Chris

Wow this is amazing. I never realized so many people actually tip the maid. I never tip a maid or any other person (except a waiter) unless they provide some exemplary service beyond what their job is (like setting up my bags, a driver unloading bags, etc). If someone is doing what they are paid to do I'm not going to give them something extra. If they do something that is beyond what their normal duties are they deserve to be rewarded. If these people are making to little why should I be concerned, that is the law of supply and demand. My goal in life is not to right economic inequities. When I'm paying a couple hundred a night then the hotel should ensure it's service obligations to me are fullfilled or else I will not be happy. Why should I feel obligated to pay even more directly to staff for doing their job.

L

Lala, you're a bit lala. Aren't you aware that as a government worker, you are indeed entitled to tips. Have you checked with your supervisor on why your own were held back. My, my, 15 years ... no wonder you're so ripped. You definitely must not be in the DC area, because everybody here gets their tip weekly, and in cash (no accounting to IRS, how about that). But to take your grievance out on poor Olive, one of the nicest people who post on Fodors, well, it's not fair. Lala, try to be more realistic, and in the meantime, chekc into those withheld tips. Ciao

OliveOyl

lala, I'm not "popping off" about tipping housekeeping. Please indicate where I have, if you will. I explained what they do and that it's a difficult job, but frankly I don't care if you tip or not...that's your choice and it's not any of my business. It's a nice gesture and they do appreciate it. Because there are plenty who do tip, these folks sometimes have a little more than they might otherwise have had and I gave one good example.

Now....housekeepers here are making the going wage, not minimum wage, for that unskilled labor job, whether they do it for a hotel, an office building or whatever, that's the rate in this area, in fact it's probably a bit better than the going wage as they have to be good. On top of salary they get a meal and full benefits, all paid for, plus a 401K with employer match. Was it you who asked before about the wage and then went on to say you always tip waiters? Well, waiters start around $2-3/hr and the rest is made in tips, and a darned good living many of them make by the way. That is the going wage, and you're tipping without ranting against the restaurant that pays them that wage which is considerably less than the hotel maids, and usually includes no benefits. Why? Because you don't perceive the restaurant to be the all-evil "big business" whereas that is how you perceive a hotel company.

It is my husband who "runs" the hotel...he's not sitting idly somewhere eating bonbons. He is at his desk by 7:15 in the morning and doesn't leave until 7:30 at night...5 days a week, then works until 1 or 2 PM Saturdays to boot when there are no phone interruptions. If we are short handed on a banquet function or whatever by god you'll find him on the service line dishing up plates at 8:30 at night, after having worked all day, and doing it bloody cheerfully. He has division heads and department heads but in virtually every aspect of the hotel, it's his responsibility to see that it is functioning properly and it's his neck if anyone of these people fall down, and it is not running to perfection. We don't own this hotel and we sure as heck don't make millions, nor will he retire with a nice gov't pension as you will. He is at the top of his ladder now, but getting there, while we were raising our kids, he was never home before they were in bed and was gone before they were up in the morning. He saw them weekends...if there wasn't a major function in the hotel which he had to be there for! Please don't talk to me about the lap of luxury!

Now...as for across the board raises for all unskilled employees at the bottom of everyone's totem pole..you need a crash course in economics, friend.

communists

So, we should tip maids because they make less than we do because it isn't fair that they are paid less and some of us can afford to? Hell, let's just make it easy and convert to Communism. That way we'll all be equal and we can eliminate the incentive for anyone to work harder, learn the language of the country in which they live and get an education.
Don't even get me started with the "They don't speak English so it's hard to find work". How many of our parents and grandparents came from other countries and learned the lanquage damn quick! If I go to one more store or restaurant and try to get some assistance and get a blank look from an employee because they don't understand what I'm saying I think I'll scream, but I digress. Call me any name you want but my grandparents came here with no money, no knowledge of English and worked hard, learned the language and built a business. People seem to dismiss the notion that hard work is the price for success and that they shouldn't expect anyone to give them anything.

