Along with others I also think that tipping has got out of control. Everybody seems to have his or her hand out. I recenlty went to a self-serve deli. Guess what? They had a tip jar by the cash register. For what? I got my food, I refilled my coffee myself, I bussed the table when I was done.

The whole thing is ridiculous.

Along with others I also think that tipping has got out of control. Everybody seems to have his or her hand out. I recenlty went to a self-serve deli. Guess what? They had a tip jar by the cash register. For what? I got my food, I refilled my coffee myself, I bussed the table when I was done.

The whole thing is ridiculous.

Last week, I "tipped" the maids a (cheap) camera, a pair of sunglasses, a bunch of loose change, and a Hawaii Entertainment book. Moral of the story is that anything not chained to the desk might get taken as a "tip".

So no, I don't feel the need to leave an extra $2-3.

Many people on this thread have expressed opinions to the effect that tipping has gone out of hand or that some tipping practices seem outright ridiculous.

If you want to change things, there is a better way to go about it than just not tipping: give your custom to establishments with no-tipping policies.

My personal favourite is the Myhotel chain in the UK; they have two hotels in London, myhotel Bloomsbury and myhotel Chelsea.

Are there any in the US?

QL

Google seems to be helpful with a '"no-tipping policy" hotel' search term. A quick stroll unearthed the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and the Boulders (A Wyndham Resort Hotel) in Scottsdale. Inn At Union Square claims to be the only San Francisco hotel with a no-tipping policy. Enbassy Suites La Jolla in San Diego and the Seaport Hotel in Boston claim a no-tipping policy as well.

There are many others. Perhaps it would be helpful if everyone made a point of calling the reservations desk of their favourite hotel chain to ask if they have any no-tipping properties? If you do, post the results here (perhaps on a separate 'No-tipping policies' thread).

(removed dupe)

[This message has been edited by Markonen (edited 06-03-2003).]

The simplest way to achieve a no-tipping hotel is for all guests to refuse to tip.

After decades of declining tips, most European hotels' staff do not expect tips for routine functions. The same will happen over time in the US.

I maintain that all US residents or visitors should feel an obligation to tip the sub-minimum-wage staff because of this quirk in the US employment laws. Those lower wages apply only to waiters and bartenders as employees. (Self-employed or commissioned people are not employees and are not part of this unusual low-wage exception).

Maybe someday this will change. If so, tipping would probably disappear here in the US outside of the unusual "above-and-beyond" cases that have been discussed above.

In the meanwhile, please, do not try to expand the tipping practice any further. At the very least it is confusing to our guests; at worse, it lessens the value of work performed by the worker for his employer: a bedrock of the concept of labor.

Reading this thread reminded me of a little thing that happened to me last week. I was dining with some friends and family at a Japanese restaurant in the USA. The bill came to $27 and change (which sounds cheap but a number of us had separate checks). Not having many $1 bills I stuffed $30 into the envelope and handed it back to the server. The server never came back with the change. "Must have taken it as a tip," said another member of my party when I mentioned this. I wound up leaving another $2 on the table but only because it was a Japanese restaruant in the USA and I appreciated the typical Japanese attention to excellent service (until they failed to bring me the change, anyway). Were it one of those regular chain places I would gladly have walked out and let them keep their self-declared <10% "tip" (unless the service was really bad, in which case I would have been glad to embarrass the heck out of the server by asking loudly where is the change). What would you all do in a situation like this?

Now, note that I twice qualified my description of this Japanese restaurant above with "in the USA", because one wouldn't leave a tip at a Japanese restaurant in Japan. Whenever I come across these tipping discussions there are invariably a number of comments that, in summary, "you should tip your server 79% of the bill because your server is overworked and underpaid. If you really, really disliked the service then a 77% tip would be an appropriate way to register your displeasure." Now, I realize that not every country is Japan, but I think it's important to note that in some cultures giving people extra money because your opinion holds them to be working too hard for their wages would be seen as looking down on them and would be taken as a grievous insult. Is anyone else bothered that so many people hold overworked + underpaid = toss 'em some more money to be a moral absolute?

OK, having philosophized sufficiently I will now attempt to help out our Aussie friend whose questions seem to have gotten largely lost amid the debate over the moral big picture.

