I ran across an article the other day about Marriott and Maria Shriver launching a campaign to educate people on the customary etiquette of tipping hotel maids. Marriott will now be placing an envelope in each room, with the attendees name so that patrons can leave a tip.
There are obviously two sides to this tipping coin {pun intended}. First, the tipping pro’s: Housekeeping is a pretty gritty job, and totally goes unnoticed, since the whole allure of staying in a hotel is that when you leave, people quickly come in and make your bed, change the towels, clean the bathroom, etc. When you return, like magic, your room is refreshed and clean. The article made a pretty good point in that most people usually tip the bell-hop and the shuttle driver, but don’t tip the maid because, well, they are not standing right there in front of us. Cleaning hotel rooms would be a horrible job {in my opinion}, so I am sure receiving a tip for time and service is totally welcomed by staff.
On the flipside, it is really irritating that while the hotel workers pay minimum wage {and more in larger markets}, they pass the obligation of making the staff’s wage a living wage through supplemental tips onto the consumer. The room is already quite expensive, and to add additional dollars here and there can really add up to a potentially already tight budget. There is the idea/mentality that the hotel should pay the workers a decent livable wage in the first place so that tipping is not necessary.
Rather than even give my own opinion on the matter, I want to know how all of you feel. Do you feel obligated to tip the hotel maid? Did you even know it was customary to tip?
~Mavis
***Interesting sidenote: If you do plan on tipping, the article offered a standard guideline of $1-$5 per night of stay, depending on the cost of the hotel room.
Mary F Campbell says
No I do not plan on tipping. The last half a dozen 5-6 star hotels I have been in were tidy but certainly not clean serveral times I was picking food off the floor beside or under the furniture. Obviously vacuuming is not a strong point! I don’t even want to mention what color your stocking feet turn should you dare to walk on the tiled floors that may or may not have been washed at the turn of the century. My most recent stay, even the bedding wasn’t clean!!! No… definitely no tips from me.
Brandon says
When my wife and I travel, we generally stay somewhere with a kitchenette and light or no maid service, so we don’t tip. We also tidy up before we take off so I don’t feel bad about not tipping someone who likely did less work in my room than would have done in any other rooms that day.
When we stay at a traditional hotel, we generally leave a tip if the services were all performed well and the room was actually cleaned.
Christine says
My feeling is that if we can afford to stay in a hotel, we can afford to tip the housekeeper, so we always do so…
Mary Ann says
We go to Vegas once or twice a month for one or two nights at a time. Since we’re there for such a short time we rarely ask for daily service, but we do ALWAYS leave a tip when we leave ($5 – $20, depending if it’s a regular room or suite). I’m also one of those people who picks everything up and makes it easy for the maid to clean the room.
Chad says
Tipping with the housekeeping staff is just wrong. They are and should be paid by the hotel that employs them.
There is nothing “tip-worthy” about it. A tip (to me) implies that the person did an exceptional job. A case can be made for tipping at restaraunts, but if the maid doesn’t clean well, I’ll either clean it myself or complain to the front desk – not adjust the tip.
This tipping thing is getting out of control.
I’m going to be like Alexander – I’m moving to Australia.
Monica says
After reading this, I feel really bad. I have never even heard of tipping the maid at the hotel or even ever thought about it. I do not travel a lot, so maybe that is why, however it has just never occurred to me until I heard it on the news this morning and now reading this. It is true, that they have a pretty crappy job to do and it is probably a lot worse than the bell boy, but the bell boy gets tipped way more. My initial reaction was “Ugh, another person to tip!” we already have to tip the bell boy, valet, etc. and now the maid but then the more I thought about it the more I have felt bad for never realizing that I should tip the maid and how much their services go without gratitude.
Kathy says
I’ve working houskeeping in a hotel and yes, it is backbreaking work. Sometimes I was tipped, most often not. Never really thought much about it because we were paid well above minimum wage. But, when I stay in hotels, not only do i tip but i also cleanup after myself.
