The topic of tipping hotel housekeeping can be surprisingly controversial. You have some people who believe housekeeping should be tipped, others who believe housekeeping shouldn’t be tipped, and plenty of people who just aren’t sure what’s expected.
Continue reading: Should You Tip Hotel Housekeeping? If So, How Much?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
A BIG NO...in my books. Especially these days where you are getting limited housekeeping and the end results these days...
Embassy Suites, at some properties, has a QR code in the bedroom for guests to scan to tip housekeeping. Talk about tacky.
If the housekeeping team goes out of their way (eg. towel art, notes, etc..), I too will go out of my way to appreciate them. And of course any special requests handled well deserve their own appreciation.
I'll typically leave $5-$10 a day as a tip for housekeeper depending on the quality of the propery and whether or I'm not traveling solo vs. with my wife and toddler. I don't support the tipping culture generally but good housekeeping service can drastically improve the quality of one's stay and I also feel most of the women who work these positions are severely underpaid and underappreciated.
For those who do choose to tip housekeepers, I would recommend doing so daily because 1) it can lead to your housekeepers going the extra mile for you during your stay and 2) often times the person cleaning your room on your check-out day may not have been the person servicing you the majority of the time.
$10 dollars per night, every night. My own personal rule, and I always make sure I have cash on me for this reason. Endorse the thank you note attached.
Should I tip bus drivers? And the janitor at the hospital when I come for a checkup? They’re among the lowest paid employees…
Great post Lucky with great information. I always try and leave a tip for housekeeping.
I usually don't tip in the US, partially because I don't carry small bills anymore.
I also never tip for a one-night stay.
I've been seeing QR codes in my room as of late to prompt tipping and I have been using them because it makes tipping easier. I don't like that the tipping system asks me to pay the credit card service fee in addition to the tip, but that's another story.
The question for the folks who do tip, what wage should housekeepers make per hour that you would feel it's no longer necessary to tip? It's definitely one of the most thankless jobs and I do believe that most families who stay in hotels, absolutely destroy rooms during their stay.
I generally tip $20 once at the end of my stay. I do not leave a nightly tip as I always put up the do not disturb sign for the duration of my stay. I tip for all the reasons Ben mentions above. While I think tipping less is fine, I also think of the many rooms they have to clean without a tip. I feel that the $20 gain for them is probably a greater degree than the $20 loss for me.
No, I don't tip because it could be perceived as an indecent behaviour, asking for extras you don't deserve.
While I appreciate the arguments in favour of tipping, I dream one day American would stop exporting their toxic tipping culture.
People in Europe are being paid a wage for doing your job, which means they're not left with begging for tips.
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
https://www.amazon.com/Maid-Hard-Work-Mothers-Survive/dp/0316505110
Read this. You'll start to tip
Tried doing this once at a JW Marriott hotel in India, leaving a indian 100 rupee note on the pillow as tip. Housekeeper thought I made a mistake and moved that cash note to on top of my backpack on the desk in the room!
I agree with your sentiment . I also think that employers ought to pay a good wage .
He did. But the only reason I can think he reposted this is for algo reasons, to keep it ahead in Google search
Tip for good service, but I also enjoy the extra waters & coffees they typically leave, and when it's $8 for an americano at breakfast, I'm very happy to walk in with my "free" room coffee for the extra $3 tip. Everyone wins!
Are y'all tipping because you are afraid they will mix piss into your liquid soap and spit on your pillow if you don't? And you don't tip a janitor or shoe salesperson because you don't care if they spit on the floor?
No tip unless something out of the ordinary. Get paid by employer for your work. Only tips in hotels are for luggage delivery, if in reasonable time.
The Fairmont whistler started a $5.00 daily tip charge on the bill. It does not trouble me because I would leave at least $5 anyway. Not all Fairmont hotels do this but I suppose you should check with the front desk..
@Andy -- What's indecent about leaving a little cash on the nightstand, or the bed?
My wife and/or I also -- like @Ben -- tip $5/day when staying in a hotel in the US. (Europe and Asia are, as Ben said, a different story.) But we leave the cash on the nightstand or the dresser when we leave the hotel. In other words, we've checked out by the time the housekeeper sees the cash.
Of course we didn't always do this, but we are fortunate enough that the $5-$25 we leave won't break us. What I resent, however, is when hotel management ASKS me to tip their housekeepers, either by leaving an envelope in the room or with a QR code, etc. It is, to me, as if management is saying, "Yeah, we know we pay them crappy wages, so if you want to help us out..." And with the QR code, I'm convinced Management takes a cut.
