This is going to sound quite daft! When we get to Las Vegas and see the Flamingo where we are staying, is it going to be clear where to go to leave the car. We would be opting for valet parking I should think. How much do we tip? Coming from UK I am clueless about tipping in USA. And do we then march a couple of miles with our suitcases? And how do we get the car back...I have led a sheltered life!
Somewhere I read that everytime you order a drink you tip, even if you are sitting at the bar. Is this correct? Thanks

Yes valet park the car - you tip the valet when you pickup the car. $2 is enough. Tell the valet that you are checking in and they will send a bell man out with a cart for your luggage. They have a valet desk outside you go to when you are ready to pickup your car. Tip the bellman that delivers your luggage to your room $1 to $2 per bag. Tip 20% in restaurants and $1 or $2 for a drink - especially for the free drinks they give you in the casino while you are gambling.

A descent valet says thank you whether you give $1 or $2. (Some people give nothing, but, in my view, that is being unnecessarily penurious.)

At most hotels you can't call for your car. You get your car back by going to the valet station and presenting your ticket.

Many rounders tip bartenders $1-$2 for a drink, but I don't unless I spend an extended period sitting at the bar in a seat that might otherwise be occupied by a person who tips bartenders.

If I am served a drink by a woman while sitting in a lounge listening to music, I tip 20-25% if the service is good and the waitress brings nuts or other snack food. (Martinis are $9 or more in such venues.)

I usually leave a buck for a drink for the bartender.

Hilary,
You can self-park in the Flamingo parking lot too. There is a sign near the hotel for the parking lot. You will have to "march" a ways with your luggage tho. What you might want to do is use valet parking when you first arrive and after that self-park.

Yes, tip tip tip is the name of the game. 20% would be the "norm" in a fancy restuarant, however 15% is more the norm in a coffee shop, casual place. I live in Arizona and "out here" 15% is considered quite acceptable. Now NYC and DC may be different !! Even "free" drinks usually call for a $1 tip. Also while buffets are serve yourself it is generally considered good manners to leave a tip for the server that cleans your table, refills your glass, etc. This does not call for 15% tho !!

What I might add regarding tipping is if you are pleased with your maid service at the hotel, or have any extra requests, i.e. more towels, kleenix, whatever, then do give the housekeeper a couple of dollars. Don't leave it in the room, give it to her directly. Frequently there are different maids on different days. I always make a point of looking for the housekeeper that will clean our room and asking her to do it while we are at breakfast, I then give her a couple of dollars. It's always done when we get back and we always get extra everything without asking (this is at the Mirage, but I'd say the same goes everyplace).

My personal favorite way to tip the cocktail waitresses in Vegas is with $1 chips. This is perfectly acceptable, and you'll see lots of other gamblers do it, too. (Of course, this only works if you're playing table games that use chips...) I find that tipping the waitresses helps keep them coming around more often, and they also remember what I was drinking so I don't have to take my time away from the game.

If you're sitting at the bar, you do need to tip a little. If my bottled beer is $2.75, then I give the bartender that's $.25 left. If I order a mixed drink, like a Cosmopolitan, that requires preparation, I always tip at least $1.

Have a GREAT trip to Vegas!!

I think Lori's advice is excellent, although I usually just leave a few dollars for the maid before they clean the room, but if they have fulfilled any extra requests, definately try to hand the tip right to them. I usually leave the money on the unmade bed, because I've been told that if left on a dresser, they can't be sure if its for them or not. As you might know, most of these service workers in Vegas and elsewhere in the US are paid a pretty low wage and depend on these tips for the bulk of their salaries. So, yes, valets, waitresses, bartenders, etc should all be tipped, unless service is terrible. I think a dollar for the cocktail waitress who brings the free drinks is pretty standard. I hope you love Vegas, its a great town.

From what direction are you arriving? Are you coming from the airport or driving into Las Vegas on Interstate 15? Getting to the Flamingo can be tricky.

I stayed at the Flamingo on Sunday night and decided to self-ark because I was flying out the next day and did not want to risk a long wait for the valet. It is not a very long walk from the garage to the hotel lobby and you don't have to go across the casino floor (same with the place where the valet is).

If your sitting at a bar and having drinks then it is like any other place in the U.S. If you run up a check then leave a 20% tip. If it is pay as you go then you could tip as you go or at the end.

When you are at the tables or slots then you should tip the waitress a $1 check for each drink.

