Bed & Breakfast Etiquette - Does one tip?
 

I am going to England next week. I have never stayed in bed and breakfasts before but am looking foward to this experience. Being a newbie I am wondering how one tips? I don't know if this is handled differently than in hotels. Is there anything else I should be clued into? I do want to do what's proper.
Thanks for your help.

Simple answer: no, you don't tip anyone in a B&B. For what it's worth, it's unusual to tip in hotels in the UK either (apart from in the restaurant). I will now be contradicted by the usual crowd of non-UK residents who disagree and apparently know more about this than someone who lives in the UK and has stayd in countless hotels and B&B's here... (PS, they're still wrong).

No tipping. No need for it - non whatsoever. It's not expected. The occasion doesn't occur -it really doesn't. When would you tip - you'll carry your own bags, you only eat breakfast. Housekeeping - no don't really don't.

I've never tipped in the UK either. If I was staying a long time (a couple of weeks) I might just consider leaving something for the bed makers, however, I have never done so. So like Gordon, no.

If I was staying in a hotel and used their restaurant I would not tip, but I would if I went outside to another restaurant, even here I would only round up with a max of 10%, cash on table. If mandatory "service charge" or "table charge" was included then no tip. If the service charge or table charge was mentioned on the menu outside I would probably walk by.

In the UK we generally like things to be priced as they are priced and legislation is in place to keep it that way as much as possible. Added extras are "seen" very badly by the Brits.

I'm a non-UK resident and I have no idea if I'm the usual crowd but I think not as I don't often post to UK threads.

I've never tipped in B&Bs. I do tend to keep my room neater than in hotels and I usually flip the bed covers back to neaten the bed. Sometimes I even make the bed as I'm in someone's home, not a hotel. I'm more aware of electricity usage as well. Act as though you're a guest in someone's home, which your are, albeit a paying guest.

Thanks, I thought tipping wasn't necessary but you know how you can overthink things before you leave on a trip.

Assuming it is a real B&B - that is someone's private house in which they are renting out a couple of rooms you do not tip.

If it is a professionally run inn (will have more rooms, a bar/pub and usually dining room - serve lunch and/or dinner - and have a staff - then you tip as in a hotel.

If it is a professionally run inn (will have more rooms, a bar/pub and usually dining room - serve lunch and/or dinner - and have a staff - then you tip as in a hotel.

which is nowt.

<<If it is a professionally run inn (will have more rooms, a bar/pub and usually dining room - serve lunch and/or dinner - and have a staff - then you tip as in a hotel.>>

I have never, ever tipped in a UK B&B, guesthouse, pub (when staying) or hotel, and I can't imagine I ever will. It just doesn't occur to me.

Nope, never tipped in a b&b...professional inn or old style. It is just not done here. Never tipped in a hotel or any lodging in the UK either...

Re hotels ~ I cannot imagine <b>not</b> leaving something to thank the person who cleans the room. I don't care if they are paid a living wage; its still thankless work.

There are a lot of thankless jobs in the world...

I'll bet the person cleaning the room is thankful to have the job. It may not be thankless to them. But it's probably a good thing for them that you're condescending enough to think that way.

If it is called a B&B - no. Anyone who works there is likely to be either the owners or family. Occasionally a girl will come in to help clean but that is very unusual.

Same if it is an Inn - assuming you are talking about Europe/the UK. nytraveler may be thinking about places in the States where we tend to tip everybody who looks cross-eyed at us . . but in the UK -- nope.

well, it seems to me unfair not to tip the bellman who brings bags to you room, the waistaff who serves your breakfast or front desl staff/concierge who makes reservations for you, etc.

Now - how many 'inns' have you stayed that have a concierge??

You are complicating the issue -- The OP is asking about B&Bs, not high end resorts w/ concierge and bell staff.

And in a B&B that's likely to be one person who does all those jobs! ;)
I have never tipped when staying in a B&B here.

A b&b would not have a bellman, concierge etc. usually it is a couple that do everything...even cook and serve you breakfast and clean your room. They may have a small staff.

In the UK there is no need to tip at a b&b.

