Tipping
 

Found this on Turks and Caicos Guide. 15% tip for hotel maids? Lets see that would be around $200.00 for our week.

Tipping will be one of the simplest parts of your Turks and Caicos vacation.

The guideline is approximately 15 percent for any food server, bartender, hotel maid, porter, or taxi driver. However, if you receive exceptional treatment, service workers appreciate receiving more than the standard, and some travelers also tip accordingly for poor service.

I don't know about that being traditional there but that sounds awfully steep to me. Way more than I'd normally tip & I thought I tipped very generously.

Wow.. I have not been to T&C, but that just seems really steep. On a $300/night room that would be $45 day. That's almost what I pay my cleaning lady to clean my whole house! And she's there for 4 hours...

15% sounds completely ridiculous for a chamber maid!!

I think $5 bucks a day is more than generous.

I agree with ScottB...we always tip about $5 a day.

Christie

I have friends that have never given a thought to leave a tip for housekeeping. I hope I'm changing their mind. It is my favorite tip to leave. In fact, I have always thought they deserve the tip more than anyone else on my trips. Whether it is in the states or international. I am just grateful to anyone that cleans up after me. Having said all of that I have never left 15% in my room at Caneel. That would be a steep tip. Interesting thought. Owa

My suggestion would be to leave the $$ daily. If you had the same maid all week, if she's off on the one day you do leave a tip, she won't get it, the other gal will.

We tip about 5 a day. I think that is enough!

Whew, I am glad to hear that others do 5 a day since that is what we do. 15% does seem high to me as well. Has anyone ever taken the time to add up all the extra tips given while on vacation???? cabs, concierge, housekeeping, tour guide....yikes!

We tend to tip about $5 a day and leave it daily as well since whoever cleans for the day deserves the tip. I also think you receive better service if you do this. I tend leave more on the last day.

Please note that almost every Caribbean island adds a percentage service charge to the bill. Some may call it a tax, but it is normally in addition to any government tax.

In most countries any such service charge must (by law) be distributed in a "pool" to all hourly paid staff (other than restaurant staff, where there is often a 15% service charge added automatically).

In Cayman for example, almost all hotels and condos charge 8-10% service charge on top of the 10% tax (three guesses which one does not charge it!).

This service charge acts as the gratuity for hotel staff, so bear that in mind when you decide on a tip.

How do you leave it daily? In a marked envelope? Otherwise most just don't touch any money laying around.

RL

Ron,
My mom handed our tip of $20 to our maid on our last trip (Grand Cayman)which was probably not a good idea as she may not have been the maid all week.

My husband and I normally leave the tip on the bed,on a pillow and the maids must know that it is for them as they have always taken the tip.

Christie

Usually we tip $3-5 a night depending on the actual service and the accomadations (tip more for a villa as opposed to a single room). On some Las Vegas site i was looking at earlier in the week it recommended $1-5 a day. 15% seems a little steep to my way of thinking.

I usually bring an envelope marked "FOR MAID" that i leave the tip in. A few weeks ago at the BVI's i forgot the envelope and wrote on a full page of paper FOR MAID at the top and THANK YOU at the bottom and placed the money in the middle and then sat on an end table by itself. Each day the maid got her tip and folded the paper over to show only the THANK YOU.

I usually leave $2 per day, per person staying in the room. It's left either on the kitchen counter if we are in a condo suite or on the desk if we are in a hotel room with a quick note of thanks, or with any requests we have.

I did $4.57 a day. They seemed to be happy.

Turks and Caicos is on my hubby's list; he's already reading his Fodor's. I have never heard of a 15% tip required for housekeeping any where. The sweet housekeepers in Jamaica would probably expire from the shock; they are so grateful for anything. We always leave at least three dollars or more in the mornings and give at least a dollar or two to the night staff who come to bring you fresh towels and turn down your bed so nicely. I think they get overlooked quite often. I also thought about a dollar per bag was acceptable for any porter. I think I even heard Oprah say that! I thought we were doing so well.

It has been my experience many places include a gratuity in the bill. I usually leave $5.00/day.

$2-3 per day per person is my amount for the room maid as well, but I don't stay in very fancy places.

I leave it on the unmade bed. money on a counter or a dresser will often not be taken. or you can use an envelope or add a note of thanks.

And definitely tip daily since different ladies may come in each day. And more heavily at the beginning if you are hoping for anything extra to be provided you because of this tip (more towels, etc.)