Tip Your Maid!

[Ben]

I found this story interesting, in that when I'm at a hotel, often the maid is the only one getting a tip. The story says maids are the least tipped of all hotel staff. I tip for valet parking or baggage obviously if I use it, but for personal travel, generally avoid hotels that are valet only, and most always carry my own bags. I've never tipped front desk staff. Maybe I'm committing a faux pas, but I've never heard of tipping them for general checking in or out. Housekeeping staff are who get a daily tip from me when I'm in a hotel. Voluntarily. I don't like the idea of "mandatory" tipping.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/09/17/marriott-tipping-envelopes-for-maids-backfires-with-customers/?intcmp=features

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Yea. Unless desk staff goes out of their way. I tip maids and waiters. I usually stay at same places and I will tip if I get early check in or late check out. I hit ca beach and it's nice to be able to get our stuff in room early . Staying same places pays off. They get to know you and your tipping habits. It improves quality of stay considerably. And makes traveling with wife and kids more stress free. I tip the rental concession guy on beach he has my stuff set up when I get to beach and keeps an eye on it if we leave. Helps schlep gear too.


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[Hawkmoon]

Ridiculous.

I'm 70 years old. I don't think I have ever met a person who doesn't tip the maid(s) in a hotel, and likewise I don't think I have ever heard of tipping the front desk staff.

Concierge? I guess -- but I don't often stay in places that have a concierge, and if I did I doubt much that I would avail myself of the service. Bellman gets a tip per bag but, like Ben, I really prefer to carry my own bags and find my own way to the room.

Now that you mention it -- I haven't stayed in a hotel in the U.S. for many years. What's the current recommendation for the daily tip for the maid?

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Most folks under 50 don't tip maids anymore. My tip varies on the wreckage I leave with kids.
I over tip across the board but I get good service. And when they were toddlers it was awesome to have the help.
The one hotel in va beach they think I work for corporate as a mystery shopper and it's real nice.




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[Ben]

Most folks under 50 don't tip maids anymore. My tip varies on the wreckage I leave with kids.
I over tip across the board but I get good service. And when they were toddlers it was awesome to have the help.
The one hotel in va beach they think I work for corporate as a mystery shopper and it's real nice.
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Huh. The under 50 thing is a new one on me. I wonder what the reasoning is? As for maid tipping, I usually do $3-5/day depending on how fancy the hotel is. I have no idea if I'm under or over tipping, it just seems right to me.

[Boomhauer]

Never have tipped a maid.

Never knew it was "protocol" to do so until this thread.

[Balog]

I pretty much never even see the maid, how would I tip them? Leave some money out on top of a piece of paper with "tip for the maid" written on it in Spanish or something?

[zahc]

Just leave a small amount of money out in a conspicuous place.

[MikeB]

I stopped tipping maids when they started ignoring the the Do Not Disturb signs.

A lot of my travel had or has me working at off hours. I got tired of being woken up to see if I really meant Do Not Disturb. This mostly happened in Hilton facilities.

[Ben]

Standard place for the maid tip is on the pillow of the bed. Leaving it on a table or something without it being conspicuously marked makes them afraid to take it sometimes because they don't want to be accused of stealing money that may have inadvertently been left out.

I'm super surprised at the younger folks not knowing about tipping the maid. Not calling anyone out on it, but I'm just intrigued as to when or how that started. As a little kid, I always saw my parents leave a tip for the maid, and they immigrated from a country where you don't tip, so somehow they learned about it as a common practice, but somewhere down the line that has apparently reversed, and I'm really curious as to how and why.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Yea a couple bucks is good. A lot depends on how long you stay what demands you place on them. In my case I generate a ton of trash need extra towels and the kids track in silly amounts of sand etc. I tip more. I have gotten my kids smart phone mailed home to us when she dropped it in the hall near the elevator. Maid remembered seeing her with it found it and manager emailed me before I even realized she lost it. I am paranoid about my kids too and like the idea of the staff knowing which ones are mine. And I make damn sure my kids are polite to the staff. Say please and thank you. That alone helps em to stand out.

A single guy who is just crashing and not wrecking the place is way different.
Nowadays the hotels have really jacked up the workload of their housekeeping staff and I know what they make.
Even better than a tip is when someone goes above and beyond I email their higher ups. In chains I hit the whole chain of command and name names when I am happy. I am not all about altruism . I have gotten a ton of upgrades and comps from this.



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[cassandra and sara's daddy]

The online generation never really had a way to learn it.
Folks in the country usually aren't as familiar with tipping either.
Lots of careers where no one ever gets a tip and lacking that exposure it never crises their mind. It's definitely not that they aren't nice enough folks it's just a question of what life's exposed you too.


