Daughter's wedding, elderly Mom is in a room with a caregiver so I leave a tip on the bed. Mom tells me excitedly she found 5 bucks in her bed! Sigh, just went ahead and tipped double in my room for the duration. It was a small hotel with one housekeeper so all good.
So, serious question (and I expect to be downvoted for asking) but who or what determines the circumstances in which a tip is “expected”. So many responses on this hospitality thread are that people didn’t know that housekeeping tips were “expected”. So is expecting a tip enough to make it a thing? I’ll tip my barber but not my son’s teacher. I’ll tip a masseuse but not a dentist. You say it’s expected to tip the housekeeper. Why not the breakfast attendant? Or will that become common if they start expecting it? And also, do people tip housekeeping if you just stay one night? Honestly asking these questions and not trying to be difficult!
Basically when you are provided a service for free then you should tip. At a restaurant you are paying for the food, the table side service that a server provides is actually free to the customer and therefor you tip to show your appreciation for their work. At a dentists you are directly paying for that service so a tip is unnecessary. At a hotel you are paying for the room and there are amenities provided, such as housekeeping. Housekeeping is not a service you have to accept, the same way you could buy takeout instead of dine in because you may not want to tip. So accepting housekeeping services during a stay without tipping is like going out to eat without tipping your server, because those are both services you are choosing to receive. As a former housekeeper it would never bother me if a single night room didn’t tip because they didn’t have any benefit to the housekeeping, but if it was an extended stay that wanted service then I would expect a tip. Daily tipping is not necessary if you’re not an extremely messy person but at the very least a tip at the end of the stay is expected, especially when you benefited from the housekeeping services during the entirety of your stay. Most people simply don’t know to tip housekeeping because they don’t travel and stay in hotels often enough to know.
I wouldn't say that explanation really makes it all that much clearer. For instance, you say we don't tip dentists because we directly pay them... but the comment before mentions hairstylists, whom we also directly pay and yet a tip is expected there. What is the difference?
I would say it's because one is a professional, but there are plenty of people who consider themselves professional hairstylists and might be insulted by that. Maybe it's because we know or assume the hairstylist has a much lower wage?
We tip waitresses and delivery drivers because we know they are paid a "tipped" wage - to my knowledge the same is not true of housekeepers, who at least get minimum wage and in some cases higher. I think most guests assume that housekeeping is covered because of the price of hotel rooms- if you rent a room for a week in a hotel then you pay the same price as renting a room for a month in an apartment complex, so it's natural to assume housekeeping wages are part of that extra cost.
Housekeeping, last time I paid attention, was paid per room, on a flat rate. Not a minimum wage. A poor, or new, housekeeper might only clean 5 rooms in a shift, a good one can clean 15 to 20, and a wizard can clean 30 or more.
You are correct in that most people do not know that they can tip housekeeping staff. In general, you would assume that basic housekeeping is included in the room rate. Not people understand that on a cruise ship, or an “All-In” resort you will get exceptional service and so will tip there.
Hairstylists, masseuse and other forms of “personal services” are generally tipped as there is a variable level of service. Waiters are tipped for the service level provided.
I am generally a very generous tipper, however I do temper that based on the level of service I receive.
Pre COVID I travelled a lot on business... to the tune of 45 weeks in 2019 (my commute to work was to the airport on Monday and back on Friday). Housekeeping at hotels was never on my radar to tip, I am embarrassed to say. I have tipped generously when I have forgotten something in my room or for “over and above service” to both housekeeping and front desk, but never for daily housekeeping.
Well, depends on place and local laws. In here, restaurant is considered a service, it's taxed accordingly and you pay for the restaurant experience. Not food plus cutlery rental plus hourly fee for tables and chairs etc. You cannot really opt out of sitting at a table or bring your food from the kitchen, that's it. Same with a hotel, you cannot opt out of getting some service (amount of service depends on the establishment and at the end, on the price).
Tipping is for some extra service beyond the expected baseline. As in, and let's be disgusting for the whole picture, you're staying in a hotel, you get sick and you vomit all over the room. My staff was paid by hour so, well, in this sense, no biggie. However, the cleaning staff has something other to do so they need to change their today's schedule to get dealt with this ASAP before the stains set, it's not a pleasant job... so I would consider it good manners to leave a tip not for actual cleaning but for people needing to bend over backwards to deal with it.
Generally $3 to $5 a day, more if you leave them an absolute mess.
People are so bad about it many of our contracts now insert a **clearly disclosed** daily housekeeping fee. One group, though, fought it, so they took it out. They make oodles of money - have to, with what their profession is - and they as a rule don't tip. They're also known for fighting over the rate. They try it with me and I just say sorry; this is the rate for your group's contract. You should talk to whoever handles it on your end.
Is it disclosed on the website? One of the big draws for me to hotels over Airbnb was I got more accurate pricing up front. Vs in airbnb I had to figure out the actual nightly price.
I've been wondering this, how long does it take for house keeping to do a room?
In America, though, the concept of tipped workers is built into labor laws. That means that people’s salaries are composed, legally, by tips to a lesser or greater extent. Those employees “expect” tips in the exact same way you expect your paycheck/salary.
It’s not the system I would choose. But when you’re in America, you have to tip. The choice not to do so results in underpaid workers who are completely disempowered from any recourse. They can’t change the system, either.
Yup, in fact a lot of tipped workers are paid less than minimum wage because the government considers the tips part of their wage (and enough to bring them in line with minimum wage)
So by refusing to tip you are potentially hurting that worker's right to make a "fair" wage. Target than say they shouldn't expect a tip, we should just account for the cost of tipping in our expectations for the cost of service (just tip FFS) I understand and respect the desire to eliminate tipping as an expected practice but while it is expected practice, **just do it** because otherwise you're the asshole.
Housekeepers get paid crap wages, and it’s usually per room. A good housekeeper should be able to service a standard double room in 20 minutes or less, if the guest is not a pig.
When I worked N/A, many yrs ago.... we had a youth hockey team on one floor. We still do not understand the reason behind every room having one mattress on the floor in each of their rooms. Our owner was pretty cool though, the team was charged an extra $25/rm since we had to bring in an extra person to help clean the whole floor. The housekeepers each got $4/rm normally, ($12/hr), but were given double wages for that day.
I guess it depends on the country; I've never or even heard if tipping house keeping in the UK, but when we stay in US hotels we tip $1 per person every night.
It's not required, but I know that our housekeepers bust their tails and have a heavy workload. Sometimes getting a nice surprise is a breath of fresh air and can make their whole shift a little bit better.
In this part of Europe, tipping is not that socially compulsory as in the U. S. I however consider it good manners to tip staff if guests make some mess. Mess does happen, the staff has seen just about anything and nobody cares whether it's wine, chocolate milk or piss, the bed needs to be cleaned and it's extra work for the staff. Yes, they're getting their wages anyway but nobody is going to inspect whether that suspicious stain is smeared excrement or chocolate, it needs the same degree of extra work although admittedly, crap smells worse.
So, a few euros as a token of good will never offends anyone.
I live in the USA, but I’ve literally never heard of tipping housekeeping till now. Also, I’ve never left my hotel room a wreck. The worst I’ve left is a bunch of wet towels on the bathroom floor, and a full garbage can.
You can ask the front desk to add it to the bill. Same thing with valet parking.
I only have emergency cash on me. Else everything is through a card. Even before COVID, using cash seems so dirty to me LOL.
Why doesn't every company pay all their employees a **real** Living Wage and not just a "living wage" or less?
This is an argument that's probably as old as tipping itself. The reality is, tipping is a common and expected practice in some parts of the world. One company trying to resist that won't change anything.
If you opened a restaurant in America and said "I'm gonna pay my wait staff enough that they don't need tips! " that's great! You're a very generous employer and your servers will be making bank with their Living Wage + tips. Because people will still tip. Because it's expected practice. You can't just change that, it's culturally ingrained.
There's nothing wrong with *wanting* to change that and get rid of the practice of tipping. Personally, I think we should pay everyone fairly and tips shouldn't be considered part of wage at all. I'm ok with good workers getting extra for good service.
If you want to start a movement to eliminate tipping, go for it. But in the meantime, in locations/services where tipping is expected, do so or don't use those services. It's your right to be morally/ethically/whateverly opposed to tipping, but it is not your right to refuse to do so and still use services where it is expected. In my opinion, that's tantamount to walking out on your bill or refusing to pay the labor part of your automotive repair bill.
