marykc

We will be staying at the Bellagio in mid October. I usually leave a tip for the maid in the bathroom with a note of appreciation, usually that works and if I have any special requests I leave a note. I have a question regarding a cabanna rental. Now if I have a private cabanna, how much should I tip the attendant, as I understand it each cabanna has its own staff person. If I gave 20 for the day is that ok? I dont mean to be cheap but you can be tipped to death. Your thoughts Patrick?
Mary

SFImporter

By the sounds of this board - maids are treated awfully well.

I must be cheaper than I realized. If I leave more than $10 at the end of a stay - it's a big thing.

Maids are servants - they serve. I so don't feel the need to leave a personal note or a wad of cash for services that were expected.

I would feel a tip would be in order if I had made special requests during my stay - but clean sheets and towels should be a given.

Hmmmm. Perhaps I should have a word with my boss. Maybe she could start leaving me little notes and some cash tips when I complete small tasks at work.

Patrick

Please don't single me out for an answer to that cabana question. I've never rented a cabana in my life. But oddly enough I just saw an article on that very thing the other day in a magazine -- was it Travel and Leisure?

Sidepockets

Off the maid subject, but tipping. I just got back from San Antonio, when we got our bill for dinner we were surprised that amount and % of tip was printed on bill with the following, 15% $,20% $, 25% $, and now the kicker add'l 15% $, add'l 20% $, and add'l 25%. I think the next time I see this on bill, I will not go back and tip will be 0. This to me is really begging and restaurant should feel ashamed. Your thoughts?

Binthair

I would have interpreted this as follows: I would have added 15% then subtracted the additional 25%. These "idiot" calculators to spare the mathematically challenged irk me as much as maid tip envelopes. I always round my tips. Does anyone really tip, say, $3.17? Does anyone think it is somewhat unfair that the basis on a meal tip in Texas is inflated 8.25% by tax versus, a meal in Oregon with no sales tax? Some common sense and discretion are in order.

alvira

I tip for multiple day stays in hotels, primarily because you're supposed to. I was glad to tip a little extra at the Monaco in Chicago where the maid saw me going for ice the first evening and every night thereafter, my ice bucket was full when I got to my room. I gladly tip 20+% to wait staff who sees that my tea glass stays full [NOTE TO ALL WAIT STAFF].

But really isn't tipping getting out of hand? Tip jars are just the indoor version of sitting on the sidewalk with a paper cup begging. When I pay for food over the counter, I am already paying for it to be prepared and handed to me. When I pay for a hotel room, I expect to have it cleaned and get clean glasses daily. When I pay for a city tour aren't I paying for the service of getting that driver's knowledge? Why is a tip expected for getting what I already paid for? Isn't paying for a haircut paying for the service of cutting my hair. What alternative do I have, sit in the chair and do it myself? I guess there are plenty of other people who "serve" us who should be tipped. The checker in the grocery store? The pilot of our plane? The worker in the toll booth? The clerk sending out the tax bills?

I'd love to go to a restaurant or hotel that says, "We pay our staff a good wage, therefore tipping is not necessary."

Jayne1973

I read somewhere that you should tip on the amount BEFORE tax.

Patrick

"I'd love to go to a restaurant or hotel that says, "We pay our staff a good wage, therefore tipping is not necessary."

I take it you've never been to Europe where that is the norm.

But I wonder what the reaction would be from most people in the US if tomorrow all restaurants raised their prices by 20% and suddenly said, "Service is now included". People think restaurants should be paying that service, but many people don't want the prices to go up to do it. What's the answer?

gingerman

When I see a tip jar on the counter at a coffee shop I have to agree that something is wrong, particularly when I've waited for a chat between the teenage server and his friends to end.

I have to admit though, for me the question of who to tip is beginning to border on a moral dilemma. I'd LIKE to see a tip jar at the shop where the middle-aged server always greets me with a smile and gets my latte going before I even order it.

