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I never tip because that is their job. Not my problem if their employer cannot pay them, they can leave. It doesn't mean somebody else has to pick up the tab. In general, tipping was meant to be given to someone going above and beyond their regular work, not to just do their damn work. Just like I have to go above and beyond to earn my bonus.
Engagement Mgr1 that is stealing! And really your just a douche bag based on your comments!
I for one tip every week 10 bucks standard . I also have a housekeeper that I tip because she does a damn good job!
^with M1 on the green choice. I pick up after myself so no tip.
I probably spent 250 nights in hotel rooms over the course of my life before I was even aware that tipping housekeeping was even slightly common place. It would have never crossed my mind to tip them. And I never have
No tip unless they did something extraordinary. Remember, waiters and waitresses make less than minimum wage in the US, so I’d feel bad if they didn’t get a decent tip for service. Housekeepers make minimum wage at least (if not more), so they aren’t underpaid by market standards. I used to work as a bagger at grocery stores when in high school ... nobody was tipping me for my services, and rightfully so, since I got paid a fair market wage for my job.
BA1: I hear your points, and I’m not unsympathetic, but you bring up a larger issue - what is a living wage? In my case, I earned minimum wage when I was saving up for college as a grocery bagger during my high school days. I wasn’t trying to “live” off the wage per se.
In the case of housekeeping, can we generalize and say that all (or even a majority) cannot live off the wage provided? If yes, why? How many mouths are they feeding? What neighborhood do they live in (aka what rent / mortgage do they pay)? How do they spend their money (eg. Eat out a lot versus cook, shop versus save, etc.)? What other factors are at play (eg. Caring for a sick family member? Student loan debt? Credit card debt?)
In the list above alone, it should be clear that there are more factors present than one can solve for - none of us can possibly know all of the factors in a housekeepers life, let alone housekeepers in general. It’s then unfair to say we as hotel guests now need to bear the burden of spending extra money (our own or our clients) to take care of the housekeeper.
Said differently - my dad was laid off last year, I have student loan debt, and my younger sister will be going to medical school soon (and I want to help her out). Should Deloitte (or any company) pay me more because of these factors? NO - my pay is a function of my merits, and I don’t deserve more because I’ve got a lot of life factors to juggle and money is flowing out as a result, making my life tougher.
If the housekeeper does a better job, perhaps he or she will get a bonus or a raise (I know front desk staff at certain SPG properties get a $500 bonus when they are named in a TripAdvisor review). Perhaps the housekeeper will change jobs and land somewhere that pays better. Who knows what is out there. But what I do know is I’ll only tip them if they go above and beyond - for doing their regular job, I don’t see why I would give them extra money ... nobody gives me (or any of us) a raise for doing our regular, standard job.
It's also hardly the standard to tip housekeeping staff, BA1. As evidenced by this thread and the dozens of times this question is asked, some do it, some don't. In case not obvious, societal standards are set by society and therefore evolve. To D1's point, as more states adopt living wage standards, the obligation to tip servers regardless of service will shift back to an optional tip for exceptional service, just like it is in most of the rest of the world.
$2-$3/nt and expense it
I can’t believe what I’m reading. Unbelievable- we are making good money, share some of that wealth and gratitude, leave $1-2 dollars a day minimum and short overnight stays $5 won’t break the bank and you can expense it if you really want to. No wonder there are so many stories of sheet stains and bedbugs and dirty rags used for washing glasses... think about that for a moment
Its not a question of how much you are earning, its a matter of principle and logic. I wouldn't tip even if I wad making a million bucks. Plain and simple.
Odd that so many people are suggesting these tips are expensable. For those of you that expense hotel tips — do you think your clients support you tipping housekeeping with their money? Do you literally classify it as hotel tips? Does your company give you expense guidance on this?
Wow, shocked at the lack of empathy here. I admit I’m inconsistent, but I try $1-2 a day, and sometimes I’ve tipped up to $20 for some crazy good service. That money means so much more to the person receiving it than to you, for doing a job that is literally cleaning up after nasty stuff all day. I’ve never expensed the tips, but the fact that you can and don’t?!
I do
I do magc and tip 3-5 depending on how much of a mess/cash i have on me. You guys should definitely tip even a dollar or two especially if you can expense it smh to some of you on here stingy af
I'm not one of those people, BA1. I vote for representatives who work to increase minimum wage and to ensure there are plenty of safety net programs to help people out when they need it. But that doesn't mean I'm also going to blindly tip every service person who someone deems is being paid too little. As D1 said, why are housekeepers expecting tips when there's no such expectation for an equally skilled, equally low paid, equally "I kinda want this person to do a good job" role like grocery store cashier or bag boy. What about bank tellers? They average $13/hr and you have a MUCH bigger incentive to get them to do their job well, yet you've never heard of anyone tipping them.
So please spare the phony concerns about the poor because it's really just an arbitrary, stupid, inconsistent set of expectations that are in place today. If you really care about equality here you should be out rallying for $15 federal min wage and an elimination of any special minimum wage for restaurants or other exceptions.
K3: we wouldn't do the same because federal minimum wage for waiters is $2.13/hr and it's $7.25/hr for the housekeeper.
K3: as discussed (and hopefully everyone knows this on the thread, in order to contribute accurately), waiters are legally paid well below minimum wage, as it is expected they make up the difference in tips. No other profession is allowed this - meaning housekeeper gets minimum wage (or higher).
Agree with K1, but I still leave a tip.
Confession time: I hire a housekeeper for my own home. I tip the housekeeper based on their ability to execute my instructions and the quality of their work. The work varies a bit from one cleaning to the next based on what needs more work.
When I travel, I don't tip. The housekeepers job is to restore the room to an established standard. I don't need nor ask for anything above and beyond. Just reset it. And it is often a standard room like the many others in the same hotel building. Do the bare minimum to reset it. Don't need animal towels, rose tissue papers, or little chocolates on the pillow. Just fucking reset it. And... I am pretty clean and tidy so there isn't much to do anyway.
Since the firm allows me to expense hotel tips, I'll do so at $5/night and pocket it. And... I give it to my personal housekeeper. They do an awesome job because they know I tip well.
K1: A majority of economists agree that raising the minimum wage will absolutely crush the poorest people. I could lecture for 2 hours on all the unintended consequences of raising the min wage. Do your research and let the data speak, it doesn’t lie. I used to advocate the same thing until taking economics. The middle class actually benefit the most from min wage increase.
A3, you are leaving charity, not a tip.
I do and charge it back