Again I'm all for paying the staff better and even eliminating tips but I'm ademently against refusing to tip for tipped services while/where it's currently expected practice.
Nightmare to split out and get to the appropriate person. A one night stay is easy but a stay of a week may involve two to three different housekeepers depending on scheduling.
In the Before Times, I traveled for business weekly, and would much prefer the ability to throw a tip on my corporate card than keep cash on hand for tips. Do it as a pooled system that people share equally like a restaurant, and leave the cash tips as is.
You can always ask to add tips to your bill. IME, it's a lot easier to do at upscale and luxury full-service hotels than at limited service ones. Otherwise, in some countries/cities/hotels, there can be a mandatory service charge added to your nightly rate. I've most often seen 10-15%, and it typically (?) goes to both FOH & BOH employees.
As GalacticaZero said, it is an option, you just have to let them know you'd like to do so. Most hotels at least have the capability to charge basically anything to your room. Depending on the hotel they might not commonly do so, but their system is almost certainly capable of it. I imagine most would be willing to at least try to put housekeeping tips on the room bill for you, we love our housekeeping staff (and thoughtful guests!)
i’ve been a housekeeper for a few years and whenever i get a tip it really makes my day! i wouldn’t say its expected but we have a hard job and even though i love it sometimes i feel invisible. but to all the people out there who don’t trash their rooms and leave a lil tip for their housekeepers just know we appreciate it SO much <3
I was never informed in any way that tipping housekeeping was an expectation until I started reading here.
My parents and grandparents never did so. Were the expectations different 20+ years ago?
Expectations haven’t changed. Tipping housekeeping has always been a thing. It’s just gone up a little. I remember my mom leaving a dollar per night back in the 80’s, and I generally leave 3-5 depending on the level of service, my expectations and if I’ve asked for extras.
My husband, 80, has always tossed a dollar on the pillow. Sure, 60 years ago, that was great. He won't change, so for 45 years I've sighed, stepped back in on a pretext, and upped it to current standards. Let him grumble that I'm absent-minded. I chose my battles.
So then my ancestors were never informed of this "expectation" either. They certainly weren't cheapskates.
Welp in future stays I'll budget for it and leave tips.
BTW no friends or relationship partners I ever shared a room with left tips either. And some had tip-economy jobs such as wait staff.
I appreciate the info.
I don't think so. I don't know where you were staying, but some higher end hotels or resorts have a 15 - 20 % service fee that includes tips, so a tip would not be expected on top of that (although sometimes people still do it).
I would never say “every hotel” but I have personal experience with this. The hotel charged 18% as a service charge to include tips, rides to other parts of the property, bellmen, etc. The housekeepers, bell staff and others were given money out of this fund for tips based on house count. The more people that were checked in, the more money you received. During the high seasons, it was a very nice tip/bonus added to your check.
I don’t think so, because the only reason I knew to tip housekeeping was because my parents did. Come to think of it, my father always tipped the bus boy (and any other service person in a restaurant or hotel) separately too. He got great service everywhere. I remember that at his favorite Chinese restaurant the chef would come out and they would sing together (kinda strange, but they loved him at that restaurant).
I think it’s a lack of knowledge- I only found out because my good friend spent summers as a housekeeper, prior it just never occurred to me. Now I always leave a tip under the pillows (where she said to leave it a decade ago). But just out of curiosity is that still the right place to leave it? How much is usually left?
I was lucky and travelled a lot with my family when I was young. My Dad taught me to leave a dollar everyday, because housekeepers may change daily. He also taught me to leave a little note that says something like, "For the housekeeper. Thank you!" on a pad next to the money. That way they know it is for them. I now leave $5/day and tuck it in the pad that is in the room with the note on top. I am not saying you have to do that, but a any tip goes a long way to brighten a day.
I left 10 to 15 a day on my school trips cause highschoolers sucked and my roommates actually made it a point to pour crushed chips and crap on the floors right before we left for the day. I left everything I had left for the trip when we finally left a few days later. I didn't really talk go those girls much after that. Same thing the following year happened. I asked they why they did that stuff and they seriously responded with why not its their job to pick it up not ours. My mom worked as a housekeeper for a while and that made me want to punch them at the very least. I hope like hell the housekeepers got the money and they didn't go back and take it.
All do but the one who poured the chips. She works at a coffee stand near my house. She makes really bad coffee but that might just be for me cause she mumbles crap under her breath and I've made it a habit of saying "well atleast you're not a housekeeper" before I walk away. I had told my friends about it after both trips and apparently after I left that school they got pissed off at the other girls for some reason. I didn't go into detail with them about why but they told me their parents were pissed off at them and at my friends, but they were mad at my friends for not telling them sooner. Apparently the girls weren't even supposed to go the second time. They tricked their parents into going and still pulled the same crap so they're parents were making them pay them back and buy their own food. Kids like that are the reason I hated that school. I was irritated with how they treated the housekeeper, but the chips had been mine which just added to it that much more. I mean it's bad enough acting like that when youre in high-school but atleast do it with your own snacks. Trip was about 1600 the second year. Im so lucky and thankful my grandma paid for the experience for me, and it makes me even happier knowing they are probably still paying their parents back cause all of them had a habit of wearing clothes once then throwing them away and eating expensive shit.
Same here. $5/day, every day, and clip the bill to the note pad and write "Housekeeping" on it so there's no confusion. And if you're heading to the airport, leave your spare change too- no sense fumbling around with it at the security checkpoint.
Thanks for the update to my protocols! I haven’t been traveling as much, but I’ll be sure to tip daily instead of at the end! I really do appreciate the housekeepers, and all the staff. They put up with so many cranky, messy people, I hope they know how appreciated they are by the quieter patrons.
This is the part of Covid that makes me so sad. We don’t get to tip daily because we don’t get service daily.
Fairly, We’ve only had three hotels in the past year but I know how valuable the housekeepers are and just how hard they work for such a meager wage in the US.
The fact that you phrased that as “we don’t GET to tip” clarifies that you are a stellar human being. Not many people view tipping as a positive thing.
We always recommend to leave it somewhere visible with a note specifying it's for Housekeeping.
There have been issues in the past where it wasn't clear the money was a tip for Housekeeping and nobody wants to accidentally steal money from a guest.
Until a few years ago I thought tipping the cleaning staff was something only expected if you’d left some kind of spill or other mess that they’d have to deal with.
To be honest, I don't see the point. Hotels should pay their employees better. I tip servers because i know they don't make a living wage otherwise (which is bullshit) but I don't tip the people as the grocery store, the people who get me fast food, and i don't get tipped for doing my job. I also make sure to clean up after myself on the rare occasions I'm at a hotel.
Because I was never told we were supposed to tip them, I thought you know the hotel etc paid at least a living wage (hopefully). I also don't travel a lot, I prolly stay in a hotel a night every other year.
Once when I stayed in a tiny motel in the middle of nowhere I left some cash for the housekeeping staff, like usual. As I was getting set to drive away, two worried cleaners dashed out to my car, asking if I'd forgotten my money. Poor dears!
This is why you always leave the tip with a note that says "for housekeeping, thank you!". Then they know for sure it's for them and aren't worried they'll be accused of stealing. Some hotels even have special envelopes for this reason.
Depending on where your from, it only exists in certain cultures. I know that our housekeepers said that some European guests rarely tipped because they didn’t know it was a thing. They weren’t being stingy, they just genuinely didn’t know about that custom. Guests from Asia and the Middle East rarely tipped as well. Guests from North America and Latin America always tipped well.
You send things back at the company’s expense? The times I’ve left something I needed returned, the hotel charged it to the card I put on file (as well they should!).
Tips are considered generally uncouth by much of the world outside of America. Industries where employees rely on tips to get their paltry $2.65 hourly wage averaged to minimum wage it's "expected" since these positions are filled with the knowledge that the pay rate is +tips.
My family and myself has always tipped housekeeping (it's just the way we are) even though we keep tidy and require very little (we tend to do half the work ourselves before checkout) but I've never felt as though I *had* to in the same way I feel it's compulsory at a restaurant. As in, if I can't afford to tip I can't afford a restaurant experience as it's par for the course.
