Loki, your statement about politicians and corporate CEOs hit the nail right on the head. LOL.

I had no idea prior to this thread so many people didn't think they should tip the maid. I always have tipped(except for a few occassions when I truly forgot) - I leave it at the end with a note just saying Thanks. I was always told it is standard, and have never had anyone I've traveled with say otherwise. My business has a reimbursement category for tips that specifically includes hotel maids. For example, in Emily Post's Etiquette (don't ask why we actually have one) it stated that maids should be tipped $2 in large hotels/$1 cheaper hotels (that was copyright 1992, so $3 a night now sounds right).

Whether or not a tip is "required," as others have noted, this is hardly a job people would prefer if they had a choice, so worst case scenerio you give an extra $3 a day to someone who is working hard for low pay during a trip that you're spending hundreds or thousands on. And if you think about it, a maid's "adequate" service is part of your stress-free trip.

Certainly, if a maid does a bad job, I would tip her less or not at all (just as with a waiter).