$2 per Scotch sounds a bit much to me, even if the place is upscale. Then again, I've been yelled at by my dining companions a number of times for daring to contradict their assertion that the server was young and pretty and female and therefore must get a 33% tip. (I will stop short of saying which part(s) I contradicted. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif) It's been a couple of years for me, but last time I was in an upscale NYC alcohol-serving establishment Scotches were going for about $8 each. A tip of $1 per drink should be sufficient. Only tip $2 per if you feel you have received some of the best bartending of your life.

2 and 3 are usually the same; a total tip of $1-2 per bag will suffice (maybe a little extra if you have particularly cumbersome luggage). 4 is the subject of some debate. Some folks give a dollar or two even if the guy does nothing besides direct the guest to the first available taxi. As for me, I only tip the man if he helps load my luggage into the taxi, in which case he gets a dollar. (I'm cheap and I travel light.)

5 is the subject of intense debate. (Search TravelBuzz! for past threads.) It seems the majority tips between $1 and $3 per night, to be left on one of the furniture items at the end of the stay. Some folks swear that leaving a large ($5+) tip on the first night ensures extra-good housekeeping from then until departure time, but whenever I've tried to tip on a night-by-night basis the money has been dutifully left for me right where I put it. A sizeable and vocal contingent doesn't tip hotel maids at all. In the end it's up to you decide whether and how much to tip the maid.

That sounds good to me, but again you'll find lots of people insist that the shuttle driver be tipped a buck or two whether or not you need help with your bags. Personally, I rarely stay in airport hotels so I haven't much experience in this area.

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">7. Room service (10%)

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This is one of few "tipped" services for which a service charge is usually added automatically in the USA. Check to see if this is the case. Keep in mind there will often be a separate line on the bill for you to write in a tip even if a service charge has already been added. Don't fall for this if it happens to you. If there is no service charge then leave the same 15% tip you would leave for food service in restaurants.

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">8. Taxi (15%, or USD2 whichever is more)

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That's a pretty good estimate, though if the fare is $5 or less (as may happen with an 8- or 10-block trip in light traffic in NYC) then a $1 tip will suffice. Less than $1 is just plain tacky, even for me. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">From the above thread, I think 15% will be fine for restaurants.

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Darn right, and don't let the ex-waiters' lobby tell you different. (By all means, though, do adjust the amount for notably good or bad service.)

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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">If it is relevant I am 25 (but prob look about 20) and am travelling with another guy who is 30 (but prob looks 25).

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It isn't relevant really, but if you want to live like an American while you're here I will add that lots of American guys with your age and looks like to assuage their insecurity about dealing with the opposite sex, by leaving inordinately large tips (30-50% or even more) to young, shapely waitresses, without regard for quality of service. (See my comment above.) Honestly, the waitress could forget to even bring the food and these guys would still tip one-third of the bill. If you would like to try throwing your money out the window in a uniquely American way, feel free to try this one. Personally I don't care for the feeling it gives.

[This message has been edited by Factotum (edited 06-03-2003).]

Let's not forget our tour bus operators! It is customary to tip them 15% of the cost of the tour...

Please...someone might think you are serious!

QL

Room service: I give 15% with a limit of $5-10 depending upon the quality of the service (only if it isn't autograt, of course). No need to tip more than $10 for 10 minutes work.

QL

Check this one out: a few days ago, I went to a luau on Oahu. It included a free bus ride from Waikiki to the west side of the island.

On the bus, there was a goofy guy separate from the driver that told a few stupid jokes on the way out to dinner (45 minute ride). He worked for the hotel putting on the luau, not for the bus company. He added zero value with his stupid jokes.

On the way home from the luau (same bus, same goofball on the microphone), the guy actually had the cojones to ASK FOR TIPS!!

As we exited the bus, I noticed some people tipping and some not. I tipped him one dollar because I felt that a $1 tip sent a better message than zero tip. (Zero tip might get taken as "I don't have any cash". $1 tip clearly means "I *do* have cash, but your stupid jokes weren't worth more than a dollar.")

I am! My boyfriend is a tour bus driver. It is customary to tip them 15%. In fact for large groups it is added on.