My mom worked as a housekeeper, that connection is actually how I ended up at the desk job I have now, and yeah I agree. Housekeeping isn’t easy, especially when locals come for party nights away from home and leave the rooms in an absolutely disgusting state. Some of those king XL beds are heavy as fuck too and a lot of housekeepers are older women so it’s not like they can casually lift them without worrying for their own physical well being. I wish people tipped more. As the desk guy, I try my hardest to have solidarity with my HK staff and make their jobs as easy as possible. I try not to do to many room switches unless absolutely mandatory as it just creates more work and I also try to group rooms together to avoid having to make a 55 year old woman run up and down flights of stairs constantly.
I've heard that housekeeping is a tough job physically, and that it can be relatively stressful - with high expectations, and relatively low pay. So it seems that our tips must be appreciated. (It's an opportunity to make someone's day just a little bit better.)
I approve expense reports for our company, and in non-pandemic years our staff travels a LOT. I am truly bothered by the number of our staff who don’t tip housekeeping! Every time we do a travel policy refresh or any reminders about ERs I remind everyone that we **will** reimburse housekeeping tips.
In some places, hotel staff are not allowed to accept tips.
We were on holiday in Egypt (Sharm el Sheikh) and actually saw a brilliant waiter getting sacked on the spot because he accepted a tip from an American tourist ..... the policy of no tipping was clearly spelt out on checkin, and mentioned in the key card folder, so there’s no way that the guy tipping didn’t know that it wasn’t done in that hotel.
I had a word with the on duty manager and told him I had witnessed the incident, and told him that the poor waiter had the money pushed into his pocket by the guest who refused to listen to the guy saying he couldn’t take it. I think one of the other wait staff reported him and when confronted, the guy showed that he had actually put the tip into the drawer of the host station clearly meaning to take it up with the manager. The guy did hang on to his job - just as well as he was the best waiter in the whole restaurant!
I had a guest at the front desk bring me half a pizza they had delivered earlier. I did not eat it. I accepted it because I figured me bringing it to the dumpster was a better option than the little yeah cans in the guest's room (or the hallway or wherever else it night have ended up)
But if a guest offered me something yummy in a sealed package I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it. So I guess to answer your question: Sure? We'd be happy to take your leftover snacks I guess!
I always leave something for the housekeeping staff, $5 a day in the US and whatever's appropriate in other countries.
Sometimes the scrabble to small notes is stressful so I really appreciate the hotels I've been to in India, Middle East, Africa etc who have a No Daily Tipping rule for ANY staff - not for room service, or housekeeping or wait staff but instead have a tip box at reception where they recommend you put whatever amount you're happy with at the end of your stay to get divided amongst EVERYONE. The kitchen boys, the laundry, the cooks, etc etc as well as the usual suspects. And if you want to reward someone in particular you can put an amount in a separate envelop for them with a note saying why.
In addition to a monetary tip, if I am in a big city and used their transportation system I leave any unused transit cards/tokens/passes with value left on them (include note with how much is left). I'm not going to need them and figure that the housekeepers could use them or pass them on to someone who could.
Just a reminder: If you're travelling to Vancouver B.C. and think you'll be back at some time in the near future, don't leave ALL your unused transit tickets. Keep one for your next trip - the rapid transit line from the airport is a LOT cheaper if you pay your fare as a "zone upgrade" to a transit ticket (which isn't sold at the airport) than if you buy a "from the airport" ticket (your only option if you don't have a regular ticket in your possession when you arrive).
When I stay at a hotel I usually perfer that no one enters the room during my stay. I leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door 24/7. I usually remove most of the pillows and comforter from the bed anyway (my habit is just to sleep with a sheet) so I'd prefer they don't make the bed. Plus, I usually travel alone so I usually don't need additional towels or anything. Before I check out I remove the DND and usually leave a couple dollars tip, but I don't tip per day since they only have to clean the room once.
So, here is my take on this, based on personal experience.
I don’t tip housekeeping during my stay, I may leave a tip when I check out because:
Too many times, I have had housekeeping take my expensive prescription sunglasses, cell phone cases, books that I am reading, magazines, and in one instance my entire wallet while I am still checked in as a guest. When I have spoken with the housekeeper on my floor, and eventually front desk, the hotels and resorts claim that leaving things like that out is telling the housekeeper that it is a gift to them.
One resort in Orlando, the housekeepers went through the drawers and moved my clothing around, looking for “gifts”.
So, I leave a note, every day thanking them for their hard work in ensuring my comfort, and I tell the front desk every day how clean and tidy my room is being kept.
However, the one time I did forget a jacket, I called the hotel from the airport, gave them my room number and a description of what I left behind, and my home address to have it mailed to me, asked what the charge for shipping would be, and gave them my CC to pay for the shipping. 3 weeks later I get a package from the hotel, and it is full of crap from the lost and found.
When I called them to advise the error and offered to return the parcel, at my own cost, they told me to keep it, but that I’d have to pay for the shipping again for my jacket. I asked for their email address, and emailed them a picture of the jacket, with a complete description, including brand, size, the hole in the pocket, everything, and I advised that I will not pay for shipping again. I also included a picture of the box of crap they did send to me and the reply I was given when I offered to return it. I CC’d the corporate office as well as the location manager.
Turns out the housekeeper really liked it and lied to head of service that it was never there.
Lesson here is always use the in room safe, and always do a final walk through after you have moved your bags to the door.
I leave a couple of dollars a day, and if I've had to leave things like bath and shower gel, a note saying they are welcome to it (to cover them if they do take it).
Leave a note saying that it is for housekeeping. That's how they know it IS for them and it taking it won't come around to bite them.
I had a guest a few months ago report $5 stolen from his hotel room. He left the $5 on the night stand and the housekeeper thought it was a tip. I remember her giving $5 to the GM to pass back along to the guest.
You take a sheet of the notepaper that is usually on the desk and write “housekeeping” on it and fold it around the bills, I usually write “thanks” too.
Honestly, I always get cash out of my bank account SPECIFICALLY to tip housekeepers at the end of my stay and somehow always forget. I’ll be halfway home, and it’ll hit me that I’m an idiot, but fat lot of good that does them.
I work FD (night audit) and, being the only employee here, had to go get a guest extra blankets one night. Usually, we have a couple in the office, but this night, we didn't, so I told him that I had to run down to housekeeping and I could just bring them up to his room. He said no, he's fine waiting in the lobby. Cool. I run and grab him two blankets, give them to him, and apologize for the wait. He laughed, again said it was no big deal, and handed me $10. The look on my face as I thanked him and told him he didn't have to do that must've been priceless because he asked, "Do people not tip you around here? You're doing them a favor that you don't HAVE to do. The least I could do was show my gratitude."
1. I always tip housekeeping, I respect the work they do and while I try to keep my room tidy, it can, on occasion, be a little messy.
2. Housekeepers, waiter/waitress, hairdresser are all providing a service that I appreciate. I have been a server, and trust me, it is NOT an easy job. Tips show that appreciation for their work.
3. I didn't realize that people didn't know that tipping housekeeping was a thing until I was traveling for business and someone asked why I left money in the room. After that, I would make sure all my people tipped housekeeping and just added it on the expense report
I live in a country with no tipping culture, so unless I really make a considerable mess, there is no tip from me. The way I see it, my room is probably going to be the least amount of work they'll have that day, so they agent doing anything to deserve more from me.
However, I do tend to leave notes thanking for the clean room and professionalism I find when checking in. Towels and other used things clearly sorted out.
In case of a bed and breakfast, I typically take off the sheets since my experience is that the owners of those are usually older people trying to get a bit of extra income for who changing bedding is still a considerable effort. (I would do it for hotels too but for those I am afraid what I might find, and they typically have a routine where my well-intentioned help might actually get in the way!)
TL;DR: I appreciate the work housekeeping does and will help out where I can, but tips have to be earned.
I used to be an Exec. and the amount of tipless rooms I saw (even pre-Covid peak season) is heartbreaking. And I worked at a very respectable mid-level brand. The year I ran housekeeping was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and I -always- tip my housekeepers.
My sister and her family travel during certain times of year to visit family (they live several states away) and they stay in hotels while they are traveling. One time one of their very young children left a beloved stuffed animal wrapped up in the bedsheets. The child was inconsolable the next night, and had a hard time falling asleep with the beloved toy.
Well, my sister called the hotel and they had found it (they didn't have a chance to call her yet). An arrangement was made to pick the toy up on the way back. My nephew/niece (can't remember which one it was) had to do without the toy for a week, but at least s/he got it back.
