The topic of tipping at hotels can be complicated, from everything ranging from hotel housekeeping to hotel club lounges. In this post, I’d like to talk a bit about tipping hotel concierges.
I’ll share my take, though I won’t bury the lede — I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong answer, because the way that people use hotel concierges varies so wildly. It’s not like hotel housekeeping, where everyone gets their room cleaned similarly, with slight variations in terms of peoples’ cleanliness habits.
In this post:
Tipping hotel concierges is complicated
There’s an absolutely massive variance to how people use hotel concierges, and the services that they offer. Limited service hotels often don’t offer “real” concierge services, while five star hotels sometimes have rockstar concierges who can perform miracles.
Even among hotels with great concierge staff, the requests people make are all over the place:
- Some people may just ask the concierge for a map of the area, and a recommendation for a nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurant they can walk to
- Other people use hotel concierges months in advance of their stay via email to secure desirable dining reservations as soon as they become available, or some hotels might even use hotel concierges to do luxury shopping on their behalf
If you’re booking a super high-end hotel, a great concierge staff is also one of the things that you’re paying for. The expectation is that a $1,000 per night hotel generally has a more “connected” concierge than a $100 per night hotel (or whatever). After all, there are concierges who are very well known in certain cities, and can bring a lot to the hotel they’re working at.
Then there’s of course the general cultural norms around tipping:
- Perhaps the single place in the world where hotel concierges are most useful is in Japan, where they can help secure amazing restaurant reservations; however, tipping isn’t appropriate in Japan, so that’s an included service
- In the United States there’s the general culture of tipping, so it’s customary to tip hotel concierges as well; unfortunately us Americans have also done a bad job exporting our tipping culture, so at some point tipping at nice hotels becomes the norm even in countries where you typically wouldn’t otherwise do so
- In other places around the globe it’s tricky, because even if a country doesn’t normally have a culture of tipping, a lot of people do tip hotel concierges when they secure hard to get reservations, or perform other above-and-beyond tasks
How much should you tip hotel concierges?
I truly think there’s no right or wrong answer as to what’s appropriate to tip hotel concierges. So let me share a couple of considerations:
- The American Hotel & Lodging Association gratuity guide suggests tipping concierges $5-10 per service, depending on how involved the request is; it’s recommended that this can be paid on the spot, or as a lump sum at check-out
- There are definitely people who tip concierges hundreds of dollars, or even more; that’s by no means expected, but in some cases concierges fulfill some pretty wild requests
Now, what’s my personal take, based on my own travels? The situation where I value a hotel concierge the most is when I’m staying at a luxury property outside the United States for multiple days, and I want to visit multiple great restaurants. In those situations, I typically appreciate the input and booking assistance of the concierge.
If it’s a trip to a destination with great restaurants and the concierge team is consistently friendly and helpful throughout the stay, I’ll sometimes tip around $20 per day, give or take. Let me emphasize that I don’t use concierges on a vast majority of stays, but this is when they’re consistently helping me throughout the stay, and are friendly and responsive.
Otherwise, I’d say that I sometimes tip when I’m staying in the United States and an consistently asking for minor things, like the best nearby coffee shop, a restaurant I can just walk into that’s casual, etc. I might tip $10 or so in those situations.
Meanwhile if I’m just using the concierge via email to arrange transfers to or from the hotel, I typically won’t tip. That’s also in part because I think that’s a very standard service that doesn’t take much effort, and in many situations, the hotel is even taking a significant commission on that.
There are just a couple of situations where I tipped concierges significantly more than above. Some really go above and beyond, and I think that deserves to be recognized. For example, when I stayed at the Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur recently, the concierge was super helpful. My phone stopped charging at Delhi Airport, before I even boarded my flight to Kuala Lumpur. The concierge at the hotel was happy to buy a wireless charger for me from Apple, and even place it in the car that was supposed to pick me up… talk about great service!
Anyway, I’m by no means claiming that my approach is correct, but that’s how I usually go about things… like I said, I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer.