Sue

Olive---

Don't hold your breath waiting for an apology from Lala--- I'm afraid you might turn blue!

mimi taylor

We have a place in Boston called Filene's basement where you can buy designer clothes at a fraction of their original price. The ladies room is usually left like a pigpen(actually the pigs are cleaner.) They send in someone to clean it bit the upkeep is so much work. Several times there has been a young women who spoke a little english, and I have tipped her a dollar when i left. The last time I did , we were alone and she cried , said I was the only person to leave a tip. So if anyone from my area reads this...please leave her a tip.

anna

As I said, I cleaned an average of 34-35 rooms per weekend for a year (well over 1500 rooms) and got one tip. I'm guessing tippers are a distinct minority. I just encountered an interesting "add-on" fee at the Best Inn in Caseyville, IL. We had to pay an extra 50 cents a night fee for the police station that waws in the lobby. The hotel had provided a desk and a phone for the local cop to sit at and write his reports (I'm assuming) and apparently the town of caseyville wasn't willing to spring for that fee and the Best Inn wasn't willing to provide it gratis for the extra security. So we paid, though I never saw a cop there.

Leslee

Wow- hot topic. When questioning tipping, I always wonder what the person's wage is. I worked as waitress or bartender - from 1980 to 1992. My paid wages were ~$2.00 per hour. My paycheck often couldn't cover the taxes I had to pay on my sales so I definitely depended on tips. These are the people I believe absolutely deserve tips - they are making less than minimum wage. I have no problem leaving $1-2+ tips, especially in poorer countries, but still wonder how these other folks (porters, hair stylists, taxi drivers...) are paid. I also think it's a nice idea to leave a "thank you" note in the maid's language on the pillow with the tip. Good luck settling this one Kathy.

Miss/Mr X

Now we have to LEAVE A NOTE? For cryin' out loud! Find another post for your guilt trip(s).

Mary Ann

I saw this was a hot topic and was curious as to which country topic it was from. From traveling, tipping seems to be a more US trait due to lower wages being paid. In Germany, wait staff may be insulted if more than change is left. In OZ and NZ wages are set high enough that tipping is only used in extremely exemplary situations (other than the loose change).
If you think about tipping where does it stop? Do you tip the cashier that rings up your groceries? The mailman that delivers? The UPS or Fed Ex? If we say only lowly paid people, is not that insulting to some and are we not assuming who is lowly paid. If you say some of these should only be paid at holildays, then are we not into gifts rather than tipping.
Personally, I like the European and OZ/NZ styles. Increase the prices to include the tips, everyone knows up front the prices, gets paid a reasonable rate for what is provided. If service is not satisfactory, complain to management. The work ethic, service and attention we received in OZ and NZ when no tip was in the offing, was much better than most service we receive in the US when a tip is in the balance.

Anything

MaryAnn wait staff insulted if more than change is left I don't think so. Anytime I have been in a country where tipping is not the norm the staff dives in to serve me upon hearing my American accent. I have always attributed this to the fact that they know we tip.

Frank

Olive:
Well said!!!
Tipping is discretionary and certainly appreciated by the recipient. As for me, the bellboy deserves a tip for carrying my luggage as does a waiter for serving my dinner and, yes, as does the cleaning person for preparing my hotel room. 'Nuf said!

Mary Ann

Anything
In Germany, a waitress took aside our group to expain, in stern tones that to leave the size of tip that we did was insulting, it implied they needed the money to do a better job. Their work ethic was very sincere. In OZ and in NZ, when we questioned tipping, they assured us that tips were not necessary, the staff went out of their way to be kind and attentive because that is what is normally expected. Several European travel books indicate that tipping is not like the US, maybe only maximum of 5% if service was truly extraordinary where the staff did something out of the norm. In all our travels, I have never seen staff vie to wait on Americans, they really seem to treat all equally which is very nice.

