# How are hotel maids compensated?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hotel-maids-compensated/634767>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 15, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hotel-maids-compensated/634767 "2012-09-15T04:43:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hotel-maids-compensated/634767/41 "2012-09-17T21:27:16Z")

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> [@md2000](#):
>
> Suffice to say I have never, except in a few online forums, run across anyone who actually leaves tips for hotel maids in North America.

Seriously? That’s…odd, from my perspective. My cheapskate Polish parents would even leave a couple bucks at the hotel when I was kid. I find it rather surprising that you’ve never come across someone who leaves tips for maids. In my experience, that’s the norm. I can’t say I’ve always tipped the cleaning staff (sometimes I forget; sometimes I don’t have the cash), but it’s always been the standard thing to do.

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**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hotel-maids-compensated/634767/42 "2012-09-17T22:07:13Z")

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I’ve started [a vaguely related thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=665803), for anyone that’s interested. More about the use of maid service than the compensation aspect.

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**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-hotel-maids-compensated/634767/43 "2012-09-17T23:23:06Z")

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> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Seriously? That’s…odd, from my perspective. My cheapskate Polish parents would even leave a couple bucks at the hotel when I was kid. I find it rather surprising that you’ve never come across someone who leaves tips for maids. In my experience, that’s the norm. I can’t say I’ve always tipped the cleaning staff (sometimes I forget; sometimes I don’t have the cash), but it’s always been the standard thing to do.

Well, I’m in my 50’s, lived all my life in Canada, and I never even \*\*\*heard \*\*\*of the concept until 10 years ago. I travelled several times a year. We were expected to turn in travel receipts for expense accounts. (Restaurant tips typically on the credit card bill) If the question ever came up, the accounting people would have issued a memo about how to account for cash on the pillow expenses - on a 7-day trip it would be a decently re-imbursable expense for some of the guys who claimed every penny. Never heard a peep one way or t’other. Nobody mentioned it. AFAIK, tips for maids was dreamed up by the “now tip waiters 20%” crowd a decade ago.

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