Well, now, it has occurred to all of you. You tip the maid in a hotel.
I give $5 per night. Usually $5 to the doorman when I arrive. $5 to the bell hop. $5 or $2 to the doorman when I leave depending on what he’s done for me.
During my stay, if I have $1 or $2, I’ll give it to the doorman if he hails a cab and opens the door for me. But if I only have a $5, I don’t give it.
Does it take you only 10 minutes to clean your bedroom and bathroom, including changing the bedding?
Not me, but I don’t do it dozens, if not hundreds, of times daily. Maids work through a typical room in about 10-15 minutes (gleaned through personal observation), 20 if they’re changing linens (which are no longer done daily unless requested).
Now that’s a term you don’t hear anymore…
But I’m a little confused… $5 is a “fin”, $10 is a “sawbuck” and $20 a “double sawbuck”, eh?
The most recent guide I read (one that’s currently on the shelf) says $1 per person per day, which seems a bit chintzy (especially when it’s just one person one night- I’m not leaving anybody a $1 tip for 30 minutes work). Personally I leave a “$5 for the first day/$1 for each additional day” tip on the morning I check out. I also tip desk clerks IF (big IF) I ask them to do anything out of the ordinary (put my room on this floor next to that person or change that $12 for the in-room movie “BUTTS IN THE SUNSET IX” to “Continental Breakfast”, etc.). Bellmen the general rule is $2 plus $1 for each bag (less or more depending on if you ask for their help [I won’t tip more than the $1 I’d give a panhandler if I don’t request and don’t need help but they carry it anyway, or I’ll give more if it requires a lot of walking on their part or they’re really cute).
I am quite the liberal tipper (well, I don’t tip liberals, just cows… wait. Damnit! :D) when I feel that tipping is necessary. I regularly give 30-40% tips at dinner, I tip my hairdresser, car washer (when I ask them to do something special, like air up my tires), etc etc. I just don’t see why I would tip someone who is doing their job (which is paid by my room rate) and not going above and beyond in any way, shape, or form. As I said, I’ll tip if I make some special requests.
I’m starting to wonder of all the times I am supposed to tip. Heck, it’d probably be easier to make a list of when NOT to tip.
I’m with DiosaBellissima. It certainly isn’t customary to tip every single low paying job out there. I don’t see why hotel maids should be different from your garbage man or your server at McDonald’s. I would think differently if hotel staff were paid less than minimum wage like restaurant workers are, but they aren’t.
I generally don’t tip hotel maids.
I find them to be a real pain in the neck. When staying in a hotel, I want to get new towels in the AM but that’s about it. If you let the maid into the room they will throw away everything that isn’t tied down. Notes on the table, half full water bottles, you name it. I put up the “do not disturb” sign on the door and it stays up the whole time I’m there. I’ll raid the maid cart myself for towels when I have a chance.
I don’t leave a mess, and they only have to clean it once for however long I stay. No tip from me, sorry.
I used to work in a hotel. I never saw a room finished in fifteen minutes-- not if the housekeeper was doing a good job, that is. There’s a lot that goes into thoroughly cleaning a room: scrubbing the tub/shower, cleaning the toilet, wiping the mirror and sink, changing all the linens and sheets, picking up all the trash and debris left by the last guest, checking for items left behind, wiping down all the tables and other surfaces in the room, vaccuuming, setting out all the amenities, washing out the coffee pots (and in some hotels, washing dishes).
Many hotels also require the housekeepers to keep a written inventory of all the items in the room, meaning that they have to count all the towels, pillows, hangers, dryers, remotes, etc. before they can finish.
Sure, some were quicker than others, but in my experience, housekeepers usually don’t stay long enough to become professionals at it, because both the job and the pay suck.
Our property had about fifty rooms and usually about five or six housekeepers per shift. Sometimes, if the hotel was full, they wouldn’t finish until three o’clock, and that’s after arriving at seven AM.
I tip two bucks a day. More if I ask for extra stuff.
The number of people who leave 20%+ tips at restaurants amazes me.
I never tip the maid unless I have made an unusual request or unless they’ve done something beyond the call of duty (for example, separating my socks from the bedsheets I had left them in)
I tip everyone who does me service, and generally more than 20%.
The way I look at it is that a few extra bucks isn’t going to break my bank, but it may make the day for someone who works very hard for little compensation. There, but for the grace of God, go I.
$2 a day,
$5 last day
Oh, just for the record: I’m a good tipper when eating out. I always give at least 20% and tip $1+ per drink at a bar.
Isn’t 7-3 a normal 8 hour shift? Unless you meant 3 a.m., which would be horriendous!
Horrible+horrendous=horriendous!
A waiter is just doing his job when he brings you your food. A bartender as well. Aside from waiters and waitresses, none of the people you normally tip make sub-minimum wage. Bellhops certainly don’t, even though there has never beeen a suitcase as heavy as a full linen cart.
If you can’t think of any other reason, how about, “This person has access to the place where I sleep.”
What percentage for a tip in a motel that charges by the hour?
No, I’m the one who’s confused. I meant $5. You’re right, sawbuck is obsolete, and I used it incorrectly.
I can’t believe what I’m reading here – why does anyone think a hotel is different than a restaurant?
An appropriate tip for the maid is 20% of the total tab – minimum!