L

Interesting how a topic like tipping can flush out the cheapies. Didn't you feel all warm and fuzzy about the business guy who never tips, and neither does anyone else he knows, by god. Can't you just picture him? Major Complainer about every aspect of travel. Knows nothing about food or culture ... always orders the large beef and potato. Never has anything interesting to say. He's on bidness, and busy, busy. Have you ever walked through Business Class after a transatlantic flight? Amazing scene ... the place needs fumigation. Who lives there? That's the business traveller for you. And they will not tip. And proud of it, by god, again. Probably can't justify it on their trip report. Item: $2 per day for person with low english skills. I can hear the auditers howling from here. Reject Rejected. How can you debate leaving a tip for someone who cleans up your mess? I know ... your mom did it for free. Ciao

ku

Yes. Tip a hotel maid.

Check out www.tipping.org

It lists all types of suggested tips for US and International services.

Personally, I tip hotel maids. I used to work in a motel and was fortunate enough to get to know the maids. They worked hard; had multiple jobs and were not paid much.

My years (that is, I'm older) has changed my outlook on tipping. I used to think a tip was only for people whose income relies on tips: wait staff. Or I tip only for exceptional service well beyond the person's expected job. Now, I examine the person doing the job and place myself in their position, in a more humane manner than before. If the job pays a bad wage, I will always tip or overtip. Yes, even if the service is just OK and the person is just doing their job.

One note: ALWAYS hand the tip to the maid (or whomever you are tipping) personally.

carrie

Ummm....This is the United States travel forum, right? We could go on ad nauseum about tipping practices in other countries - it's all irrelevant, frankly.

I've traveled for business for years, and yes, I always leave a tip for the maid ($2-$3 a day). I admit that I didn't do this at first, but once I became aware of the practice I was happy to do it. The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. As has been pointed out, people routinely tip bellmen, sky caps, and valets - and that's often for 15 to 30 seconds worth of "work"! Compare that to the unpleasant half hour of dirty work and REAL SERVICE that maid is providing. I get sick of how tip-happy this country can be too, but the one service person I happily tip is the maid!

I have two theories as to why maids are so often stiffed: 1) The exchange of money is not done in public. If you stiff the maid, no one will see it, and you don't have to face her as you do it, either. 2) All of the above-mentioned "service people" who are routinely tipped for moments of work are MALE. I don't think that's a coincidence.

In terms of when to leave the tip, each day as I leave the room, I place a couple of dollars on top of a note indicating "for the maid". It's always picked up, and occasionally a note of thanks is left by the maid. Leaving it at the end of the stay never made sense to me. I want the person who actually cleaned my room to get the tip! And yes, if I leave a bigger mess than usual (although I try not to), I leave a bigger tip.

In response to the complaint about the hotel prices, etc...if you have a problem with the hotel rates and surcharges, either a) stay elsewhere, or b) complain to the management. That maid has no say in how much you're paying for the room! This is a person-to-person transaction, and I tip the same whether the room is $400 a night or $69.

The reality is (right or wrong), tips for people working in the travel industry are common in the United States. If you don't agree with that system - fine, then don't tip ANYONE - no one's going to arrest you. But to purposely single out the one person at the hotel who is truly providing you a service (and is being paid the least for it) is STINGY and says more about you as a person than anything else.

Ann

There's no particular rule about tipping, but generally it is nice to leave something since they do keep the rooms clean and most of the time go out of their way to make any guest comfortable. Usually $1 to $2 dollars per day is typical. I treat them just like a waiter or maitre'd in a restaurant, the better the service the more they get.

carrie

"L" - just had to say, you're the coolest! Loved your post, probably because I know WAY too many of those "bidnessmen" you were referring to. Your comment about mom cleaning up their mess for free was priceless, too...

L

Thank you, Carrie, and from now on it will be $5 per day from me. And I vow to leave an even smaller mess. Ciao

Sue

I know tipping is a controversial subject, but I think we've just about beat it to death. As interesting as this discussion has been, I doubt that anyone has changed anyone else's mind, for or against.

Carrie, I don't know if I agree with your second theory, but you're spot on with the first.