We--who can't be too bad off, because after all we can afford to travel-- can't be callous to the large number of people who are just not doing very well. They are people like us who may have lost better jobs, people working their way through school, people who aren't well educated, single parents, new immigrants to this country. Lots of them are just trying to earn enough to hold their lives together.

I don't consider myself wealthy, but I do OK, and I feel some small obligation to make their lives a little more comfortable. Lots of these folks spend their lives on their feet working drudgery that I would hate if I had to do it--and make damn little doing it.

Even a couple of dollars along with a note to housekeeping raises that housekeeper's earnings by $2.00 an hour and lets her know her work is appreciated.

Yeah, I should expect good service because I'm already paying through the nose, but the reality is that the housekeeper isn't making much money, and a few dollars out of my pocket means more to her than it does to me.

I'm a realist. I can't help everybody, but those people who I know do good work for poor wages, I'm more than willing to tip well.

capecodnative

I tip daily because the staff may change daily.

Walter_Walltotti

Just out of interest, in the average hotel how many rooms would a typical maid expect to clean per day? And what is their likely basic salary from the average hotel (not including tips)?

If you can answer these two questions it gives you an idea how much is a reasonble tip, so as to enable them to earn a reasonable wage. Being hard-nosed for a minute, with the exception of those exceptionally talented at their job, should a maid (when tips are included) expect to earn more than a reasonable wage.

It would appear the amount we are expected to tip is on the up! 20 years ago tipping in restaurants seemed to be between 10- 15%, we are now seeing more and more suggested tips of 15-25%

I've just got back from a week away staying at a hotel in the UK on business. On the first day I cut myself shaving and used a small piece of loo paper to stop the bleeding. I accidentally left the piece of paper by the sink - I noticed it that night and thought I wonder how long it will stay there - it was there all week! My colleague wrote her name in the grime in the bathroom and that to remained there all week. I left a damp towel on the bathroom floor and it was rehung on the towel rack and I was left once tiny piece of soap for the week, which despite me using it, was never added to with a new supply. All this in hotel with a, supposedly, very good reputation. Sometimes people just don't deserve tipping!

SimoneSassett

We tip each morning... That said, we do not tip the FIRST morning, because we don't really know how good the housekeeper is yet. I refuse to tip if they forget to put out new toiletries and chintz on the toilet paper. That is cheap and not very thoughtful. For rooms that are $150-250/night, we would leave about $3-5 per morning. We rarely stay in places that charge over $250/night, so I can't speak to that higher level of accommodations.

travdog

Yes, a position in a large or small hotel as a maid is considering a "service" job, but I can't believe the person that says they are "servants" and therefore deserve no kind regard or extra tipping from their customers! Look at it this way-you're lucky enough to be staying in a hotel on vacation (how many vacations do you think the average hotel maid gets to take per year?) If you can add a smile to his or her face by letting them know you appreciate them (doubt their supervisor does that on a regular basis) or giving them a little extra cash for a great job, then what is the harm in that? Bottom line: if YOU don't want to leave a tip or a note, then don't, but don't discourage others or criticize those who are more generous than yourself.

Patrick

"If you can add a smile to his or her face by letting them know you appreciate them (doubt their supervisor does that on a regular basis) or giving them a little extra cash for a great job, then what is the harm in that? Bottom line: if YOU don't want to leave a tip or a note, then don't, but don't discourage others or criticize those who are more generous than yourself."

Well said. Now if we could only get the people on the Europe board to agree with this thought regarding occassional tipping for waiters in Europe. Many say that locals don't tip, therefore Americans shouldn't either. What they really mean is it makes them feel cheap for not doing it, and they don't feel comfortable if they feel cheap.

travdog

Patrick, totally agree with you about tipping in Europe. I used to live in London and my friends were horrified if I left a tip, even for exceptional service. Same with cab drivers there; what I considered a minimal tip often seemed to make their day. I always found that funny since it seems more logical to tip someone who ISN'T expecting it (which is a sort of barometer for genuinely good service.)