Bottom line
Tipping hotel concierges can be a complicated topic, given the huge variety of services that they provide. Some people will ask for a decent nearby pizza place, and others will request five reservations at Michelin-starred restaurants.
So you’ll find that people have hugely varying perspectives on how much hotel concierges should be tipped (if at all), and I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. However, I think it’s worth acknowledging that, and it’s also why I shared my take.
Where do you stand on tipping hotel concierges, and what’s your approach?
I know concierge in asia
I don’t really hear about the tipping but one was in japan like you said, the other hong kong which accepts really minimal tipping in my mind
But in japan its been my experience to give them (any hotel staff) usa small gift items and they readily accept it and love it
I gave ghiradelli chocolate, disneyworld gifts, stuff like that. Oh yea maybe trader joes bags seem to be a thing rn. The canvas ones
An interesting read. I've always wondered about concierge tipping. Ben's post as well as the comments are useful. Although I don't think I've seen a concierge at the Motel 6, so a not an issue for me.
It depends on the service that you are asking for and it depends on the special requests that you ask for. Some that get you access you would not otherwise been able to do is worth an expected tip.
Tightwads of the World Unite!
Jebus, effing people the days.
I’ve started tipping my doctor. Whenever he prescribes the meds I want, I quietly slip him a 20.
I even tipped my brain surgeon recently. Good service is important to me so I tipped him half way through the surgery instead of waiting till the end.
Slipping doctors a little 'thank you' envelope with a few banknotes has been a rather common practice for decades in places like Greece and Turkey. I hear it's becoming less popular, but it's definitely still around.
They would have to go above and beyond . A concierge booked me tickets to a cricket match in Bombay and tickets to hockey games in Russia that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do. I tipped $20 in local currency. Today with inflation I would tip closer to $23.
“If you’re booking a super high-end hotel, a great concierge staff is also one of the things that you’re paying for.”
Exactly! So why on earth are you tipping on top of that?
Tipping at hotels is not complicated. I uniformly tip 0% including at restaurants. If you Americans can’t figure out how to pay hard working people a decent living wage, that’s not really my problem.
Just finished a tour of the Greek Islands as well as several nights in Athens. Every Uber charge included the option of giving a tip (which I did). Every restaurant charge also offered the chance to give a tip (which I gave based on the level of service).
I also gave tips to each of the hotel porters as well as the dedicated livery drivers that moved us between hotels and airports and boat launches....
Just finished a tour of the Greek Islands as well as several nights in Athens. Every Uber charge included the option of giving a tip (which I did). Every restaurant charge also offered the chance to give a tip (which I gave based on the level of service).
I also gave tips to each of the hotel porters as well as the dedicated livery drivers that moved us between hotels and airports and boat launches. Each seemed a bit surprised, but I explained it was an American tradition; none refused!
Great job behaving like an American in Greece. Did you also talk really loudly, eat most of your meals at McDonalds and drink all your coffee at Starbucks? If not, you should on your next trip to Europe.
As I stated, NONE refused the tip!!!
I don’t bother tipping outside of the US. I like to keep things simple.
I’ve rarely used a concierge in a hotel but I would like to add that tipping is not always appropriate and appreciated in some countries. So check the country’s attitudes towards it before doing it. I had this experience in China: I left a tip in the hotel room. They customarily check your room before you leave the hotel at check out. It created a stir among the staff because money was left behind. They...
I’ve rarely used a concierge in a hotel but I would like to add that tipping is not always appropriate and appreciated in some countries. So check the country’s attitudes towards it before doing it. I had this experience in China: I left a tip in the hotel room. They customarily check your room before you leave the hotel at check out. It created a stir among the staff because money was left behind. They insisted I sign a paper that I intentionally left it or I go and get it. So just beware.
Go to Vegas 3-4x a year and travel 100% for my job. 5-10 dollars per luggage is what I give the porter bringing it up. Cocktail waitresses 1-2 dollars. Driver if I have one 20 bucks. Regardless of what people's view on tipping is well it's just a view. Reality is these people often work for exceptionally reduced wages. We complain but the law isn't changed so the reality is if no one tipped them...