Nicki says
I always tip because regardless of how much mess we make (and we dont’ make much of a mess but we do have a 9 year old), the maids still have to change the beds, take out the trash, vacuum, dust, clean the bathroom, etc. But since we always stay in Holiday Inns and only for a few days a year (and I see the the tip as part of the vacation budget), I’ve always given 20 %. Your article’s tip is going to save us a little cash while still feeling good about giving a tip! 🙂
Maggie White says
We are very tidy hotel guests, but we still tip at the end of our stay. I usually leave an envelope with “Housekeeping” written on the front with $10-$20, depending on the length of our trip. I really appreciate the housekeeping staff at hotels – you know they have to clean up after some nasty people. On our honeymoon we stayed in some really nice hotels, and we tipped a little bit every few days since we had a lot of requests (extra towels and lots of lotion since we both got badly sunburned!). I even wrote the staff a thank you note since they went above and beyond the norm!
Sharon says
Just a note that the last person to clean the room will get the tip and it is usually not the same person cleaning your room each day. I never thought to tip the housekeeper but they do get very low pay. In tourist areas they get very little work in off seasons.
Pam says
I always tip. I tip my waitress for doing her job. I tip the skycap for doing his job. I tip the barista for doing their job. It’s a difficult job that generally does not pay well. If my $10-$20 in an envelope helps someone else be able to feed their family, I’m okay with that.
Claire Bacon says
ALWAYS tip! Why, because the room is ready when I get there. When I leave the maid has to clean up after me. She has to set out clean towels, put clean linens on the bed, and scrub toilets and showers. On top of dusting and vacuuming and taking out the trash. Not a job I would want, but if I had to I would, therefore I would be very appreciative of a tip.
Jenn says
I have to admit, I have never thought of tipping the housekeeper. But now reading this I’m thinking, why have I never thought to tip the housekeeper. They do a job that I wouldn’t want to do. I do however try to make their job easier. I always make sure that the towels are together on the bathroom floor instead of scattered around the room and I always wipe down the sink area so there is no standing water. Just the standard stuff that I hope they appreciate. And I do greatly appreciate the job that they do!
Jenny says
I travel a lot, and I always tip housekeeping. They perform a personal service, and so I tip as a means of thanking them for that personal service. I guess for me, if someone is doing something for me that I could do for myself, then I tip them. For example, bellhop, valet parking, hairdresser, nail salon, housekeeper, wait staff, cab driver, shuttle driver – all these get tips from me, to thank them for doing the thing that I don’t have time or energy to do for myself.
Other posters mention poor cleaning service in the hotel they stay in – that would deserve a discussion at the front desk and maybe in that case no tip. But also, I’d stop going to that hotel (or that chain of hotels)! There are plenty of good, clean, well-kept hotels out there who deserve our patronage, and those housekeeping staffs deserve to be thanked for doing a good job.
Kelli says
I had never thought of tipping the housekeeping until this summer when my daughter got a job in housekeeping. She is going to college this fall and there were not a lot of jobs available so she very reluctantly took this one. To her (and my) surprise, it was not as horrible as she thought it would be plus she did get quite a few tips. Her favorite was a gentleman that stayed at that hotel for a month and she usually cleaned his room. At the end of his stay, he found her and told her how much he appreciated the job she did and gave her $100. She was so delighted! I know how it made her feel and how much it helped her budget and we will now tip when we stay at a hotel.
Kenneth says
Yes, I knew about tipping housekeeping staff before. I think the suggested amount from US News is abysmally low. And if you’re staying in a chain or a large hotel, you should leave the tip daily, since the staff may change from day to day. In a bed and breakfast or a small inn, you can leave a lump sum at the end of your stay.
As for the general principle, which several of the previous commenters have made, I agree that no one’s livelihood should depend on tips. Everyone should be paid a living wage for the work they do, and patrons should feel free to leave a gratuity for outstanding service.
But the operative word here is “should.” Many hard-working people in the United States are not paid a living wage for their work, and they do, in fact, depend upon tips.
If you don’t leave tips because employers “should” pay a living wage, perhaps you should move to another country where that is the reality.
