Hello,
before anyone flames me for yet another tipping question, I have already read all the previous tipping posts and cannot find an answer to this one.
I have just booked an airport Lei greeting for my husband and I from aloha friends,as well as giving us a lei they also help us with our baggage,what would be an appropriate tip for this service?
we usually like to give a small gift to people who have given us good service(ussually a small packet of welsh candies or something similar)is this O.K or too patronising ?
any suggestions welcome,we both work in the hospitality industry in the UK and so are quite used to tipping in bars and restaurants,but its hard to get used to tipping everyone.
thanks in advance Linda

anyone?

That's fine Linda. It's a nice gesture, i'm sure they'll be pleased to meet someone from the U.K.! However if they carry your luggage a tip of 1-2 dollars per bag is standard. Enjoy!

I don't believe I've ever seen anyone tip for lei service in Hawaii. Has this been done through a tour agency in conjunction with your airfare or hotel? Just returned from 2 weeks (done yearly) in Hawaii and only tipped the bell hop and valets (for car)aside from restaurants. Have not tipped guides for "adventure" tours, nor have I noticed anyone else doing so. Same goes for leis. Anyone else have a different opinion? My elderly mom tips the housekeeper whne she leaves, but I don't do this either (that seems to be an age related thing from conversations about it). You'll have a wonderful trip, regardless. Aloha.

we have booked it independantly with what seems to be a "mom and pop" company the reason i ask is because they provide the help with luggage as part of their aloha service ,we would not like to insult them by tipping per bag as though they were porters.
we always tip housekeepers in the states as the standard in which they look after the rooms is FAR superior than in the UK.

Which island are you going to and will you be picking up a car at the airport or having the luggage put in a taxi?

we are going to oahu and so are recieving our lei at honolulu airport,we will then be taking a taxi to waikiki.

I would tip in that case. The other islands- particularly Kauai- are more casual. There are a large number of Japanese tourists on Oahu and that changes the dynamic of how things are done. I'd tip $5.00-10.00 depending on the level of service.

Tipping for a lei greeting is not the norm, but I don't see anything wrong with tipping for the bags. And giving candy from the UK is a wonderful idea! I can tell you that we do not have those Kinder Surprise eggs here in Hawaii (probably not even in the US), those are popular souvenirs when we go to Europe. Otherwise, Thornton's is fine.

melissa,
the chances of me being able to bring a kinder egg all the way from the UK with out opening it are slim to none!
they will have to make do with thorntons.

ttt for me!

I don't agree that giving candy as a tip is good. In fact, I think it's a bit tacky. Keep in mind that, in the US, people who generally receive tips are not paid much by their employers and the tips are an important part of their income.

topping,
need more advice as people cannot agree on this one.
Barbara,I would be tipping AS WELL AS giving candy
Linda

TTT

Linda, Sorry, I didn't realize that.

Linda people in Hawaii work very hard to maintain a life there. Many families have two earners working 2 and sometimes 3 jobs. 15% is standard for most services if it is not already on your bill from company than I suggest you tip this. For this service I would tip between 5-10 dollars. I am guessing more than one person is going to greet you and I can't imagine having them lug luggage far without tipping for it. Look over your bill because I know limo services put this on the bill and often Lei greeters are connected with limo services.

I know the Welsh candies you are talking about I think a hard working person who received that gift in the place of financila reward would be disappointed if not insulted.

If the Lei service is out of your budget and it sounds as though it may be if you are looking to tip with candy there are alternatives. Don't be insulted here lei greetings are out of my budget. On Oahu a trip to china town for beautiful leis at 10-20 dollars a pop is a fun experience. I know what the lei service greeters Co. are charging and you may as well order directly from the internet. You also want to see the flowers they are bringing. There are many fragrant colorful leis in Hawaii. Pikaki or Marqasion (sp) Ginger are two. Pikaki can fill a room with there sent. You get what you get with a lei service. In China town you can frequently see them being made and of course you can select. You might also want to purchase a haiku lei (head Lei). Take your savings and have an incredible lunch. You are closer to Asia here so take advantage of this. There is also a man on Oahu that for the price you are paying will design a lei for you. I saw this on the travel channel so no personal experience either a search through travel channel shows or a call into the Halikulani will tell you how to reach him.

If you are going to be on Kauai stop off at one of the farmers markets for fresh leis. I suspect that this is the case with Maui and Big Island also. You can also visit flower orchards although I have never done this.

I do know that a fresh flower lei at the airport in Honolulu will come from China town. If you are staying at one of the better hotels you will get this upon arriving anyway.


In short nix the candy idea unless it comes accompanied by green backs

Ok I see that you are tipping. Thing is I am not sure why you mentioned the candy if it will lower your tip I still say nix it.

And I would not wait for people to agree on what you should tip. Fodors has a tipping guide online here. There are standards and some ignore or they don't have enough experience traveling to know about them. For example I don't tip on a tour I have spent $80 on for a 4 hour boat ride. I was in the minority of my group but I refuse. Don't refuse in the case of maids, restaurants, cab drivers.

Justin,
As i already mentioned we would give candie AS WELL AS a tip.
the lei greeting is not out of our budget it is just that we do not know who NOT to tip in the states.
do you tip a doctor or a supermarket check out girl?
my main concern is not to insult anyone by giving them to low a tip.
we got married in Orlando 3 years ago when we tipped our wedding photographer he told us if the bride or groom were paying(and not the brides father) it was not usual to tip .we found this most bizarre.

Here's another vote. Yes, give the candy and tip. The candy is a thoughtful gesture. As you'll see the Hawaiiains are very nice and I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. When in doubt tip. This includes most routine service workers in the travel industry. Hope this helps. Have a good trip!

Linda a number of people already gave you tipping guidelines. What is the issue here? I think you have been given a lot of direction. What did you find out under fodor's editor suggestions? Are you waiting for someone to tell you it is ok to stiff the greeter? ...or would it be more fun for you to create a debate over tipping, no one is biting.

I agree with Justin rely on good taste and set standards. Do you plan on asking tables around you in restaurants what you should tip after a meal? They all might have different opinions too, are you going to wait until you get a consensus?