Go to Vegas 3-4x a year and travel 100% for my job. 5-10 dollars per luggage is what I give the porter bringing it up. Cocktail waitresses 1-2 dollars. Driver if I have one 20 bucks. Regardless of what people's view on tipping is well it's just a view. Reality is these people often work for exceptionally reduced wages. We complain but the law isn't changed so the reality is if no one tipped them they would be broke.
I have no issues with the tip culture. Half the time the person that does should be tipping all of us to put up with their entitled insufferable behind.
It is clear from reading the various comments that some people really do not ‘get it’. Personal interaction with hotel staff comes naturally to some, but especially difficult for others. Exposure breeds confidence and confidence successful relationships between guests and staff. Dismissing a kind gesture from a member of staff by claiming that it is their job, is a sure way for an hotel guest to never ’get it’.
Those who actually ’get it’, truly...
It is clear from reading the various comments that some people really do not ‘get it’. Personal interaction with hotel staff comes naturally to some, but especially difficult for others. Exposure breeds confidence and confidence successful relationships between guests and staff. Dismissing a kind gesture from a member of staff by claiming that it is their job, is a sure way for an hotel guest to never ’get it’.
Those who actually ’get it’, truly benefit more than those who don’t ‘get it’ could ever imagine. But it’s not all about personal gain, self respect and respect for those who serve can easily be recognised in those who truly ‘get it’.
Afterthought: Mrs AeroB, has just reminded me that the only time I carry cash is when we are staying away from home and I need it for tips, etc. I acquire notes, in local currency to the approximately equivalent values of £5 and £10.
Concealing and passing notes is far easier than juggling coinage, as any backstreet drugs dealer will attest to, or, so they tell me …. :-). Utilising the services of the Concierge...
Afterthought: Mrs AeroB, has just reminded me that the only time I carry cash is when we are staying away from home and I need it for tips, etc. I acquire notes, in local currency to the approximately equivalent values of £5 and £10.
Concealing and passing notes is far easier than juggling coinage, as any backstreet drugs dealer will attest to, or, so they tell me …. :-). Utilising the services of the Concierge save me significant time, stress and can lead to something which I probably could not have arranged easily myself.
You should tip Mrs AeroB too. Make sure she "gets it".
I have yet to have a concierge score me reservations at a restaurant I couldn't get on my own. Never had one succeed at last second bookings.
In my world it's my dad's generation of seniors who tend to gravitate to using the concierge and also tipping them.
As an introvert I'd rather use my phone to figure things out rather than have a conversation with them and feel obliged to tip for the privilege.
I have always assumed that a position like a concierge is always paid better than a regular staff member because they are doing special things for the guests above and beyond. Similar to a maitre'd.
Tipping for simple tasks that are part of the job just never occurs to me. Maybe too many years in Singapore or the Middle East or Canada has changed my approach and I just don't really understand the tipping...
I have always assumed that a position like a concierge is always paid better than a regular staff member because they are doing special things for the guests above and beyond. Similar to a maitre'd.
Tipping for simple tasks that are part of the job just never occurs to me. Maybe too many years in Singapore or the Middle East or Canada has changed my approach and I just don't really understand the tipping excessively culture of the USA.
I see people tipping excessively at an all-inclusive for people bringing standard drinks. Why?
Why? White savior complex.
No matter how you spin it.
Former concierge here (way back while finishing college) at a semi-swanky smallish upscale chain city hotel. Never expected a gratuity; nice to receive but absolutely no expectation. Too bad the American tipping culture has shifted. For me, the service today would need to be of the proverbial dead phone charger variety.
Did you earn your keys?
I tipped a concierge once in Bora-Bora for booking a hard to get dinner reservation at a popular restaurant that books out months in advance. I brought her the tip the next day and she asked where we were headed next. I said we were going to Tahiti. Well when we arrived, we were upgraded to the presidential suite and the concierge there personally welcomed us and rode with us to our suite. I was...