Jodi Chick (+ Kolchak & Felix too) says
I do always tip the maids and when travelling to locations where small luxuries may not be readily available (like Cuba), I like to bring luxury items, like scented soaps, hair care items etc. to give them as well. For me, not having to clean, make beds etc. is a real luxury. I would expect the hotel to clean up before I arrive and after I leave, but I consider the little things the housekeeping staff do to make my stay nicer a bonus.
While it would be nice if hotels paid their staff a good wage, most don’t. Same goes with restaurants. I consider tips to be a part of my vacation budget (and any other budget). I have stayed at some all-inclusive resorts where tipping was strictly discouraged, though I don’t think this was because they paid the staff particularly well. I just think it was a policy to make guests feel less like they were spending money.
Erin Gaskell says
I usually do not tip because typically we stay one night somewhere and I feel like I already pay for the room to be clean when I arrive and frankly hotel prices are thru the roof (as are SO many other things these days). I also in lieu of a tip I will often clear the room of trash and consolidate dirty towels and sometimes wipe down the sink area.
Mimi says
I always tipped $5 a day, however, now that you have the option of not changing the sheets every day, I usually leave the tip at the end of my stay. If I see the person that has helped me I will hand her/him the tip directly.
Marcia says
This is what we do. Approx $5 a day, unless they don’t come in. We have kids, and we make a mess, so often we’ll leave the “do not disturb” sign out all day.
Helen in Meridian says
I always tip, in fact I tip daily. I explained to my dh that if you leave a tip at the end, that just that one person gets the whole tip. Perhaps the main maid is off that day. I had to teach him to tip the maids. Why would you tip a waitress for just pouring your cup of coffee, etc, but not tip the person who scrubs the shower, toilet, sinks, empties the garbage and vacuums as well as changes your bed and towels?
Karen C says
I used to travel quite a bit, staying in hotels and always left a tip.
Catherine Foster says
I traveled a lot for years when I was a journalist (which ended in 2007). Back then, it was $2 a day per person, per day. I don’t know the rates now. Judging from these posts, it sounds like it’s $5, but it also sounds like the posters are talking about more than one person in the room. Can anyone say what the going rate is? If the room isn’t clean, tell the management. Express your displeasure on TripAdvisor (that’ll get em to clean up their act!). But if it is clean, do tip. Women are raising families on this money.
Jean says
Growing up on Cape Cod, I have cleaned my share of hotel/motel rooms and while a tip was always so appreciated, I have to say it was seldom forthcoming. And some people could be real pigs. Not to insult pigs, which BTW are one of the cleanest animals there are. I always tip for a nice clean room.
Dale says
When overseas I will usually tip the housekeeping staff but haven’t here in the US. Personally I think the Hotel should pay their employees a living wage regardless. This hotel pushing the cost off on the customers is just another example of overpaid management and under paid/valued employees.
PeggyK says
I tip daily. And the reason for that is that each day a maid (housekeeper) could be assigned to a different set of rooms. The person who cleans the room at the end when the tip is there gets to keep the tip. Plain and simple. I usually tip 3.00 per day. And yes this tipping is getting out of hand. Here is the last trip: tipped the car park to help our bags on to the shuttle, tipped the driver at the airport to get the bags off, tipped the skycap when we checked our bags, and when my mom was travelling with us, tipped the attendant who took her to the gate. It was a small fortune before we even got started!!!!! No one thinks of the housekeepers who have to clean up after us – but we always tip the bellboys. Unconscious gender bias do you think?
Kim says
Sorry, but I’m not tipping unless I stay multiple days and only then if my needs we’re well met or housekeeping went out of their way.
jamie says
We leave tips and daily because it may not be the same person cleaning your room each day. We’ve actually had several times where we left the tip out, and they did not take it. We also always clean up after ourselves in our room, because we treat it like our home while we are there and we’re humans not animals.
Carrie says
I always tip. 10% of the tab, I also tip daily as the maids may switch daily.