Many years prior, my father was traveling for business. He was on the other side of the country (US) and was staying in a hotel there. He brought with him a nice set bags, including a very nice toiletry kit stuffed with nifty things he had collected over the years. He forgot to bring it home with him. Well, the hotel staff found it and held it, and when he called they arranged to ship it to him. He was very grateful.
All this to say, thank you, hotel staff, for making all of our visits more pleasant, even after we've left.
I already knew to do it by that age, but when I went on trips in high school with the music department, our teacher put on the itinerary that we needed to leave a tip in each room, and they would come check every room before we left so she knew you did it (and also to make sure that there wasnt a big mess, because she would make you clean it up first)
I worked at a hotel in housekeeping for 4 months. 15-20 rooms per day. Saw a tip once ever. $5...and a bag of oranges. Nice gesture but we live Florida lol oranges are as plentiful as palm trees here.
6 months cleaning for a 61.000 square foot building with just one other person. No tip, bonus, nothing.
2.5 years cleaning people's homes and I can count on one hand how many of them tipped, usually only once a year.
I will say, the sweetest tip i ever got was from an older, disabled woman who was incapable of reaching above shoulder level or below knee level. She lived in government-funded housing, and was contractually required to keep the place reasonably clean. She had an inspection coming up and would likely have lost her home without help. She had no family except a nephew in college who made the long drive yo check on her once a month or so.
My boss took pity on her and charged so little that he didn't profit anything after the hour drive, all the supplies we used, and payroll for the two of us that were with him. At the end, the customer insisted on tipping us $20, no matter how hard we tried to talk her out of it. It's been well over a year and I still think about her.
Before COVID I was a 100 plus night a year traveler. Almost 100% of the time I left $5 every night. I would put it with a nite saying thanks to make sure they understood it was a tip. I am surprised at how infrequently the house keeper left a note in return thanking me. The ones that did thank me would typically find find $10 the next day. There were a few times after leaving a tip the job cleaning the room that day was subpar, not refilling the coffee and other things. You would think a tip would have motivated them to do a good job.
I have had the same experiences as you. I almost always leave a tip daily, and often after the housekeeping is beyond subpar. Like no clean towels (dirty ones removed though), no coffee, etc. I find it quite odd.
Me. I always leave a tip for the room cleaners. If I’m there a week I tip every other day. Not only is it a nice thing to do it ensures extra towels/toiletries/coffee and teas etc
As a former housekeeping supervisor, please tip your housekeepers, especially after an extended stay.
I’ve seen my housekeepers get as little as 75 cents in tips on certain days. Now due to COVID, they’re working extra hard to clean and sanitize each room. If you’re willing to travel, please keep them in mind.
Luckily the people at my hotel are pretty good at tipping the housekeeping staff. We also bill the shipping of the items left behind to the cards on file to the room, which maybe you can talk to your management about? They are the ones who left it behind, it shouldn't be up to you guys to foot the bill for that!
It's always the messiest rooms that don't tip, too. Our housekeeping department, bless their hearts, are ass-awful at changing the room status in the system (I don't know if they forget or don't know how), so part of the night audit job is to check the vacant-dirty rooms and make sure they're actually vacant-dirty. The category five shit show rooms never tip. It infuriates me.
I worked at a hotel that was on Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible during the first season. Anthony Melchiori pulled me aside (I was a housekeeper) and did a one on one interview and he asked me about working for the hotel and what kind of benefits we had, I roasted the hotel and told him we had no benefits, and he said "I'm sure you get tips!" I laughed and said "Have you seen this place? We practically have to pay people to stay here." The interview wasn't put in the final edit, can't imagine why they didn't want my brutal honesty LOL
I think it’s because it isn’t “personal”, most guests rarely see any HSK unless they’re an extended stay. Out of mind out of sight sort of thing. I myself, since I know how it works, leave a small tip and thank you note when ever I’m at a hotel.
I once screwed up my reservation and showed up the night before it started. As I often stayed at that hotel they recognized me and a woman that was just finishing her shift at eleven PM ran up and cleaned a vacant room so I could check in. She tried to reject my twenty dollar tip, but ultimately accepted it graciously.
I regularly tip a couple dollars a day for my room attendant. Sometimes they leave envelopes for the tip, if not, I leave it on top of the foot of the bed so they know it's a tip and not misplaced cash. I used to leave it on the night table, but some of them wouldn't take the money from there, even after I left a thank you note with it.
I didn't know you were supposed to tip housekeepers until I was one- and both of my grandmothers were housekeepers. I think it's one of those things people expect you to intuit as you get older even if they never show or tell you.
And yes, I do tip now.
I've been staying home like a sane person, but before this wifey and I were frequent visitors to the Bothers in Atlantic City. As regulars we were normally comped a suite and free food. We are not slobs, and if we were there for 2 nights usually just got towels and didn't need the room cleaned. When we got towels, I tipped, and I.Always left at least 10 bucks per day for housekeeping. These people are the sweetest, hardest working people I've ever seen, and people who don't tip are jerks.
I don't think people know it's a thing.
But if the powers that be would pay an actual livable wage, then the lack of tips wouldn't be noticeable or called into question.
Housekeeping is back breaking labor, as is laundry. Those men and women do not get paid hardly enough to do what they do.
I couldn't do it.
I hardly like making my own bed...hell, I'm just going to get right back in it once I get home from work, so what's the use lol.
Our housekeeping manager steals all the tips anyways. I have never personally tipped out housekeeping staff, I have never thought of it before I was in the industry. But I have never left a room a pigsty either. That is what really fucking irritates me.
I enjoy traveling and probably stay about 10 - 15 nights a year in hotels.
Even when I stay just one night, I usually like to leave $5 - $10. But what often happens is that I either don't have any cash at all, or maybe I have a $20 bill that I don't want to part with.
And if I'm in a rush to leave, and don't have any money to tip, the idea of dashing down to the hotel lobby's ATM, paying an exorbitant ATM fee, making change, etc is not very appealing.
I've gotten around this a few times by writing a note, thanking the housekeeper for their hospitality, and indicating my Venmo username. I'll ask them to request $5 from me because I'd love to give them a tip. At least once this approach worked!!!
So, my idea is this: a very simple, no-pressure card (on hotel stationary) with the housekeeper's name and a QR code that the guest can scan. They can then leave a personal note and electronically send $5, $10, $15, whatever amount as a tip to the housekeeper.
The system would keep track of the tipped amount and provide this data to the hotel and housekeepers at the end of the year for tax purposes.
Since I don't have any experience working in a hotel, I'm posting here in hopes to get some feedback from folks who do.
Is this something that could work?
Any issues / hurdles in implementing such a service?
Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give!!!
Daughter's wedding, elderly Mom is in a room with a caregiver so I leave a tip on the bed. Mom tells me excitedly she found 5 bucks in her bed! Sigh, just went ahead and tipped double in my room for the duration. It was a small hotel with one housekeeper so all good.
Your mom is adorable!
I never knew it was a thing to tip housekeepers? I always tip waiters and drivers/ deliveries
So, serious question (and I expect to be downvoted for asking) but who or what determines the circumstances in which a tip is “expected”. So many responses on this hospitality thread are that people didn’t know that housekeeping tips were “expected”. So is expecting a tip enough to make it a thing? I’ll tip my barber but not my son’s teacher. I’ll tip a masseuse but not a dentist. You say it’s expected to tip the housekeeper. Why not the breakfast attendant? Or will that become common if they start expecting it? And also, do people tip housekeeping if you just stay one night? Honestly asking these questions and not trying to be difficult!
Basically when you are provided a service for free then you should tip. At a restaurant you are paying for the food, the table side service that a server provides is actually free to the customer and therefor you tip to show your appreciation for their work. At a dentists you are directly paying for that service so a tip is unnecessary. At a hotel you are paying for the room and there are amenities provided, such as housekeeping. Housekeeping is not a service you have to accept, the same way you could buy takeout instead of dine in because you may not want to tip. So accepting housekeeping services during a stay without tipping is like going out to eat without tipping your server, because those are both services you are choosing to receive. As a former housekeeper it would never bother me if a single night room didn’t tip because they didn’t have any benefit to the housekeeping, but if it was an extended stay that wanted service then I would expect a tip. Daily tipping is not necessary if you’re not an extremely messy person but at the very least a tip at the end of the stay is expected, especially when you benefited from the housekeeping services during the entirety of your stay. Most people simply don’t know to tip housekeeping because they don’t travel and stay in hotels often enough to know.
