when you help people choose wines, do you expect to be tipped directly or does the waiter give you something, or do you get nothing at all?

d

I never tip housekeeping for bringing extra pillows, irons, etc. It's not expected.

Okay, I've got over 40 years of the "hospitality" industry under my belt. I have been reading this thread, and I agree with QuietLion, Boo Boo Too, and a few others.

But I will say the words...TIP W*H*O*R*E*S. Now someone is going to flame me, so go ahead. I will just ignore you. I've never worked in a 5-star restaurant, but believe me, I've got plenty of experience. Just last night I was washing dishes! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

I am not anti-tipping, I just believe tipping is to show appreciation of a service well done. Most wait people do not work 8 hours a day, and some make the minimum wage in their state ( 6.50+). If they get a check under $100 for the week, ask them how many hours they worked. And what about the tips they recieved every day? Why isn't that counted towards your "paycheck" every week? If I pay my dishwasher 6.50 an hour, is that waitress doing sooooo much more than him to earn 6.50 an hour plus tips? Only if she is doing her job. And if she isn't making at least 8% of her total sales in tips, she is a really BAD waitress. Wait staff paychecks are deducted by the TAXES on that 8% of her total sales, NOT THE 8%. So if her total sales for the day was 500 dollars, her paycheck would be deducted the TAXES on $40.

So the next time you eat out, you watch the wait person. Are they keeping busy? Adding up their tickets, checking their customers for water and setting tables? Or are they trying to get the bus boy to do their work, and are gabbing with the other wait people about how someone stiffed them or how my boyfriend cheated on me? Or are they sweet-talking to the customers they think will tip better?

Another thing about waiters/waitresses...I've noticed there are different types. The first type works hard, saves their money, goes to school, and gets into a different line of work. Another type has no other skills (ie. lazy), waits on tables until she dies, because the money is easy and her husband pays most of the bills, or she has child support/welfare/foodstamps. Then there is the professional wait person, who sees it as a REAL job, makes good money, appreciates it, and continues to give excellent service because that is the JOB.

There is nothing wrong with being in the hospitality business. It is not a demeaning job. One doesn't have to be a kiss*a*s*s.

My 1 cents, I'm not finished.

Linda

As to whether or not they are worth the 6.50 an hour plus tips when the busboy does not make that, usually, the waitress speaks English, the busboy does not. The waitress has to smile and "make nice" even when she/he has had a lousy day. Usually, the waitress is supposed to tip out at the end of the night to people who assisted her in turn, like the busboy. Finally, it is not my problem how much she is making, whether 5000 per year or 500k per year - I tip based upon the amount of my check. The rest of all that is not within my control and I don't care.

It's a hard job, no doubt about it. The server who gives good service deserves a generous tip in my book.

[This message has been edited by anonplz (edited 10-02-2002).]

I tip on wine, I also tip on corkage...but I do follow the rule of tipping on half the cost of the wine when it exceeds $200.

I never expect a tip for helping a person choose a wine. I love what I do, and frankly speaking, guiding someone to enhance their dining experience through moving them a into a bottle of wine, which, brings them the most happiness, is the entire reason behind doing what i do.

I want to earn peoples trust by anticipating each and everyone of their needs.

I don't receive money from the staff, on occasion from the guest, but primarily i am paid by salary.

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Just My 2¢

Why put hospitality in quotes?

TIP W*H*O*R*E*S.


I detect quite a bit of resentment, by you using this to describe people who work their tables to get a higher tip percentage.

I suspect by your post that you work in the back of the house. I used to be a chef. A Certified Exec Chef at that. I used to take tremendous pride in doing the dishes when i had to. It always earned me respect. Thus, I have had similar feelings about tipped employees that you do.

I never saw them as working an honest days work, to me they were nothing but overpaid part time non working actors, who were lucky just to be paid minimum wage. My dishwashers, prep cooks, roundsman, and saucier, made less per day than some of my serving staff. Although over a year's time they made much more, and received Insurance benifits, paid vacations and free meals.

I was wrong in every assumption I made about the Front of the House staff, including management. Of course it took me, leaving the security of the BOH, go to school, and start at the bottom again, to appreciate the what waiters, bartenders, bussers, and runners have to put up with.

Do they work 8 hour shifts? rarely.
But they do work hard, and they work smart. They use their skills in service to satiate the guest. They are really the people making money for the restaurant.

THEY ARE THE REASON PEOPLE COME BACK, EVEN IF THE FOOD IS MEDIOCRE THAT NIGHT.

It's all about service baby!!!