# How much do you tip the hotel maid? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2014, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730 "2014-08-17T01:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![simple\_homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@simple\_homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simple_homer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/21 "2014-08-17T06:24:29Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > \*Seriously. The worst was a woman, booked through her company’s travel service. We sent photos of the damage to her company, and a bill for the cleaning service - it required biohazard suits. She lost her job over that one… :eek: Details please. It is difficult for me to imagine what type of damage a business woman could do, and then for her to expect her company to not learn of the damage. Thanks Curiosity is killing this cat 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/22 "2014-08-17T11:11:43Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I usually use the paper and pen they make available and write “THANK YOU! :)” and put my money on top of that. I do that as well so they know it’s for them. I usually write “Housekeeping” on the note. Oh, a fin a day ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/23 "2014-08-17T11:14:45Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Nothing. I expect the wages of the staff to be covered in my room rate. I can see letting Mr. Pink here slide 'cause he’s an aussie. They probably do pay a decent wage down under. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Medlo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hi\_Medlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Medlo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/24 "2014-08-17T12:29:23Z")
I tip at the rate of $2 per night. I once tried leaving the tip after every night of a multi-night stay and it wasn’t taken…guessing that housekeepers are cautious about taking money from an occupied room? I understand that leaving money on a nightstand is frowned upon as there is some sexual innuendo associated with that. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/25 "2014-08-17T12:33:10Z")
> [@Hi\_Medlo](#): > > I tip at the rate of $2 per night. I once tried leaving the tip after every night of a multi-night stay and it wasn’t taken…guessing that housekeepers are cautious about taking money from an occupied room? > I understand that leaving money on a nightstand is frowned upon as there is some sexual innuendo associated with that. Yeah, as noted above it’s best to leave a note. If I were in their shoes I’d be wary of an accusation of stealing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/26 "2014-08-17T13:34:33Z")
> [@Lydia\_Phalfav](#): > > They’re already doing the job they signed on for, so I don’t give them anything extra unless I request something extra. It’s people like you what cause unrest. $3/night. $5 if we make a mess or have special requests. The First Rule of Life is Never, ever stiff the Hired Help. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/27 "2014-08-17T13:57:43Z")
I’ll ask my MIL, who is a night manager at a hotel and former housekeeper, what the norm is here. Those of you that travel for business - how do you handle tipping? Tips for taxi drivers, restaurant staff, and valets are allowed for expenses under our policy, tipping the housekeeper is not (in North America). Do you just tip on your own then? ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/28 "2014-08-17T15:56:46Z")
For those asking: the crime scene cleanup involved human waste and menstrual blood. Everywhere. Intentionally placed. In a hotel that had held its grand opening three weeks earlier. The first housekeeper opened the door, closed the door, and quit. The head of housekeeping - who had been in the business long enough to not be fazed by most human activities - just shook her head and came to get me. I got a camera and documented the damages, then went back to check the room rental history. Turns out, the guest who’d done the damage (during a week-long stay, courtesy of a major international company,) was the first guest to have ever stayed in that room. I called their travel agent - whom I knew well. I had booked enough travel for them that I actually had their corporate Visa card number memorized. Told the agent what happened, transmitted photos of the damages, and got permission to bill for the cleanup. I spent half the morning on the phone, trying to get someone to come clean that room. No dice. Then, I called a friend of mine just to vent. He recommended a crime cleanup company owned by a friend of his (who’s now a mutual friend.) Called Jason, described the damage, and he was thrilled to get a job that didn’t involve maggots nor a meth lab! The total damage charges were over $1000, because the mattress couldn’t be salvaged. The room itself was about a $70 per night room… ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/29 "2014-08-17T17:03:55Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > I do that as well so they know it’s for them. I usually write “Housekeeping” on the note. That’s what I do-- I write “housekeeping” on a piece of paper, and fold it in half with the money inside. Sometimes I refuse housekeeping if I’m just there for a couple of days, then