Vicky says
Tough one for me. I tip because I feel guilted into it by not knowing if companies are paying fair wages or not. I don’t want to shortchange workers, but all this tipping is getting out of hand. Generally, I’m a pretty do-it-yourself kind of person. I’m capable of unloading and handling my own bags at airports and hotels, parking my car at events, etc. so I avoid some tipping situations. Others provide services that you really can’t opt out of–waitresses, shuttle drivers, hotel housekeeping. Everyone deserves a fair wage, so we have to do what the norm calls for in our current system. (I’m not ready to tell people they need to move to another country if they don’t like it as another comment mentioned.) I’m reluctant to tip those people who provide a service yet set their own fee. In a perfect world, tips would be given for over and above service, but not expected as a means to make up for the income gaps in an industry.
Ashley says
I’ve never tipped, but then again I think I’ve only stayed at a hotel 2 nights in a row maybe twice in my life. I always make the room as clean as possible when I leave so there’s no extra work beyond switching out sheets/towels and garbage and vacuuming. As someone who has cleaned hotels rooms in the past, I do think that it’s a bit grueling. However, I feel that the hotel should be paying the housekeepers a fair wage and not depending on the customers to tip. Even if a room cost a little more, I’d rather just pay it out front and know the employees are getting paid decent than have to wonder if I should be throwing ones and fives at everyone I see.
Ranee says
From having been on the other side – my experience as a maid in a motel was the construction guy, who booked for a week and hardly made any mess would often leave a very generous tip (which was shared with the other maid i worked with) – and the wealthy weekend guests – husbands and wives, rarely left any tip and often left big messes. (makeup all over the bathroom vanity – soaking wet towels left on the carpet or furniture – one time there was pop corn everywhere). There are other stories that were even worse, but regardless, we did not expect tips, but were very grateful when the guests did. This was many years ago and the pay was almost an insult and I only did it for a short time, but I will never forget and will always tip, as generous as I can be. I also hang my dirty towels up vs leaving on the floor and put all of our trash into the bin and make our bed, just because I can.
Kayla says
I have to admit that we have only gone on one family vacation in the 8 years we have been married. We didn’t tip because we honestly didn’t even think about it. Now I am wondering if we should have. Too late now, but good to know in the future. This makes my vacation budget have to get bigger. I guess we will just have to wait another 8 years to go on another vacation.
Joannemarie says
After being on a cruise this August I was disgusted to find pubic hair on the back of the toilet and the desk counters sticky. As you may or may not know the Tip to ship staff is mandatory… my cabin boys were luke warm at their jobs… Wishing we could have cut them out of our tipping…
And will be roughing it next year.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I think tipping in the US is out of control. Further proof we need to raise the min wage. I think a tip is deserved if service is exceptional or above and beyond. But it shouldn’t be expected to compensate for a multi million dollar corporation failing to pay a living wage. I’d rather my bill increase by $20 if it’s truly an issue. My biggest tipping pet peeve is for getting your nails done. Something I only do once or twice a year when I am in or going to a wedding or formal event. (I’m a gardener after all and fancy nails on me is rather pointless) You pay before you get your nails down because you don’t want to mess up your manicure. BUt you are also expected to tip then too if you are paying by credit card. Never mind that I am pre-paying $35 for something I could but am too lazy to do myself at home. But I have to pre pay a tip for a service that will likely be average at best.
Anyway…all that said I do follow most rules for tipping and almost always tip 20% at restaurants. But we have definitely lost sight that a tip was once for exceptional service, not to inch a salary closer to a living wage for an employer who fails to do so.
KK
Cecily says
I have rarely stayed in a hotel (camping is more my style) but when I have I have tipped $3-$5 a day. To justify not tipping by saying the employer “should” pay a livable wage is like slapping the baby for getting bit by the dog. Here in America tipping is as much a matter of etiquette as it is compensation for services rendered. The ones who are hurt by non tippers are the employee and the non tipper who is perceived as “cheap” and undeserving of good service, not the employer.
Laura Z says
I ALWAYS tip at least $5 a day, no matter the grade of hotel. Housekeeping staff changes day to day, and it’s important to tip daily. If anyone hasn’t read Nickled and Dimed, I really recommend it. Maids are ridiculously underpaid for the amount of physical labor they do, and are often kept part time so they aren’t eligible for company insurance and benefits. If your housekeeping isn’t up to par, contact management, yelp or tripadvisor review your experience, etc., but always tip your maid.