I tipped a concierge once in Bora-Bora for booking a hard to get dinner reservation at a popular restaurant that books out months in advance. I brought her the tip the next day and she asked where we were headed next. I said we were going to Tahiti. Well when we arrived, we were upgraded to the presidential suite and the concierge there personally welcomed us and rode with us to our suite. I was unprepared and didn’t have much cash on me. Unfortunately we didn’t see him again during our stay so I wasn’t able to tip him.
Staying over a busy time? ( Inauguration Day, Winter holiday etc ) tip for the smaller services. A random Tuesday in a shoulder season for directions really doesn't require a tip. Use your common sense.
Why does busy times make a difference?
The times when services are most used ? Do you not make holiday visits?
Shouldn't. Just ensures that you get served before all the other deserving guests. Called bribe.
Not necessarily dinner. We are talking about services from the highest level of world class properties at the most competitive times. Trust me that the rewards go both ways.
If the reward goes both ways, isn't it quid probably quo.
So it is a bribe.
Since it shouldn't matter if it's busy or not to determine tips.
No bribe just business. Sorry you can't determine the difference comrade
That's what Hunter Biden and Jared Kushner said, just business.
I'm sorry you can't determine the difference.
Imagine how much foreign governments would pay Hunter Schlappig or Jared Beckitt.
D' Eskimo, I hope you understand your handle here is an insult to native people. So I'll help you by assigning a less offense name. Good night D' Eskimo
“great concierge staff is also one of the things that you’re paying for”
Precisely. Hence I do not tip.
I don't get it Ben.
"asking for minor things, like the best nearby coffee shop, a restaurant I can just walk into that’s casual, etc. I might tip $10 or so"
Why is it that different than this?
"email to arrange transfers to or from the hotel, I typically won’t tip"
Both seems "a very standard service that doesn’t take much effort"
And this also doesn't seem right
"the hotel is even taking a...
I don't get it Ben.
"asking for minor things, like the best nearby coffee shop, a restaurant I can just walk into that’s casual, etc. I might tip $10 or so"
Why is it that different than this?
"email to arrange transfers to or from the hotel, I typically won’t tip"
Both seems "a very standard service that doesn’t take much effort"
And this also doesn't seem right
"the hotel is even taking a significant commission on that." yes but I don't think the concierge gets a cut in that case. So shouldn't you have tipped even more?
Why would you you be tipping a concierge in the first place? Its literally a service that youre paying for when you pay for the hotel.
Are you tipping the check in desk for checking you in? What about the hotel manager to managing the stay?
Tipping is absurd and it really makes the rest of the world laugh at americans for doing it for absolutely everything,
As with all tipping, ask to see the worker's most recent pay stub. If -- in your sole judgement -- the worker appears to be underpaid, then you should provide a tip commensurate with the service provided. If they appear to be overpaid, ask for them to provide money to you.
Affluent people like Ben can easily tip any service provider they interact with simply to ease their nagging conscience.
The real Endre who pays for his tickets would know what affluent means.
No offense Ben or that fake lawyer who has a new name.
Not supposed to be a criticism but I really think it somehow to appease a liberal rich person's conscience.... I mean he qualifies a $100 a night hotel as whatever. I enjoy the reviews and aspire to enjoy such luxuries but tipping a concierge for doing their job.... wealthy liberal guilt. That said this is his blog and he is free to preach his gospel. I still will take this kind of guilt over the brutally shrewd and miserly wealthy people
Naaah I m wealthy and I would never tip anyone at a hotel. No guilt.
Never,just like most tipping.
Enough with this tipping nonsense. It is not the job of customers to subsidize wages of employees on behalf of businesses.
Their literal job is to help guests with these things. You don't tip cashiers when they check you out of the grocery store or tip your banker for managing your transactions (aka doing their literal job function), why should it be any different here?
Tipping is a bizarre concept that needs to end. If...