I questioned not long ago if you were running out of article topics. This is another example that you appear to be. This has been raised before. And enough of this tipping nonsense. Where does this end?
This topic has been beaten to death. I don't tip as a general rule, period. Certainly not in hotels.
I haven't been to the US in a long time. When I did, I'm aware of the restaurant issue where the employees are not paid correct minimum wages, so I tip the 15% as necessary for table service. I do not tip for carry-out or self-service.
On most stays I decline housekeeping and leave $10 cash on the pillow on departure. I do not use tipping apps, which take a cut of your tip. So sleazy.
Most of my stays are at least five nights; I don't need my bed made or towels changed every day.
In in the US and probably Canada, housekeepers are paid little, are always female, and it's hard physical work.
The most accomplished and well traveled salesperson who I ever knew had advice for tipping housekeeping. He left a tip at the beginning of his stay and noted any specific needs that he had. Yes he was on expense account but the logic holds true for personal travel. People who don't tip may have never worked a service job or had a friend who could explain the realities of such work.
Management takes a cut out of QR code tips.
Employees are also taxed on them as opposed to cash tips.
Then there is the credit card fee
But obviously this is pulling in enough chumps to use it because more hotels are using this.
If you must insist on this stupid practice of tipping at hotels - at least do it in cash - so corporate doesnt take a cut.
I never tip. Not for anything. I'm not a payroll department and I'm not "punishing" anyone.
Thank you for this very helpful article! What I do is go to the bank and get five dollar bills before my trip. Then every day I write a note note saying “thank you housekeeper.! And put the five dollar bill with it. This way, whoever cleaned the room that day will get a few dollars. I frequently get very charming thank you notes. A sweet bonus is a big smile when I pass the housekeepers as well as a beautiful job in having my room cleaned. It is sad when I hear criticism of this practice. My only thought is that those critics have never been “”working poor”— people working horrible jobs and barely surviving on meager wages. We all need to do our little bit to help those less fortunate.
I've come to the conclusion that we need to stop tipping across the board otherwise the tipping culture will never change. Will it hurt staff? Yes, in the short run. But it will make them demand better pay from employers who can no longer use tipping as an incentive. And we ALL know tipping is just a nicer way of saying bypass paying your fair share of taxes. If we expect to hold the wealthy accountable to paying tax so should the service industry.
I’ve started tipping at the front desk when checking in. I’ll quietly slip them a 20 when no one’s looking and then ask for a room upgrade. Is that wrong?
@Crosscourt
Every website, blog, newspaper, tv news has repetition. War. More war. Same old war. There was a fire. There are new viewers. There are people eho will read a second time about tipping and decide they will start doing it. So stop whining. Learn to dance.
@Crosscourt
Every website, blog, newspaper, tv news has repetition. War. More war. Same old war. There was a fire. There are new viewers. There are people eho will read a second time about tipping and decide they will start doing it. So stop whining. Learn to dance.
What if all travelers would leave a note saying thanks to your CEO and complain to him and write a letter to that CEO complaining about this practice?
The USA has just started to investigate whether the EU does enough against modern slavery. Connecting this fact with this article has a strange sense of humor in it
@Ben - why not tip your readers? They work hard. They keep you employed at a job you love. You could really help them out as I am sure a lot of them work hard but are struggling. Just a few dollars a day to say 10-20 readers.
No? Not your job to tip them? Up to their employers to pay them a fair wage?
Exactly!
I realize I'm in the minority here, but I'm a $10/day tipper for housekeeping, and higher in certain cities (NYC).
I do the same internationally, regardless of their tipping culture.
I make good money. They do not. Pay it forward, yada yada.
I had a driver for the day in a European country whose company I paid something like 600 Euros. Tipped him 100 Euros, and he started crying. I also now have a go-to person in that city to do anything I need (for things I would ordinarily expect hotel concierges to step in, but who are really useless).
Curious if we should start tipping staff who clean airline seats as well, especially those on international First and Business Class seat configurations.
To all you anti-tippers out there, where is your sense of generosity and fellow feeling for the hard-working, less fortunate underclass? Nowhere?
I think it depends on the situation. I generally won't bother if it is just a night or two or if I/we were not particularly that dirty. However, if the housekeeping went above and beyond or paid attention to the details or I/we were very messy then I would tip. (and agree that this is not a new topic and has been often discussed on this blog)
Do you tip the airport ground staff that cleans your seats after you depart? They are hard-working and less fortunate too.