Wynne says
I was thinking about Nickel and Dimed, too.
Nancy C. says
I would way rather tip than pay that pesky resort fee!
gwen says
Tipping is an UGLY custom. I’m already paying for the room and housekeeping should be included in that. If the workers are receiving minimum wage, that is their choice to work there. I work hard too, and never worked for tips.
IF I got sick and needed new sheets or towels in the middle of the night, or some other accident requiring special help, Iprobably would tip. Otherwise, no.
Stacey says
We traveled for a number of years when my daughter was a competitive gymnast, and stayed at many hotels. I didn’t know about the etiquette until someone mentioned it, then I asked a friend, who also happened to be the gym owner. She explained that she always left around $5 per night, and that’s what we did. I would rather have the costs of everything up front, too, but this is where we are. To not bother tipping just because you feel you shouldn’t have to does not help the people who may be underpaid. Even if they are paid a decent wage, that little tip, which is easily affordable to anyone who can afford to stay at a hotel, could be a pick-me-up that encourages that maid for the day. Isn’t that worth the $5?
Lisa Millar says
I was interested in reading all the responses to this article.
Being Australian I have always been curious about the tipping culture in the US. I travelled there when I a lot younger and I had no idea how to tip/what to tip/when to tip. I probably mucked it up a lot.
I did look up a lot of info recently and was surprised at how low minimum wages can be in the US for a lot of service based industries. So tipping made sense from the point of view of the worker trying to make ends meet.
But its like the hotels and restaurants get a pretty good deal…able to pay low wages and let their patrons cover the shortfall with the obligatory tipping culture. So you go out and pay for your meal or your hotel room… but also supplement the staff wages!!
Our minimum wages here for someone working full time is over $16 per hour. Casual staff will get 25% on top of that.
We only tip here if the service is outstanding, otherwise it is not necessary nor expected
I haven’t been to the states in a while so I cannot say if generally hotels and restaurants are more expensive… but there is a good range available for all budgets and those businesses are well patronised.
I think the issue for me would be if I was travelling to the US again (besides getting a crash course on tipping) is the whole extra budget you would need to cover it. Sure… one night in a hotel where you may tip the maid $5 and the Bellboy something ?. Thats not much. But if you are on a travelling holiday, you generally eat out each meal, go to new hotels… everyday you’d add quite a bit to your budget in tipping, multiply that over the duration of your holiday and thats quite substantial. (Well it is to a lot of people that have to save carefully to afford the holiday in the first place.)
Anyway, I enjoyed reading peoples thoughts and responses to this article!
Cheers!
Jennifer says
My husband & I typically travel once or twice a year. If we are in a room over 1 night I will leave a tip due to the fact the staff is coming in to make the bed, give clean towels if left on the floor and straighten up. To leave a tip is to pay for extra services and if the room is not well cleaned then I don’t feel one should be expected. I too believe tipping in the US is getting out of hand, with tip jars on counters where the only service you get is the person performing the job they were hired for, ie handing you your food or drink.
Angela Wells says
I never tip but I also never have the maids come in and clean the room. My husband and I straighten the bed ourselves and if we need more towels we just fine the mail and get them. So our room is never “cleaned” until we leave.
Amanda says
Yes, I tip and clean up after ourselves. I was a hotel maid in high school, and many years later I still look back on it as the most physically demanding and grossest job I’ve ever had (just my opinion). You rarely interact with your “customers” and never hear a thank you from them. Yes, maids get paid from their employer but it is such a low wage, and I often see them storing any leftovers they can find from the check out rooms on their carts to take home at the end of the day. If I can buy someone’s lunch by leaving a tip and show my acknowledgement and appreciation for their difficult and thankless work done for me and my family, I will definitely do that. I tip daily, since the same maid rarely has the same room for multiple days. My standard tip rate is $1-2 per person per day, and I often leave it along with a quick “Thank You” note. Why would you tip a barista or a waiter, but not a hotel maid? In my opinion, a maid is providing much more personal service than the others.