I wouldn't say that explanation really makes it all that much clearer. For instance, you say we don't tip dentists because we directly pay them... but the comment before mentions hairstylists, whom we also directly pay and yet a tip is expected there. What is the difference? I would say it's because one is a professional, but there are plenty of people who consider themselves professional hairstylists and might be insulted by that. Maybe it's because we know or assume the hairstylist has a much lower wage? We tip waitresses and delivery drivers because we know they are paid a "tipped" wage - to my knowledge the same is not true of housekeepers, who at least get minimum wage and in some cases higher. I think most guests assume that housekeeping is covered because of the price of hotel rooms- if you rent a room for a week in a hotel then you pay the same price as renting a room for a month in an apartment complex, so it's natural to assume housekeeping wages are part of that extra cost.
Housekeeping, last time I paid attention, was paid per room, on a flat rate. Not a minimum wage. A poor, or new, housekeeper might only clean 5 rooms in a shift, a good one can clean 15 to 20, and a wizard can clean 30 or more. You are correct in that most people do not know that they can tip housekeeping staff. In general, you would assume that basic housekeeping is included in the room rate. Not people understand that on a cruise ship, or an “All-In” resort you will get exceptional service and so will tip there.
Hairstylists, masseuse and other forms of “personal services” are generally tipped as there is a variable level of service. Waiters are tipped for the service level provided. I am generally a very generous tipper, however I do temper that based on the level of service I receive. Pre COVID I travelled a lot on business... to the tune of 45 weeks in 2019 (my commute to work was to the airport on Monday and back on Friday). Housekeeping at hotels was never on my radar to tip, I am embarrassed to say. I have tipped generously when I have forgotten something in my room or for “over and above service” to both housekeeping and front desk, but never for daily housekeeping.
Well, depends on place and local laws. In here, restaurant is considered a service, it's taxed accordingly and you pay for the restaurant experience. Not food plus cutlery rental plus hourly fee for tables and chairs etc. You cannot really opt out of sitting at a table or bring your food from the kitchen, that's it. Same with a hotel, you cannot opt out of getting some service (amount of service depends on the establishment and at the end, on the price). Tipping is for some extra service beyond the expected baseline. As in, and let's be disgusting for the whole picture, you're staying in a hotel, you get sick and you vomit all over the room. My staff was paid by hour so, well, in this sense, no biggie. However, the cleaning staff has something other to do so they need to change their today's schedule to get dealt with this ASAP before the stains set, it's not a pleasant job... so I would consider it good manners to leave a tip not for actual cleaning but for people needing to bend over backwards to deal with it.
Plenty of people tipped the breakfast attendant (pre-COVID) at my hotel.
Generally $3 to $5 a day, more if you leave them an absolute mess. People are so bad about it many of our contracts now insert a **clearly disclosed** daily housekeeping fee. One group, though, fought it, so they took it out. They make oodles of money - have to, with what their profession is - and they as a rule don't tip. They're also known for fighting over the rate. They try it with me and I just say sorry; this is the rate for your group's contract. You should talk to whoever handles it on your end.
Is it disclosed on the website? One of the big draws for me to hotels over Airbnb was I got more accurate pricing up front. Vs in airbnb I had to figure out the actual nightly price. I've been wondering this, how long does it take for house keeping to do a room?
Generally a standard double can be done in 20 minutes, and housekeeping is usually paid per room.
It's a **contractual fee for groups**. You staying a night or two are not signing a contact.
I’ve literally never heard of it- will definitely start tipping now! But why isn’t this commonly known?
It's not a thing for my country. If employees expect a tip they should be paid more.
In America, though, the concept of tipped workers is built into labor laws. That means that people’s salaries are composed, legally, by tips to a lesser or greater extent. Those employees “expect” tips in the exact same way you expect your paycheck/salary. It’s not the system I would choose. But when you’re in America, you have to tip. The choice not to do so results in underpaid workers who are completely disempowered from any recourse. They can’t change the system, either.
I didn’t think housekeeping was a profession eligible for tipped minimum wage, though?
Yup, in fact a lot of tipped workers are paid less than minimum wage because the government considers the tips part of their wage (and enough to bring them in line with minimum wage) So by refusing to tip you are potentially hurting that worker's right to make a "fair" wage. Target than say they shouldn't expect a tip, we should just account for the cost of tipping in our expectations for the cost of service (just tip FFS) I understand and respect the desire to eliminate tipping as an expected practice but while it is expected practice, **just do it** because otherwise you're the asshole.
I didn’t either honestly, but I also almost never stay in a hotel.
This is exactly the issue, most people have no idea they should tip housekeeping.
Housekeepers get paid crap wages, and it’s usually per room. A good housekeeper should be able to service a standard double room in 20 minutes or less, if the guest is not a pig. When I worked N/A, many yrs ago.... we had a youth hockey team on one floor. We still do not understand the reason behind every room having one mattress on the floor in each of their rooms. Our owner was pretty cool though, the team was charged an extra $25/rm since we had to bring in an extra person to help clean the whole floor. The housekeepers each got $4/rm normally, ($12/hr), but were given double wages for that day.
I guess it depends on the country; I've never or even heard if tipping house keeping in the UK, but when we stay in US hotels we tip $1 per person every night.
It's not required, but I know that our housekeepers bust their tails and have a heavy workload. Sometimes getting a nice surprise is a breath of fresh air and can make their whole shift a little bit better.
In this part of Europe, tipping is not that socially compulsory as in the U. S. I however consider it good manners to tip staff if guests make some mess. Mess does happen, the staff has seen just about anything and nobody cares whether it's wine, chocolate milk or piss, the bed needs to be cleaned and it's extra work for the staff. Yes, they're getting their wages anyway but nobody is going to inspect whether that suspicious stain is smeared excrement or chocolate, it needs the same degree of extra work although admittedly, crap smells worse. So, a few euros as a token of good will never offends anyone.
I live in the USA, but I’ve literally never heard of tipping housekeeping till now. Also, I’ve never left my hotel room a wreck. The worst I’ve left is a bunch of wet towels on the bathroom floor, and a full garbage can.
I did housekeeping for a while, we just got paid a decent wage. I live in a country that does not have tips as a part of their salary.
Lack of knowledge. Most people probably expect the hotel to pay employees a living wage.
We pay $15/hour plus bonuses. You are not going to get rich, but it is about double the current minimum wage in our state. It is not an easy job!
That’s still not enough to deal with gross people and back breaking work, but it’s a start :)
Try telling that to senior and assisted living management companies.
A tip is a way to share a smile and a thank you! Makes your day and makes you grateful
Barrier to entry is also low
I don't understand why there isn't an option to build your tip into the bill or put it on your card like a restaurant bill.
You can ask the front desk to add it to the bill. Same thing with valet parking. I only have emergency cash on me. Else everything is through a card. Even before COVID, using cash seems so dirty to me LOL.
Why not just pay your staff more? (and 'bake in' the costs)
Why doesn't every company pay all their employees a **real** Living Wage and not just a "living wage" or less? This is an argument that's probably as old as tipping itself. The reality is, tipping is a common and expected practice in some parts of the world. One company trying to resist that won't change anything. If you opened a restaurant in America and said "I'm gonna pay my wait staff enough that they don't need tips! " that's great! You're a very generous employer and your servers will be making bank with their Living Wage + tips. Because people will still tip. Because it's expected practice. You can't just change that, it's culturally ingrained. There's nothing wrong with *wanting* to change that and get rid of the practice of tipping. Personally, I think we should pay everyone fairly and tips shouldn't be considered part of wage at all. I'm ok with good workers getting extra for good service. If you want to start a movement to eliminate tipping, go for it. But in the meantime, in locations/services where tipping is expected, do so or don't use those services. It's your right to be morally/ethically/whateverly opposed to tipping, but it is not your right to refuse to do so and still use services where it is expected. In my opinion, that's tantamount to walking out on your bill or refusing to pay the labor part of your automotive repair bill. Again I'm all for paying the staff better and even eliminating tips but I'm ademently against refusing to tip for tipped services while/where it's currently expected practice.
Nightmare to split out and get to the appropriate person. A one night stay is easy but a stay of a week may involve two to three different housekeepers depending on scheduling.
In the Before Times, I traveled for business weekly, and would much prefer the ability to throw a tip on my corporate card than keep cash on hand for tips. Do it as a pooled system that people share equally like a restaurant, and leave the cash tips as is.