I tip about $5, because I assume that it’s more work to clean a room that hasn’t been cleaned for a couple of days. I also make sure all trash in in cans, or bagged up, and all used towels are in a pile on the bathroom floor (which is usually per request). I strip the beds as well, but I also do this when I’ve been staying at someone’s house as an overnight guest. If housekeeping comes in every day, I just leave $2/day. When I stay in a hotel with my dogs, I usually have to refuse service at least once, because I’ve left the dogs in the room alone, and if the housekeeper has to clean the room after two or three days of no cleaning, and the dogs have been shedding, I might leave $10 or $15, because I assume it’s a lot of extra work. My dogs are housebroken, and don’t chew or paw things and cause damage (I wouldn’t take them to hotels if they did), but I know how much they can shed, and just spread their dogginess around. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/30 "2014-08-17T17:06:19Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > I’ll ask my MIL, who is a night manager at a hotel and former housekeeper, what the norm is here. > > Those of you that travel for business - how do you handle tipping? Tips for taxi drivers, restaurant staff, and valets are allowed for expenses under our policy, tipping the housekeeper is not (in North America). Do you just tip on your own then? Yes, I just tip out of my own pocket. I’m getting a “free” hotel and meals, I can throw down a five each nice for housekeeping. I try to tip every day, but if I’m out of small bills, I’ll skip a day and not worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/31 "2014-08-17T17:10:22Z")
I tip when I’m in the US. $1 a day each for my wife and me or $2 total per day. Then $5 on check-out day. > [@Hi\_Medlo](#): > > I once tried leaving the tip after every night of a multi-night stay and it wasn’t taken…guessing that housekeepers are cautious about taking money from an occupied room? > I understand that leaving money on a nightstand is frowned upon as there is some sexual innuendo associated with that. We leave the bills right on the pillow. There can be no mistaking that it’s intended for them. We even found a thank-you note from the maid in Washington one time! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/32 "2014-08-17T17:52:13Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever left a tip in a hotel - it never occurred to me that I should. Wonder where else I should have been tipping? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/33 "2014-08-17T17:56:34Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > When I stay in a hotel with my dogs, I usually have to refuse service at least once, because I’ve left the dogs in the room alone, and if the housekeeper has to clean the room after two or three days of no cleaning, and the dogs have been shedding, I might leave $10 or $15, because I assume it’s a lot of extra work. My dogs are housebroken, and don’t chew or paw things and cause damage (I wouldn’t take them to hotels if they did), but I know how much they can shed, and just spread their dogginess around. I agree with this. I never tip for housekeeping service because I don’t let them come in until after I’ve checked out. And I tidy everything anyway. But I took my dog with me on a trip once, I left a few bucks for housekeeping because I’m sure my pooch shed her fur a bit. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/34 "2014-08-17T18:23:15Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I had one maid that I tipped $50.00 every day I was there, she was outstanding! I think those kind of services are illegal in most states… ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/35 "2014-08-17T19:20:50Z")
Also I leave the tip for my entire stay after I check out. I don’t tip each night I am there. I leave the cash behind when I leave the room for the last time. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/36 "2014-08-17T19:57:49Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Also I leave the tip for my entire stay after I check out. I don’t tip each night I am there. I leave the cash behind when I leave the room for the last time. If you have the same chambermaid for your entire stay, this is ok. Otherwise it’s a small windfall for the lucky one that happens to be on shift the day you leave. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/37 "2014-08-17T19:58:53Z")
My wife tips 5 bucks a day. She gets excellent service 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/38 "2014-08-17T20:03:35Z")
> [@K364](#): > > My wife tips 5 bucks a day. She gets excellent service 🙂 I usually, but not always, tip $5 per day. I don’t notice a difference in service. It’s usually pretty good either way at most places. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/39 "2014-08-17T20:59:51Z")
I usually tip $2/day. I do it at the end of my stay, but I see the logic of doing it daily. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730/40 "2014-08-17T21:02:51Z")
$5 a day (on the pillow). It’s never occurred to me to leave extra on the last day; it seems like all that’s doing is rewarding an employee at random. I guess I don’t have a problem with that, just never thought of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-you-tip-the-hotel-maid/695730.md?page=3)