Megan says
I worked as a housekeeper while in high school and college. It is a tiresome job. If you don’t want to tip fine but don’t be a slob. Just because the hotel is not your home does not give you license to do anything you want. The worst thing was to open the rooms door and find a huge mess! It is not hard to put all your used towels in one pile or put your trash in the can! Help your housekeepers out. I tip when I travel and I don’t ask for service everyday. I don’t get a fresh towel or sheets everyday at home so why would I just because I am traveling!
CathyB says
I honestly never even knew it was expected to tip the housekeeping. Wouldn’t that just be a cost of the hotel doing business and should be included in the price of the room? I mean, really, if they don’t clean the rooms then they will lose business. Unlike the bellhop or the valet (which I can choose to use or not) the cleaning of rooms really needs to be done one way or another. Most places I have stayed clean the room daily whether asked to or not. A few hotels will ask whether you want daily maid service and I actually prefer to not have daily service. I am totally fine with a clean room when I get there, picking up after myself, trading dirty towels for clean ones as needed, and then letting them clean the room when I leave. I think it would be reasonable for a hotel to charge extra for daily cleaning service beyond changing out towels. But really, I get a little bit cranky about all the things I am being constantly told that I need to tip for.
Rebecca says
I have to dissent from the majority here and say that it really bothers me that we would be expected to tip housecleaning – why would I pay to stay in a hotel room if the room was dirty – that should be a cost of doing business. And if the maids cannot support their families perhaps they should get a different job. Once you go down the slippery slope of cash subsidies you get into a whole can of worms with tax avoidance, illegal alien employees, etc. Marriott should be ashamed of themselves putting it out there that it is my DUTY to subsidize their employees. I also don’t care for the idea of paying people more just because life is hard. I have a friend who does housekeeping and one of the main reasons is that she won’t give up weed long enough to pass a drug test for any other job. When do we get to let people accept the results of their choices?
Mrs. H says
I used to work at the front desk of a hotel.
Hotel housekeeping staff is paid a normal (at least minimum wage and more) hourly rate. Their job is to clean. They get paid by the employer to clean. A tip is an extra bonus, NOT part of their wage.
Same with restaurant staff. Even though their wage might be lower than hotel housekeepers, they still get paid an hourly wage and all tips are bonuses.
It’s not the consumers responsibility to increase the workers wages.
So no, I do not tip hotel housekeeping.
Mrs. H says
p.s. — for restaurants servers, I tip if they provide good service. If their service is horrible or lacking, I tip accordingly.
As for hotel housekeeping, I would tip if they did something outside their normal job duties. Cleaning up a guests’ vomit, for example, would be outside their normal job duties and I would make sure they got tipped in such a case.
Crystal Rose says
It really bothers me to read so many responses from people who make a choice not to tip. While I understand some of the reasoning it’s still very rude- just like stiffing your waiter/waitress.
I’ve had both jobs in the past. With housekeeping the work was more difficult, the pay was comparable, and the tips were fewer in number. I’m not sure why it worked out that way but it did.
I never expected a tip but I was still shocked by how seldom they came (for something ingrained in our culture) and the state some of the rooms were left in. If your room is left dirty and the service is poor then by all means forgo the tip and complain away. If it’s being kept neat and tidy then please consider showing some gratitude for the workers cleaning up after you (or at least tidy up a bit on your own before you go.)
Jackie Thomas says
We always tip, leaving $5 every morning. The housekeeping staff show their appreciation by leaving extra coffee, soap, shampoo or by saying thank you on the note paper. We are not millionaires or even thousandairs, but we have good paying jobs that allow us to afford staying in hotels and traveling. Housekeeping staff are paid minimum wage to clean our toilet and wash and change our linens so we can enjoy our stay. I sometimes feel bad only leaving $5 because I know only a small percentage of people tip. The money goes directly to the staff member. Hopefully if enough people tip they can quit one of their other jobs and spend more time with their children.
Yes, the hotel SHOULD pay them more, but the reality is they don’t and won’t just because you think they should.
What is $5 to you–a non-fat 2 shot latte with low foam? I’d rather that $5 goes to someone who works hard and really needs it.