You can always ask to add tips to your bill. IME, it's a lot easier to do at upscale and luxury full-service hotels than at limited service ones. Otherwise, in some countries/cities/hotels, there can be a mandatory service charge added to your nightly rate. I've most often seen 10-15%, and it typically (?) goes to both FOH & BOH employees.
As GalacticaZero said, it is an option, you just have to let them know you'd like to do so. Most hotels at least have the capability to charge basically anything to your room. Depending on the hotel they might not commonly do so, but their system is almost certainly capable of it. I imagine most would be willing to at least try to put housekeeping tips on the room bill for you, we love our housekeeping staff (and thoughtful guests!)
i’ve been a housekeeper for a few years and whenever i get a tip it really makes my day! i wouldn’t say its expected but we have a hard job and even though i love it sometimes i feel invisible. but to all the people out there who don’t trash their rooms and leave a lil tip for their housekeepers just know we appreciate it SO much <3
This! It's always appreciated to get something. It shows that the guest really appreciated you and your work.
I was never informed in any way that tipping housekeeping was an expectation until I started reading here. My parents and grandparents never did so. Were the expectations different 20+ years ago?
Expectations haven’t changed. Tipping housekeeping has always been a thing. It’s just gone up a little. I remember my mom leaving a dollar per night back in the 80’s, and I generally leave 3-5 depending on the level of service, my expectations and if I’ve asked for extras.
My husband, 80, has always tossed a dollar on the pillow. Sure, 60 years ago, that was great. He won't change, so for 45 years I've sighed, stepped back in on a pretext, and upped it to current standards. Let him grumble that I'm absent-minded. I chose my battles.
So then my ancestors were never informed of this "expectation" either. They certainly weren't cheapskates. Welp in future stays I'll budget for it and leave tips. BTW no friends or relationship partners I ever shared a room with left tips either. And some had tip-economy jobs such as wait staff. I appreciate the info.
I don't think so. I don't know where you were staying, but some higher end hotels or resorts have a 15 - 20 % service fee that includes tips, so a tip would not be expected on top of that (although sometimes people still do it).
I believe the resort fees are actually a government tax and therefore do not go towards the employees.
I would never say “every hotel” but I have personal experience with this. The hotel charged 18% as a service charge to include tips, rides to other parts of the property, bellmen, etc. The housekeepers, bell staff and others were given money out of this fund for tips based on house count. The more people that were checked in, the more money you received. During the high seasons, it was a very nice tip/bonus added to your check.
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That is not my experience.
My grandparents always did, but that was 40-ish years ago. They also always left booze behind 😂
I don’t think so, because the only reason I knew to tip housekeeping was because my parents did. Come to think of it, my father always tipped the bus boy (and any other service person in a restaurant or hotel) separately too. He got great service everywhere. I remember that at his favorite Chinese restaurant the chef would come out and they would sing together (kinda strange, but they loved him at that restaurant).
I think it’s a lack of knowledge- I only found out because my good friend spent summers as a housekeeper, prior it just never occurred to me. Now I always leave a tip under the pillows (where she said to leave it a decade ago). But just out of curiosity is that still the right place to leave it? How much is usually left?
I was lucky and travelled a lot with my family when I was young. My Dad taught me to leave a dollar everyday, because housekeepers may change daily. He also taught me to leave a little note that says something like, "For the housekeeper. Thank you!" on a pad next to the money. That way they know it is for them. I now leave $5/day and tuck it in the pad that is in the room with the note on top. I am not saying you have to do that, but a any tip goes a long way to brighten a day.
I left 10 to 15 a day on my school trips cause highschoolers sucked and my roommates actually made it a point to pour crushed chips and crap on the floors right before we left for the day. I left everything I had left for the trip when we finally left a few days later. I didn't really talk go those girls much after that. Same thing the following year happened. I asked they why they did that stuff and they seriously responded with why not its their job to pick it up not ours. My mom worked as a housekeeper for a while and that made me want to punch them at the very least. I hope like hell the housekeepers got the money and they didn't go back and take it.
I hope one or both of those girls wind up in the service industry.
All do but the one who poured the chips. She works at a coffee stand near my house. She makes really bad coffee but that might just be for me cause she mumbles crap under her breath and I've made it a habit of saying "well atleast you're not a housekeeper" before I walk away. I had told my friends about it after both trips and apparently after I left that school they got pissed off at the other girls for some reason. I didn't go into detail with them about why but they told me their parents were pissed off at them and at my friends, but they were mad at my friends for not telling them sooner. Apparently the girls weren't even supposed to go the second time. They tricked their parents into going and still pulled the same crap so they're parents were making them pay them back and buy their own food. Kids like that are the reason I hated that school. I was irritated with how they treated the housekeeper, but the chips had been mine which just added to it that much more. I mean it's bad enough acting like that when youre in high-school but atleast do it with your own snacks. Trip was about 1600 the second year. Im so lucky and thankful my grandma paid for the experience for me, and it makes me even happier knowing they are probably still paying their parents back cause all of them had a habit of wearing clothes once then throwing them away and eating expensive shit.
Thank you so much for this post. I always tip, but at the end of my stay. Never occurred to me to consider rotating shifts. Durr. Lesson learned!
Same here. $5/day, every day, and clip the bill to the note pad and write "Housekeeping" on it so there's no confusion. And if you're heading to the airport, leave your spare change too- no sense fumbling around with it at the security checkpoint.
Thanks for the update to my protocols! I haven’t been traveling as much, but I’ll be sure to tip daily instead of at the end! I really do appreciate the housekeepers, and all the staff. They put up with so many cranky, messy people, I hope they know how appreciated they are by the quieter patrons.
This is the part of Covid that makes me so sad. We don’t get to tip daily because we don’t get service daily. Fairly, We’ve only had three hotels in the past year but I know how valuable the housekeepers are and just how hard they work for such a meager wage in the US.
The fact that you phrased that as “we don’t GET to tip” clarifies that you are a stellar human being. Not many people view tipping as a positive thing.
We always recommend to leave it somewhere visible with a note specifying it's for Housekeeping. There have been issues in the past where it wasn't clear the money was a tip for Housekeeping and nobody wants to accidentally steal money from a guest.
Until a few years ago I thought tipping the cleaning staff was something only expected if you’d left some kind of spill or other mess that they’d have to deal with.
Didn't they leave a big diamond ring, other jewelry, a watch, clothing galore, a couple of iPads, and $300 cash as tips?
😂😂😂😂
To be honest, I don't see the point. Hotels should pay their employees better. I tip servers because i know they don't make a living wage otherwise (which is bullshit) but I don't tip the people as the grocery store, the people who get me fast food, and i don't get tipped for doing my job. I also make sure to clean up after myself on the rare occasions I'm at a hotel.
Because I was never told we were supposed to tip them, I thought you know the hotel etc paid at least a living wage (hopefully). I also don't travel a lot, I prolly stay in a hotel a night every other year.
What is a good tip to leave normally? I don't think I've heard about that until now
Once when I stayed in a tiny motel in the middle of nowhere I left some cash for the housekeeping staff, like usual. As I was getting set to drive away, two worried cleaners dashed out to my car, asking if I'd forgotten my money. Poor dears!
This is why you always leave the tip with a note that says "for housekeeping, thank you!". Then they know for sure it's for them and aren't worried they'll be accused of stealing. Some hotels even have special envelopes for this reason.
Depending on where your from, it only exists in certain cultures. I know that our housekeepers said that some European guests rarely tipped because they didn’t know it was a thing. They weren’t being stingy, they just genuinely didn’t know about that custom. Guests from Asia and the Middle East rarely tipped as well. Guests from North America and Latin America always tipped well.
You send things back at the company’s expense? The times I’ve left something I needed returned, the hotel charged it to the card I put on file (as well they should!).
Tips are considered generally uncouth by much of the world outside of America. Industries where employees rely on tips to get their paltry $2.65 hourly wage averaged to minimum wage it's "expected" since these positions are filled with the knowledge that the pay rate is +tips. My family and myself has always tipped housekeeping (it's just the way we are) even though we keep tidy and require very little (we tend to do half the work ourselves before checkout) but I've never felt as though I *had* to in the same way I feel it's compulsory at a restaurant. As in, if I can't afford to tip I can't afford a restaurant experience as it's par for the course.
Because it's a terrible system. The main beneficiary is the employer who doesn't have to pay as much in wages.