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[Balog]

Standard place for the maid tip is on the pillow of the bed. Leaving it on a table or something without it being conspicuously marked makes them afraid to take it sometimes because they don't want to be accused of stealing money that may have inadvertently been left out.

I'm super surprised at the younger folks not knowing about tipping the maid. Not calling anyone out on it, but I'm just intrigued as to when or how that started. As a little kid, I always saw my parents leave a tip for the maid, and they immigrated from a country where you don't tip, so somehow they learned about it as a common practice, but somewhere down the line that has apparently reversed, and I'm really curious as to how and why.

I have literally never heard of it before this thread. And if a maid took anything from my room, I'd report her for theft. The first thing we drill into our janitorial staff's head is that they don't take or touch anything the tenants leave out.

[Neemi]

Some hotels leave out an envelope specifically marked as where you put tips for the maid.

[Nick1911]

With Balog and Boomhauer, I had no idea that tipping the maid is a thing until reading this thread.  My folks didn't do it when I was growing up, I've never seen anyone I've stayed in a hotel with do it, and nobody has ever said anything about it to me.

[Boomhauer]

A single guy who is just crashing and not wrecking the place is way different.

This is pretty much me, the only thing they have to do when I leave is change the bedding and restock the linens and TP, I don't trash rooms.

My folks didn't do it when I was growing up, I've never seen anyone I've stayed in a hotel with do it, and nobody has ever said anything about it to me.

This, and I've stayed in a wide range of rooms, from Holiday Inn to the Venetian.



Tipping customs can be odd. I've had people try to tip me for just me doing my job when I was a ranger. I always refused it, and if they insisted, I asked them to put it in the donation box instead. I never considered the work I did to be "above and beyond" what I was supposed to do.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

This is pretty much me, the only thing they have to do when I leave is change the bedding and restock the linens and TP, I don't trash rooms.

 With my crew they need to dump the trash at least twice sometimes more I need extra towels glasses and kids are messy.
It makes me happy to see my daughter smile when we come in and her dolls are tucked into bed


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[lupinus]

I always tip the maid. Few bucks usually. I'll leave usually on top of the dresser or by the coffee pot or whatever tucked under a cup as an obvious tip.

Never heard of tipping the front desk.

[RevDisk]

With Balog and Boomhauer, I had no idea that tipping the maid is a thing until reading this thread.  My folks didn't do it when I was growing up, I've never seen anyone I've stayed in a hotel with do it, and nobody has ever said anything about it to me.

Same boat. Then again, I tend to leave a hotel room looking nearly perfect aside from towels. I always always always do a police call and sensitive item inventory before leaving.

If I ever left a mess, I sure would have. Same with the front desk unless they have hooked me up.

Should one tip if you require virtually no service?

[Boomhauer]

sensitive item inventory before leaving.

I thought I was the only one that did that. 5 minutes to do, ensures nothing is ever left behind.

[Tallpine]

Never have tipped a maid.

Never knew it was "protocol" to do so until this thread.

Yeah, I'd just as soon my room not be bothered.  I'm pretty low impact: one towel (I've just showered when I use it, ya know  ), and hardly ruffle the bed (other than moving off most of the pillows so that there is actually a place to sleep  ).  If I'm there a week then a trash can might be full.

[MechAg94]

Growing up, my only experience was staying at Motel 6 on a driving trip to see relatives.  We didn't tip.  I never heard of it until I got older. 

[Hawkmoon]

I pretty much never even see the maid, how would I tip them? Leave some money out on top of a piece of paper with "tip for the maid" written on it in Spanish or something?

Yep. (The word in Spanish is "propina")

Of course, when I was a kid and still when I was a young adult, no note was necessary. You just left a dollar or two under the ashtray (before hotels went to non-smoking rooms) or on the writing desk and the maids knew it was for them.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I had dirty diapers in the trash. I appreciated them coming.


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[vaskidmark]

Do not overtip the hotel maid in the smaller hotels in France.  There are only two possible interpretations, and thank goodness the maid presumed that as a young teen I intended the other possibility.

Oh, for the days when the rate of exchange was so out of whack that what I saw as petty cash was a small fortune to the locals.

At least in restaurants and shops I learned to ask "How much is that in American?"  Paying the tab in local currency and the tip in greenbacks made sure the person providing the service got the greenbacks, but at times did create an Ugly American situation.  (See possible misunderstanding noted above.)

I have left large amounts of cash in an ashtray, weighted down with my loose change, and come back to see evidence of the maid wiping down/polishing around the ashtray.  Tips got folded into the hotel stationery with something like "For Housekeeping - Thanks" written on the top.

stay safe.