# Do you tip hotel maids?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [April 25, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632 "2002-04-25T21:13:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/1 "2002-04-25T21:13:09Z")
Upon leaving a hotel, do you leave a tip for the maids? If so, how much? I usually leave tips, but I know people who don’t.
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### Author:  [@auntie\_em](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auntie_em)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/2 "2002-04-25T21:18:19Z")
I do. How much depends on how pricey the hotel is, or what I’ve done to the room.
I once went on a road trip with my 5-month-old puppy, and she peed the bed in a Red Roof Inn.
I think I left 20 bucks.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/3 "2002-04-25T21:54:13Z")
NO
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### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/4 "2002-04-25T22:03:27Z")
Depends on the quality of the hotel. At a Comfort Inn down in Vidalia, Georgia? Nope. Well, unless I’ve done something drastic to the room (yeah, ok. Like that ever happens).
At the Libertador in Tegucigalpa, Honduras? I tip them well. Also at higher quality hotels in the US. Last Honduras trip I left, I think, a $20 tip for the week. It’s not that much to me, but it’s about $310 Lps, or almost a day’s wages.
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### Author:  [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/5 "2002-04-25T22:05:01Z")
Oh, and how much? For a week in a nicer place…anywhere from $10 to $20, depending on how long I stayed and whether they gave me new stuff every day. 😛
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### Author:  [@Jane\_D\_oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_D_oh)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/6 "2002-04-25T22:09:14Z")
Generally about $2.00 - $3.00/nite is a nice tip. Housekeepers DO NOT expect it but it is a nice gesture, especially if some extra efforts have been made: additional pillows or blankets, especially tough cleaning (I travel with my dog, so the fur factor is always a thought) or just something that makes you feel special. (I’m a decaf coffee drinker and when by day 2 the attendant knows to leave decaf only, there’s always a few extra bucks for her.)
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/7 "2002-04-25T22:17:24Z")
My standard is about 1-2 dollars a night, _unless_ I ask for something special, or I leave a huge mess for them to clean. Then I feel guilty and tip closer to 10 or so.
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/8 "2002-04-25T22:18:36Z")
Ooops! Not 10 a night. I mean, if I stay some place for 2 days, instead of tipping 2-4 I tip 10…
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/9 "2002-04-26T00:39:26Z")
I tip $1-2 a night, though once, when my daughter was a toddler and threw up all over the place, I tipped about $10 for a night.
Considering how little the maids get paid, I figure it’s a good thing to do.
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### Author:  [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/10 "2002-04-26T01:02:41Z")
I generally tip a buck or two a day - usually just empty out my pocket change at the end of the day and that’s what it usually comes to.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/11 "2002-04-26T01:48:44Z")
“Do you tip hotel maids?”
A couple of times, but we were real drunk. And you have to make sure they’re asleep or they’ll charge you.
[sub]I’m pretty sure only my rural brethren will get that.[/sub]
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### Author:  [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/12 "2002-04-26T02:28:08Z")
I can’t remember the last time I stayed at a hotel. But I probably would tip just because of what they probably have to clean-up after with some guest.
[hijack] I read on one of those celebrity sites about a well known actor, (name wasn’t given for obvious reasons) who whenever he stayed at a certain hotel chain, he would poop in the shower before he left.:mad: It’s a worldwide chain and they banned him from staying at any of their hotels.[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/13 "2002-04-26T04:30:51Z")
Yeah, I try to tip if I can. I do this kind of work on a daily basis (I am a homemaker and mother), so I know that it is nice to get a little extra for it! 🙂
Once when the family (there were 4 of us at the time) stayed for a week in a motel, we ALL came down with a stomach virus. We got it one at a time (so it lasted nearly the whole week), and each had our turn at heaving up our toenails. My 1 1/2 yr. old son was the worst–threw up MANY times–on the floor, on the beds, etc. The maid came in during the off hours to thoroughly clean the room–risking infection herself. Of course, it all had to be done again, as I had not contracted the virus at that point. We tipped her 10 bucks that first time and left 25 more when we checked out (we left it at the front desk in a sealed envelope with her name on it–best we could do to ensure that she was the one to receive it!). So I definitely think that tipping the maid is in order! 😃
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### Author:  [@pezpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezpunk)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/14 "2002-04-26T10:49:49Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jack Batty \*
> \*\*“Do you tip hotel maids?”