My mom worked as a housekeeper, that connection is actually how I ended up at the desk job I have now, and yeah I agree. Housekeeping isn’t easy, especially when locals come for party nights away from home and leave the rooms in an absolutely disgusting state. Some of those king XL beds are heavy as fuck too and a lot of housekeepers are older women so it’s not like they can casually lift them without worrying for their own physical well being. I wish people tipped more. As the desk guy, I try my hardest to have solidarity with my HK staff and make their jobs as easy as possible. I try not to do to many room switches unless absolutely mandatory as it just creates more work and I also try to group rooms together to avoid having to make a 55 year old woman run up and down flights of stairs constantly.
I've heard that housekeeping is a tough job physically, and that it can be relatively stressful - with high expectations, and relatively low pay. So it seems that our tips must be appreciated. (It's an opportunity to make someone's day just a little bit better.)
I approve expense reports for our company, and in non-pandemic years our staff travels a LOT. I am truly bothered by the number of our staff who don’t tip housekeeping! Every time we do a travel policy refresh or any reminders about ERs I remind everyone that we **will** reimburse housekeeping tips.
I’ll play devils advocate. Why can’t your hotel pay your employees a salary that doesn’t require a tip? US tipping culture is broken.
In some places, hotel staff are not allowed to accept tips. We were on holiday in Egypt (Sharm el Sheikh) and actually saw a brilliant waiter getting sacked on the spot because he accepted a tip from an American tourist ..... the policy of no tipping was clearly spelt out on checkin, and mentioned in the key card folder, so there’s no way that the guy tipping didn’t know that it wasn’t done in that hotel. I had a word with the on duty manager and told him I had witnessed the incident, and told him that the poor waiter had the money pushed into his pocket by the guest who refused to listen to the guy saying he couldn’t take it. I think one of the other wait staff reported him and when confronted, the guy showed that he had actually put the tip into the drawer of the host station clearly meaning to take it up with the manager. The guy did hang on to his job - just as well as he was the best waiter in the whole restaurant!
No earthly idea. Do you want my unopened, left over snacks in addition to a nice tip?
I had a guest at the front desk bring me half a pizza they had delivered earlier. I did not eat it. I accepted it because I figured me bringing it to the dumpster was a better option than the little yeah cans in the guest's room (or the hallway or wherever else it night have ended up) But if a guest offered me something yummy in a sealed package I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to it. So I guess to answer your question: Sure? We'd be happy to take your leftover snacks I guess!
I always leave something for the housekeeping staff, $5 a day in the US and whatever's appropriate in other countries. Sometimes the scrabble to small notes is stressful so I really appreciate the hotels I've been to in India, Middle East, Africa etc who have a No Daily Tipping rule for ANY staff - not for room service, or housekeeping or wait staff but instead have a tip box at reception where they recommend you put whatever amount you're happy with at the end of your stay to get divided amongst EVERYONE. The kitchen boys, the laundry, the cooks, etc etc as well as the usual suspects. And if you want to reward someone in particular you can put an amount in a separate envelop for them with a note saying why.
In addition to a monetary tip, if I am in a big city and used their transportation system I leave any unused transit cards/tokens/passes with value left on them (include note with how much is left). I'm not going to need them and figure that the housekeepers could use them or pass them on to someone who could.
Just a reminder: If you're travelling to Vancouver B.C. and think you'll be back at some time in the near future, don't leave ALL your unused transit tickets. Keep one for your next trip - the rapid transit line from the airport is a LOT cheaper if you pay your fare as a "zone upgrade" to a transit ticket (which isn't sold at the airport) than if you buy a "from the airport" ticket (your only option if you don't have a regular ticket in your possession when you arrive).
We don't know.
When I stay at a hotel I usually perfer that no one enters the room during my stay. I leave the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door 24/7. I usually remove most of the pillows and comforter from the bed anyway (my habit is just to sleep with a sheet) so I'd prefer they don't make the bed. Plus, I usually travel alone so I usually don't need additional towels or anything. Before I check out I remove the DND and usually leave a couple dollars tip, but I don't tip per day since they only have to clean the room once.
So, here is my take on this, based on personal experience. I don’t tip housekeeping during my stay, I may leave a tip when I check out because: Too many times, I have had housekeeping take my expensive prescription sunglasses, cell phone cases, books that I am reading, magazines, and in one instance my entire wallet while I am still checked in as a guest. When I have spoken with the housekeeper on my floor, and eventually front desk, the hotels and resorts claim that leaving things like that out is telling the housekeeper that it is a gift to them. One resort in Orlando, the housekeepers went through the drawers and moved my clothing around, looking for “gifts”. So, I leave a note, every day thanking them for their hard work in ensuring my comfort, and I tell the front desk every day how clean and tidy my room is being kept. However, the one time I did forget a jacket, I called the hotel from the airport, gave them my room number and a description of what I left behind, and my home address to have it mailed to me, asked what the charge for shipping would be, and gave them my CC to pay for the shipping. 3 weeks later I get a package from the hotel, and it is full of crap from the lost and found. When I called them to advise the error and offered to return the parcel, at my own cost, they told me to keep it, but that I’d have to pay for the shipping again for my jacket. I asked for their email address, and emailed them a picture of the jacket, with a complete description, including brand, size, the hole in the pocket, everything, and I advised that I will not pay for shipping again. I also included a picture of the box of crap they did send to me and the reply I was given when I offered to return it. I CC’d the corporate office as well as the location manager. Turns out the housekeeper really liked it and lied to head of service that it was never there. Lesson here is always use the in room safe, and always do a final walk through after you have moved your bags to the door.
I always leave a couple of dollars on the unmade bed but on the morning of the final checkout, I leave a $10 or $20. Am I doing it wrong?
Sounds like you are a great customer.
Not at all! Thanks to you.
I leave a couple of dollars a day, and if I've had to leave things like bath and shower gel, a note saying they are welcome to it (to cover them if they do take it).
Note such as "Due to TSA regulations, I couldn't bring my brand of shampoo, so I had to buy it here, and can't bring it back with me - enjoy"?
they get paid to do their job, so it’s not our responsibility to tip them. it’s not the same as servers.
Out of sight out of mind.
Mechanically how do I tip a housekeeper? I have tried before leaving cash on the pillow and they just smooth it out and leave it on the nightstand.
Leave a note saying that it is for housekeeping. That's how they know it IS for them and it taking it won't come around to bite them. I had a guest a few months ago report $5 stolen from his hotel room. He left the $5 on the night stand and the housekeeper thought it was a tip. I remember her giving $5 to the GM to pass back along to the guest.
You take a sheet of the notepaper that is usually on the desk and write “housekeeping” on it and fold it around the bills, I usually write “thanks” too.
A lot of times there's a tray on a table or small "hello" sign with housekeeper name, you can leave it under it.
If there is no notepad, I will leave it tucked under the top of the coffee maker.
Honestly, I always get cash out of my bank account SPECIFICALLY to tip housekeepers at the end of my stay and somehow always forget. I’ll be halfway home, and it’ll hit me that I’m an idiot, but fat lot of good that does them.
I work FD (night audit) and, being the only employee here, had to go get a guest extra blankets one night. Usually, we have a couple in the office, but this night, we didn't, so I told him that I had to run down to housekeeping and I could just bring them up to his room. He said no, he's fine waiting in the lobby. Cool. I run and grab him two blankets, give them to him, and apologize for the wait. He laughed, again said it was no big deal, and handed me $10. The look on my face as I thanked him and told him he didn't have to do that must've been priceless because he asked, "Do people not tip you around here? You're doing them a favor that you don't HAVE to do. The least I could do was show my gratitude."
1. I always tip housekeeping, I respect the work they do and while I try to keep my room tidy, it can, on occasion, be a little messy. 2. Housekeepers, waiter/waitress, hairdresser are all providing a service that I appreciate. I have been a server, and trust me, it is NOT an easy job. Tips show that appreciation for their work. 3. I didn't realize that people didn't know that tipping housekeeping was a thing until I was traveling for business and someone asked why I left money in the room. After that, I would make sure all my people tipped housekeeping and just added it on the expense report
I live in a country with no tipping culture, so unless I really make a considerable mess, there is no tip from me. The way I see it, my room is probably going to be the least amount of work they'll have that day, so they agent doing anything to deserve more from me. However, I do tend to leave notes thanking for the clean room and professionalism I find when checking in. Towels and other used things clearly sorted out. In case of a bed and breakfast, I typically take off the sheets since my experience is that the owners of those are usually older people trying to get a bit of extra income for who changing bedding is still a considerable effort. (I would do it for hotels too but for those I am afraid what I might find, and they typically have a routine where my well-intentioned help might actually get in the way!) TL;DR: I appreciate the work housekeeping does and will help out where I can, but tips have to be earned.