I wouldn't stay in a hotel who had staff who grabb your bag and take it to your room. I see it as gross invasion of my privacy. I'm not going to pay someone to invade my privacy. I've never ordered a bell in my life so no idea why I should pay a bellman. What else does concierge have to do but book things for me, that is why they are employed. (if they do something difficult then they might get £5 for the skill but only difficult things not just their job).

Thankless tasks, well thank them "thank you and please should be part of your conversation", I do.

I do it in other countries because.

Tipping is not done in UK hotels for goodness sake.

I do it (tip) in other countries because.

No tipping in hotels or B&Bs in the UK. We always tip our traffic wardens as their job is "thankless".

"We always tip our traffic wardens as their job is "thankless"."

Good one, I suspect that you're talking about a verbal tip rather than a monetary one.:-)

I agree, in any business that's run by the owner, as a small B&B in a home, no tipping. But in the UK what I'd call a small hotel is sometimes called a B&B and there are maids that clean the rooms. In these, being a foreigner and not knowing what I'm doing, I do leave a small tip for the housekeeping staff when I leave. I understand it's not de rigueur in the UK but I do it. Silly me.

I have found that detailed advice to a traffic cop is equal to the detail they include in a traffic ticket.

"In these, being a foreigner and not knowing what I'm doing, I do leave a small tip for the housekeeping staff when I leave. I understand it's not de rigueur in the UK but I do it. Silly me."

Oh no, that's absolutely scandalous, they'l be expecting us to do it next. :-)

"...they'l be expecting us to do it next."

And don't think I haven't thought the same thing. I'm naughty by nature.

At least, nobody has suggested giving the hostess a packet of cake mix

Instead of trying to understand all the various tipping practices around the world we simply tip every tenth person we meet.

Sorry, cold: that won't do. The preferred tipping rate is 15-20%.

I have run a small B&B for 7 or 8 years and all the tasks mentioned above are done by me. In that time, I have received one tip, £10 from an elderly lady who I thought would have been embarrassed had I refused it. On the other hand, visitors from abroad have brought some nice gifts, stroopwafels and Japanese sweets for instance.

I am not aware that "high end resorts" are the only places with staff. I wouldn't know - I have never stayed at one.

Agreed that small B&Bs don;t. And smaller inns may not have much staff. But every hotel - of hundreds - I have ever stayed at has a bellman, waitstaff and either a concierge or a bell or front desk person to help with special requests. And many of these were 3* tourist hotels - not 4* business or 5* luxury places - all across the US - and in more than 25 other countries, primarily in europe.

A B&B isn't a hotel...

>>But every hotel - of hundreds - I have ever stayed at has a bellman, waitstaff and either a concierge or a bell or front desk person to help with special requests. <<

There are many (hundreds probably) of hotels in the UK that are actually hotels - and don't have all - or ANY - of those things. Even some high-ish end properties don't.

I always leave a housemaid tip at any hotel, but have never stayed at a B&B.
If I do, I promise to refrain from this ugly habit.

" I understand it's not de rigueur in the UK but I do it. Silly me."

No. Offensive, cultural imperialist, insensitive you.

And it's people like you that make people like me tell American waiters to go and stuff themselves when they come begging for tips.

I understand it's not de rigueur in America to tell beggars to demand a living wage from their employers. But I do it. Silly me.

It is truly amazing how much difficulty Americans have with not throwing money around. And with the concept of "when in Rome".

"Silly me." flanneruk

Indeed.

How is it that people agonise over what to wear so they will " fit in with the locals/ not look like American tourists"yet, being told tipping is not done, completely ignore the advice & barge on with their custom of tipping everyone who draws breath?

If you insist on doing elsewhere what you do at home, be prepared to accept that the rest of us may well do the same when we are in the US.

You may think tipping where it is not usually done makes you look magnanimous. It is often completely the opposite and you may very well appear patronising. A genuine "thank you" is all that is required.

" A genuine "thank you" is all that is required."

I'm not in the room enough to engage in conversation with these workers and I'm not about to start leaving thank you notes.

If my thank you tip is so offensive, they don't have to take it.
But they always do and I believe it is welcomed.

They may take it (what else are they going to do?), but that doesn't mean they think you are being "magnanimous". More likely either patronising or stupid. Probably both.