Is it an expectation to tip the chambermaid in US hotels?
 

Am staying in one of the homewood suites in houston now, and will be here for 3 weeks.

But Im not sure if I should tip the chambermaid who comes in to clean the room everyday. Is it an expectation?

What would be an appropriate time to tip? and how much should an acceptable tip be?

For a long term stay (my criteria is anything greater than 5 days) I will leave $2.00 per day with a note telling the chambermaid thank you on the last day of my stay.

It is best to tip $15/week on a weekly basis (I usually tip $50/week but that is excessive, however I feel sympathy for these hard working people). Tip in advance the day after you check-in and you will have fabulous service for the rest of your stay. Maids are poorly paid and really appreciate these tips when they happen (more than bartenders do, for example).

Why is it better to tip weekly rather than daily? AFAIK there is no guarantee that you have the same maid every day, so it seems to me like it is more fair to tip $2 every day. And yes, tipping $50 per week seems way excessive. Do you typically have maids fighting to get into your room when you leave for breakfast? :)

Hi,

I tip about $2 per day ( as mentioned, you may not have the same maid each day) and they do work hard for little money. I give a bit extra on the final day or if there is a bit of a mess ( ie I have done lots of shopping and there are alot of rubbish/boxes/paper to be thrown out)

Regards

TBS

They expect a tip, I've even been in places where they leave envelopes.

Not everybody tips though.

I usually leave a couple dollars a day.

$2 and up per day each day left on the bed (so the maid knows it's for her) is how it's best done in the U.S. How's it done where you're from?

Well, fortunately its not done at all in many parts of the world. And in my experience, no where is it as expected or as regimented as in the US.

The salary of a U.S. maid is presented to her by her employer as $8.50 per hour plus tips. That's probably the equivalent of a maids pay everywhere. Anyway, $60 a month for maid service ($2 a day) is cheap. When in Rome.....

I have never (even thought to have) tipped the maid.

I'm sorry if that is stingy, but I am paying high prices for the rooms I am using, and since maid service is included in the price, I don't need to tip.

It is not, in my mind, comparable to complimentary valet parking, which is not included in the price but is an added, optional perk.

If something is required then tipping is not usually necessary (for example, bellmen are doing something extra, so you tip them). An exception is waitstaff. If I am a big pig one stay, or I require extra assistance from the maids, then I may tip accordingly.

I always tip
 

$2 a day, with a note saying "Housekeeping - Thank you" (as some hotels prohit the maids from taking singles that are just laying on the desk or wherever.

It's one of the hardest jobs around, and I'm not going to miss $2 because I'm not a cheapskate.

Reading all these makes me wonder that in US, if everyone starts tipping generously, do people working in the service industries take customers for granted, and that every time they do their routine job, they expect more rewards in the form of tipping?

I mean I would gladly tip for:
1) a good service and
2) a good job done
but however, if none of the above is met, i dont see they deserve the rewards of tipping.

Honestly, I dun think the chambermaid in where I stay, is doing up the room better than other places than I've stayed at. Hence my reluctance to tip. But I really dun think I would make a big hoohaa out of this by doing any confrontation.

So it might become a vicious cycle. I dun tip cos I'm not satisfied. She doesnt do a better job cos she's not tipped.

Well, maybe I'll just shut up and start tipping.

It's certainly not my expectation. I tip restaurant and bar staff; that's it. If you don't tip, you're fine.

You should tip $1/bed in a std hotel and more for a...
 

suite or aparthotel. I have done this since I started traveling as a teenager in the early 70's. It is expected, and I do agree to start right away. I have received thank-you notes from housekeeping, and much better service for the length of the stay when tips begin after the first night.

To all the above who are curious: I know you all travel alot, so how about an experiment? Over say, your next trip to the U.S., why not try tipping the maids for a few days, and not tipping the maids for a few days? See if you notice a difference. Seriously. I'm not being facetious. I just thought of this right now. Then you could compare experiences, and I would be eager to learn the results!!! Always fun to chat w/ FT-ers! By the way, in my experience, the maids sometimes are supplied w/ little amenity kits to give to their tipping customers throughout their stay.....Also, if you want your room cleaned at a specific time, if you want extra or different pillows, if there's a coffee maker in the room and you want more coffee, a small tip makes a big difference in service. Ever forgot your key card or found it didn't work? A maid can let you in your room, or tell you to go to the front desk......