Enough with this tipping nonsense. It is not the job of customers to subsidize wages of employees on behalf of businesses.
Their literal job is to help guests with these things. You don't tip cashiers when they check you out of the grocery store or tip your banker for managing your transactions (aka doing their literal job function), why should it be any different here?
Tipping is a bizarre concept that needs to end. If you tipped just one dollar at a luxury hotel, that's somehow seen as worse or more offensive than no tip at all.
Not again. Tipping professional staff makes no real sense. If a concierge does something extraordinary for you, you could always show your appreciation by getting them a present - a bottle of something nice, a high end accessory (e.g. scarf/foulard/tie) or something along those lines as opposed to a monetary gift which might be borderline incompatible with staff codes of conduct, create tax implications (even for their employer) etc.
I find concierges at high end hotels to now mostly be a scam; recommending things that the hotel (or the staff member) gets a kickback for recommending. Therefore, tipping seems especially absurd.
Concierges should only be used when you know where or what you want to do and just need it executed by someone else to save time.
I wouldn't really ask them to recommend restaurants, tours and associated services. The internet can do a better job when it comes to that sort of thing nowadays.
It would have to be for services that are more exotic/unusual like finding a cobbler who can replace blake-stitched soles or a shop that can fix an issue with the motherboard on my mobile phone- or getting them to use their contacts to help me with something...
I wouldn't really ask them to recommend restaurants, tours and associated services. The internet can do a better job when it comes to that sort of thing nowadays.
It would have to be for services that are more exotic/unusual like finding a cobbler who can replace blake-stitched soles or a shop that can fix an issue with the motherboard on my mobile phone- or getting them to use their contacts to help me with something really serious and urgent like securing consular assistance from a relevant diplomatic mission.
There should be no expectations to tip for basic services - recommendations, maps, dinner reservations, etc - it is literally their job and they dont work on a tipped wage system. Going above and beyond - sure, may be appropriate to show appreciation. Otherwise, tipping just a combination of guilt/cultural pressure or desire to feel superior by being profligate.
An interesting submission Bob.
One man’s “Guilt/cultural pressure or desire to feel superior”, might simply be another man’s good manners and breeding, yes? …. :-)
"good manners and "breeding"...LOL... so I guess Japanese should be considered to have poor manners and are illbred. Sure!
?
Yeah, Ive heard some people use concierge for arranging the purchase of illicit goods or services. Maybe tipping would be appropriate in those cases?
Yeah, no Gene.
Concierge wouldn't do such things.
That's a job for your mule friend.
If they can work magic like that, I'd let them help get me the full unredacted Epstein files. A 7 digit tip awaits.
We should start a collection.
"What's your approach?" My approach is a friendly smile .
…. followed by a “Large tip”, Alert? …. :-)
The photo of the girl concierge , on the wall behind her seat at the concierge desk , looks like an expensive girl , who will demand a large tip .
Do you think that the model might be suggesting that she is expecting a bondage session along with your “Large tip”, Alert? …. :-)
It never came to my mind that tipping a concierge for services like restaurant recommendations is expected. Essentially that is their profession and in luxury hotels with higher nightly rates, the service expectation is highe. This includes the concierge.
I could see that an above and beyond service, like delivering a cell phone charger to Ben at the airport, deserves a recognition.
I am very much with you on this subject Ben.
The majority of our hotel stays are for more than three nights. Most are properties which we have stayed at on numerous occasions over the decades. We are mostly treated as if we are well known and this encourages us to be perhaps more generous than some.
There is a huge difference between good genuinely helpful concierge and the smarmy crocodile smiling dumbo....
I am very much with you on this subject Ben.
The majority of our hotel stays are for more than three nights. Most are properties which we have stayed at on numerous occasions over the decades. We are mostly treated as if we are well known and this encourages us to be perhaps more generous than some.
There is a huge difference between good genuinely helpful concierge and the smarmy crocodile smiling dumbo. (Need I name the country in which most dumbo’s can be found?) I appreciate good service and have no qualms about rewarding such most generously.