Tip $2 to the valet who retrieves your car for you. You can do this when you hand him the ticket for your car with the cash under the ticket, or when you are getting in the driver's door and the valet is holding it open for you. You tip, get in, and valet closes the door.

If you don't tip the valet then I suppose that is "unnecessarily penurious". A more accurrate, colloquial, term would be "stiff". You would be a stiff.

You should also tip (toke) your dealer, but it wouldn't be stiffing if you were losing and didn't tip.

I'd like to add that the people that work at the Flamingo are pretty friendly, in general.

I agree with tipping the housekeeper but don't understand the benefit of handing it to the person unless you are asking them to do your room right then. They put a card on the nightstand with the housekeeper's name on it saying what a pleasure it is to serve you. This personalizes the service and prompts for a tip. Leave the tip on the note or on the pillow. The person who picks it up will be the person cleaning your room that day, so it will go to the right person. If you want extra stuff, leave a note: "more coffee please" with an extra $1. Or just ask for it. A $5 tip gets a thank you note in return.

Thanks everyone, I am now quite clear what is expected of me !

You have gotten very good advice. Vegas is definately a tip heavy town.

Here is one for you: If you get a cab outside of a hotel, there is a "cab attendant" whose job it is to wave up cabs as customers show up in the cab line. they then tell the cabbie where you are going and open the door for you. $1.00 to this person is standard.

For what, I'm not sure but that's how it is (I am capable of telling the cabbie my destination but I cannot get my own cocktail). I am usually in this position when a show has let out, the line is long and the cabs are pouring in....as are the dollar bills. I have heard from some locals that these cab attendants make amongst the most money of tipped positions in Vegas. Rumor has it some are in the 6 figure vicinity.

My rule of thumb on buffets is $1 per person at breakfast and $2 minumum per person at dinner.

Don't self-park at the Flamingo or you could end up walking a mile. Valet lanes are well-marked at all the hotels and well worth the 2 bucks.

If you sit at the bar and put $10 into the bartop poker machine, the bartender will bring you a complimentary drink. Sign the slip that he leaves you, and he will continue to bring you drinks as long as you are playing poker. You only need to tip when you leave the bar, although some people tip at the beginning thinking that it will insure better service.

Of course if you don't want to play the 25c poker at the bar, you can just sit and order drinks and pay for them. You can pay for each drink as it is served, or have the bartender keep a running tab to pay when you leave.

Great "update". The only question I have is does anyone also tip the valet who takes your car upon arrival.....I do cause a part of me wants to get the car back in one piece...lol...but is it something no one does?

I don't tip when handing over my car to the valet, but I'm not surprised that some people do.

I think you generally tip when the car is brought back to you...

We've never tipped the person who takes the car, and when you think about it, it's no guarantee you'll get it back in one piece either. Your valet parks the car in its slot, but the valet who parks another car next to yours is just as likely to open that car door into your car, giving you a nice ding.

We've got a new car with a feature I'm not sure I'll ever use for fear of "ticking" them off. There is a valet setting for the speed your car will go with a valet...currently set at 8 mph. I think it might be risky to utilize that feature however! LOL

Here we go again, tip everybody and anybody. Once more, if I am not paying through the nose for a clean room and clean linens, what am I paying for? Why tip? (And please, don't say because they're poor and work hard; I understand that we are expected to subsidize the less-than-minimum-wage beverage and food industry, but why everyone else?)

sylvia,

Nobody is saying you HAVE to follow local customs, the only post so far have only been informing what the local customs ARE.

So...feel free not to tip in Vegas, don't use chopsticks in Japan, wear a mini-skirt in a European cathedral. No one will stop you.

If the custom of tipping in the USA bothers you, maybe you would be happier vacationing in countries where they don't tip at all?

fromMA,

No. You don't tip the person you takes your car, only the one who returns it.

bardo1~ fromMA is actually doing great with the "tip in" for his car. I'll tell you why, and I know because I worked valet on the Strip for 5 years. Yes, it is true most only tip on the way out, however, a lot of people do $2 in and $2 out. Lets suppose it is Sat. night and valet is very busy and/or full, tipping in can get you in to an otherwise "full" valet. Also, if the valet attendant is good, they will make a little notation on your ticket that you tipped on the way in...and this (again, if the valet is good) will lead you to get your car first over those that have alraedy turned in their tickets! So, no fromMA you are not the only one who tips on the way in, it is actually the way I do it and it works for me!
placeU2~yes, you are right, the doorman position is one of the best paid tipping positions in the hotels. It is also the hardest and most sought after job to get (in front services).