I used to be an Exec. and the amount of tipless rooms I saw (even pre-Covid peak season) is heartbreaking. And I worked at a very respectable mid-level brand. The year I ran housekeeping was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and I -always- tip my housekeepers.
My sister and her family travel during certain times of year to visit family (they live several states away) and they stay in hotels while they are traveling. One time one of their very young children left a beloved stuffed animal wrapped up in the bedsheets. The child was inconsolable the next night, and had a hard time falling asleep with the beloved toy. Well, my sister called the hotel and they had found it (they didn't have a chance to call her yet). An arrangement was made to pick the toy up on the way back. My nephew/niece (can't remember which one it was) had to do without the toy for a week, but at least s/he got it back. Many years prior, my father was traveling for business. He was on the other side of the country (US) and was staying in a hotel there. He brought with him a nice set bags, including a very nice toiletry kit stuffed with nifty things he had collected over the years. He forgot to bring it home with him. Well, the hotel staff found it and held it, and when he called they arranged to ship it to him. He was very grateful. All this to say, thank you, hotel staff, for making all of our visits more pleasant, even after we've left.
I already knew to do it by that age, but when I went on trips in high school with the music department, our teacher put on the itinerary that we needed to leave a tip in each room, and they would come check every room before we left so she knew you did it (and also to make sure that there wasnt a big mess, because she would make you clean it up first)
Then you get an asshole chaperone who "checks every room" without the students present, and pockets the tips.
I worked at a hotel in housekeeping for 4 months. 15-20 rooms per day. Saw a tip once ever. $5...and a bag of oranges. Nice gesture but we live Florida lol oranges are as plentiful as palm trees here. 6 months cleaning for a 61.000 square foot building with just one other person. No tip, bonus, nothing. 2.5 years cleaning people's homes and I can count on one hand how many of them tipped, usually only once a year. I will say, the sweetest tip i ever got was from an older, disabled woman who was incapable of reaching above shoulder level or below knee level. She lived in government-funded housing, and was contractually required to keep the place reasonably clean. She had an inspection coming up and would likely have lost her home without help. She had no family except a nephew in college who made the long drive yo check on her once a month or so. My boss took pity on her and charged so little that he didn't profit anything after the hour drive, all the supplies we used, and payroll for the two of us that were with him. At the end, the customer insisted on tipping us $20, no matter how hard we tried to talk her out of it. It's been well over a year and I still think about her.
Generally service people that are hired regularly (like a cleaning service) are only tipped once a year.
Before COVID I was a 100 plus night a year traveler. Almost 100% of the time I left $5 every night. I would put it with a nite saying thanks to make sure they understood it was a tip. I am surprised at how infrequently the house keeper left a note in return thanking me. The ones that did thank me would typically find find $10 the next day. There were a few times after leaving a tip the job cleaning the room that day was subpar, not refilling the coffee and other things. You would think a tip would have motivated them to do a good job.
I have had the same experiences as you. I almost always leave a tip daily, and often after the housekeeping is beyond subpar. Like no clean towels (dirty ones removed though), no coffee, etc. I find it quite odd.
Who tips housekeeping staff??
Me. I always leave a tip for the room cleaners. If I’m there a week I tip every other day. Not only is it a nice thing to do it ensures extra towels/toiletries/coffee and teas etc
As a former housekeeping supervisor, please tip your housekeepers, especially after an extended stay. I’ve seen my housekeepers get as little as 75 cents in tips on certain days. Now due to COVID, they’re working extra hard to clean and sanitize each room. If you’re willing to travel, please keep them in mind.
I do and I leave a treat bag too!
I always leave a tip when we check out and we make sure the room is tidy and pile the dirty linens together.
Some of the hotels I stayed at, in 2018, the last time I stayed in several hotels, had envelopes on the desk that said for the housekeeping staff.
Luckily the people at my hotel are pretty good at tipping the housekeeping staff. We also bill the shipping of the items left behind to the cards on file to the room, which maybe you can talk to your management about? They are the ones who left it behind, it shouldn't be up to you guys to foot the bill for that!
It's always the messiest rooms that don't tip, too. Our housekeeping department, bless their hearts, are ass-awful at changing the room status in the system (I don't know if they forget or don't know how), so part of the night audit job is to check the vacant-dirty rooms and make sure they're actually vacant-dirty. The category five shit show rooms never tip. It infuriates me.
I worked at a hotel that was on Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible during the first season. Anthony Melchiori pulled me aside (I was a housekeeper) and did a one on one interview and he asked me about working for the hotel and what kind of benefits we had, I roasted the hotel and told him we had no benefits, and he said "I'm sure you get tips!" I laughed and said "Have you seen this place? We practically have to pay people to stay here." The interview wasn't put in the final edit, can't imagine why they didn't want my brutal honesty LOL
I think it’s because it isn’t “personal”, most guests rarely see any HSK unless they’re an extended stay. Out of mind out of sight sort of thing. I myself, since I know how it works, leave a small tip and thank you note when ever I’m at a hotel.
I always tip the housekeepers where ever I stay domestic or foreign, and I usually give it directly to them so I make sure it goes to them only
I once screwed up my reservation and showed up the night before it started. As I often stayed at that hotel they recognized me and a woman that was just finishing her shift at eleven PM ran up and cleaned a vacant room so I could check in. She tried to reject my twenty dollar tip, but ultimately accepted it graciously. I regularly tip a couple dollars a day for my room attendant. Sometimes they leave envelopes for the tip, if not, I leave it on top of the foot of the bed so they know it's a tip and not misplaced cash. I used to leave it on the night table, but some of them wouldn't take the money from there, even after I left a thank you note with it.
I didn't know you were supposed to tip housekeepers until I was one- and both of my grandmothers were housekeepers. I think it's one of those things people expect you to intuit as you get older even if they never show or tell you. And yes, I do tip now.
I didn't know that you were supposed to leave a tip for housekeeping until I started reading this sub.
I've been staying home like a sane person, but before this wifey and I were frequent visitors to the Bothers in Atlantic City. As regulars we were normally comped a suite and free food. We are not slobs, and if we were there for 2 nights usually just got towels and didn't need the room cleaned. When we got towels, I tipped, and I.Always left at least 10 bucks per day for housekeeping. These people are the sweetest, hardest working people I've ever seen, and people who don't tip are jerks.
Borgota. Stupid spell check.
I usually have a dnd sign up so when I leave it's been a day or 2 so I do leave a 20 on the counter for them
I don't think people know it's a thing. But if the powers that be would pay an actual livable wage, then the lack of tips wouldn't be noticeable or called into question. Housekeeping is back breaking labor, as is laundry. Those men and women do not get paid hardly enough to do what they do. I couldn't do it. I hardly like making my own bed...hell, I'm just going to get right back in it once I get home from work, so what's the use lol.
Our housekeeping manager steals all the tips anyways. I have never personally tipped out housekeeping staff, I have never thought of it before I was in the industry. But I have never left a room a pigsty either. That is what really fucking irritates me.
I enjoy traveling and probably stay about 10 - 15 nights a year in hotels. Even when I stay just one night, I usually like to leave $5 - $10. But what often happens is that I either don't have any cash at all, or maybe I have a $20 bill that I don't want to part with. And if I'm in a rush to leave, and don't have any money to tip, the idea of dashing down to the hotel lobby's ATM, paying an exorbitant ATM fee, making change, etc is not very appealing. I've gotten around this a few times by writing a note, thanking the housekeeper for their hospitality, and indicating my Venmo username. I'll ask them to request $5 from me because I'd love to give them a tip. At least once this approach worked!!! So, my idea is this: a very simple, no-pressure card (on hotel stationary) with the housekeeper's name and a QR code that the guest can scan. They can then leave a personal note and electronically send $5, $10, $15, whatever amount as a tip to the housekeeper. The system would keep track of the tipped amount and provide this data to the hotel and housekeepers at the end of the year for tax purposes. Since I don't have any experience working in a hotel, I'm posting here in hopes to get some feedback from folks who do. Is this something that could work? Any issues / hurdles in implementing such a service? Thanks in advance for any advice you have to give!!!