Barb says
I’ve never stayed in a hotel with a bellhop (La Quinta and Super 8 are more my style) and I avoid valets. I tip ~$5 each night if I’m staying more than one night but not if it is just one night–unless I ask for something special. I’ve never thought about tipping a shuttle driver to get me to a hotel or from from the parking lot to the airport–I figure that’s their job and they’re going to that location already.
Kim says
For those that say they don’t tip because the hotel should pay a living wage , you are punishing the wrong person. Ask the manager what they pay their housekeeping staff and chastise them if it’s not enough.
Someone rightly acknowledged that the person at the end of your trip might not be the one who was taking care of you the entire time, so one dollar left on the dresser every day would be appropriate. You’ll also find that you will probably receive better service if you do it this way.
Clean up after yourself before you leave. It’s just the decent thing to do. They are housekeepers, not slaves.
My mother worked housekeeping at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and those king-size bedspreads weigh about 50 pounds.
If you can afford $100 plus a night for a hotel room you can certainly afford one to two dollars a night for housekeeping.
Regina says
You should always tip.
You also, should complain, immediately, when/If you find things unclean.
Unless/until a tip is added into your bill, or cost for the room.
Some areas/places have little guests, due to location. Your tip, pays not just for the time spent on the room, in rural areas, a 30 minute drive to work, only 3 rooms out of 30 that day, had guests, only 1 left a tip. Story from a bff, a single mom of 3, working 2 jobs. Many people think ” We will never be back this way again “, not realising it’s school supplies, rent money, or food on the table etc.
Same goes for waiters & waitresses, imho. Tip or have legitimate complaints addressed.
Not tipping, changes nothing, complaining addresses issues, so things can improve.
CJ says
I can always appreciate someone who does a great job and if they went above and beyond it would have to be exceptional for me to tip a hotel maid. I’m a giving person and I also manage logistic operation for a company and my people break their back lifting boxes and moving boxes that are hundreds of pounds and customers do not tip my employees wouldn’t even be allowed to accept a tip. we are paid by our employer to do the job. If cleaning people are grossly underpaid that they need to rely on tips the Hotel business should raise their prices and incorporate the tip into the stay for the room for the customer. I’m a giving person but where does it end with tips Starbucks started this for making a drink now you tip them at the cash register and every profession wants a tip for a job that they’re paid to do. should we tip the pharmacist when you go to the pharmacy should you tip a dry cleaning person when you go to the dry cleaners? There are many professions that immigrants work and that’s not an excuse there are many immigrants who made a lot more money than many Americans and I love immigrants im one . when you go to McDonald’s or Burger King do you tip the person at the cash register for taking your order. No they work for the corporation and their paid to do their job and their paid enough wage to treat you pleasant and provide you with the service just like the hotel is providing the cleaning service incorporated into your price to pay the wage for the worker. Do you tip a person at Jiffy Lube when they change your oil they bust their but and expose themselves to harmful toxins and get all greasy and work hard on your car which if not done right will cost you deeply. I never even carry cash and charge everything I just think the whole tipping industry is getting out of control. Do you tip your child’s school teacher they can do their job but they can do their job nicer and are you going to give them a $50 bill every month. You can’t make the argument that school teachers don’t work hard because they do they definitely would deserve a tip if a cleaning lady does. my point is if you think about it everybody deserves a tip. it’s commonly always been waiter or waitresses, Bellman at hotels ECT. Tell me you don’t think an airline pilot works hard do you tip them and reach into the cockpit and slip them a 20 before you get off the plane?? You don’t cuz you don’t feel sorry for him because you figured he makes a lot of money you only tip cleaning ladies because people feel sorry for them and think they don’t make a lot of money it’s all relative the cleaning person can actually be getting more benefits through our government with health insurance and other supplements and be making more money than you. Just food for thought. Be blessed
Andrea Devine says
If motel room cleaners earned a decent wage…no need to tip. But they are NOT. Until there are some changes in our society at large, please support the cleaners (and their children) with at least the minimal tip. \If you can afford more, or if you appreciate the quality of their work, go ahead and be more generous. But don’t try to take away the minimal amount they should be earning. (Thank you, M. Butterfield , or citing the typical range of tip!)