>
> A couple of times, but we were real drunk. And you have to make sure they’re asleep or they’ll charge you.
>
> [sub]I’m pretty sure only my rural brethren will get that.[/sub] \*\*
LOL! I hurt from laughing. I’m not sure whether it was the fact that what you said was actually THAT funny or that I’m THAT stupid! LOL!
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### Author:  [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/15 "2002-04-26T11:05:48Z")
Yeah, a buck or two a night, depending on how clean the room is, and how much I’ve messed it up. One time I had to stay at a hotel while I was having my period, and, well, it was quite a mess. I think that if I posted more, then I’d get a lot of TMIs! from the guys. Anyway, for that night, I left a tip of ten bucks.
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### Author:  [@greenlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenlady)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/16 "2002-04-26T11:29:36Z")
We always tip hotel maids, regardless of the qualifty of hotel/motel. And always tip just once at the end of the visit, not daily.
I guess how much of a tip we give varies accordng to basically how long we’ve stayed there, but probably averages $1-2/night.
I’ve never had occasion (fortunately) to think twice about how much tip to give 'cause we were especially messy, but I think it’s a good idea.
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### Author:  [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/17 "2002-04-26T12:23:35Z")
Actually, I looked this up before I left on my recent cross-country trip (I flew to San Diego where my husband retired from the Navy and we drove back to Virginia together). According to [this](http://www.tipping.org/tips/TipsPageTipsUS.html) tipping page, minimum daily tip for a _h_otel room is $5.00. This seemed high to us (especially as we do not usually stay at _h_otels so much as \*m]\*otels. In fact, except for a 2 day stay at a Holiday Inn just off the French Quarter in New Orleans, we stayed in old fashioned, non-name brand, motels – the cheaper and more “picturesque” the better. We finally settled on $2.00 a night as a reasonable amount and also tossed whatever change my husband had accumlulated that day on top of the bills as we left. We left a larger tip at the New Orleans place ($7.00 + change, I believe) because we stayed there 2 days.
Jess
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### Author:  [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/18 "2002-04-26T14:39:33Z")
Thanks for starting this thread, **Violet**. Very timely for me.
I’ve been traveling a lot lately, and I haven’t been tipping the maids. Honest, I didn’t know I was supposed to, until I was talking about it on my last trip and some travelling companions let me know what a cheap bum I’m being for not tipping. _Especially_ since the maids generally have to haul two sacks of empty beer bottles out of my room every single freaking day.
OK, I’ve repented of my cheap bum ways and I will start tipping the maids. But two questions remain:
1. If you tip a lump sum at the end of the trip, as some posters do (which would be easier), do the maids have a mechanism to pool the tips and split it up later, or does the maid who cleans your room the last day just get the whole tip?
2. So maybe it’s a better idea to just leave a couple of bucks each day. How do you leave the money in the room so that the maid knows its a tip and not just some cash you left lying around?
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### Author:  [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/19 "2002-04-26T14:53:59Z")
I usually leave about $2-3 per day if the service is good.
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### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2002, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-tip-hotel-maids/105632/20 "2002-04-26T18:51:43Z")
I normally don’t tip unless I’m staying for several days, and then it’s a couple of dollars a day. I tip each day, in case different housekeepers clean the room. When I stay in a hotel room, I’m very clean. I pick up my trash, put all the dirty towels and stuff in one pile, etc. I try to make it the least hassle possible.
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