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.
In this post, I’d like to lay out the arguments on both sides, share my take on tipping, and share general tips on how much you should tip (if you choose to do so).
In this post:
The argument for tipping hotel housekeeping
Many people believe that it’s appropriate to tip hotel housekeeping. The logic is as follows:
- Housekeepers are generally the hardest working and among the lowest paid people in hotels
- Not only do they work the hardest, but they arguably have the most disgusting jobs, having to clean up some messy situations
- Housekeepers provide customer service, just like hotel concierges, hotel bell staff, or hotel bar and restaurant workers; just because you don’t interact with them directly doesn’t mean they aren’t serving you
- Tipping hotel housekeeping isn’t an endorsement of the practice of the cost of labor being passed off from hotel owners to guests, but rather is an acknowledgement of these people being underpaid and hard working
The argument against tipping hotel housekeeping
Many people believe that it’s not necessary to tip hotel housekeeping. The logic is as follows:
- When you book a hotel you’re paying for a clean room, and that’s what housekeeping provides, so that should be a given
- It’s not the job of hotel guests to subsidize the salaries of housekeepers, and hotels should just pay them better wages
- The tipping culture in the United States is terrible, and enough is enough
- Hotels largely cut back housekeeping services at the start of the pandemic in order to cut costs and improve margins, and we shouldn’t reward this behavior
- We’ve seen hotel company CEOs suggest that hotel guests should simply tip more to subsidize wages, so why would we support this practice?
- For some people it’s a matter of “out of sight, out of mind,” as it’s not that they’re not trying to tip, but rather they don’t even think about it
My stance on tipping hotel housekeeping
Personally I believe in tipping hotel housekeeping, at least in the United States, which has a general culture of tipping for good customer service (I don’t find it as necessary in other countries, where housekeepers may earn fairer wages, but I play it by ear).
Now, just to be clear:
- Do I like the tipping culture in the United States? Nope…
- Do I wish hotel housekeepers were paid better wages so I wouldn’t feel compelled to tip? Absolutely…
- Am I frustrated by the concept of “giving in” to greedy hotel owners who don’t want to pay for their staff? I sure am…
- Do I think hotel housekeepers have the hardest and most thankless jobs in hotels? Yep…
- Am I going to punish these hardworking employees who largely have a thankless job just because the system sucks? Nope…
I believe in the “live and let live” ideology, so if I have cash on me, I always try to leave $5 or so per day for some of the hardest working people in a hotel. I’m fortunate that a few dollars won’t make a material difference in my financial situation, while I know it can go a long way for many of the people working in hotels.
I also think that housekeepers get the short end of the straw of our tipping culture. Whether you like it or not, in the United States there’s an expectation that you tip a taxi driver just for doing their job without them providing any sort of extra service for you. If they should get a tip for not going out of their way, those who work as hard as housekeepers should as well, in my opinion.
Now, I have to admit, I’m not perfect about tipping. I tip hotel housekeeping whenever I can, but the issue is that I sometimes don’t have any cash on me, which can make it hard to tip, especially since most hotels still don’t have an easy way to tip digitally.
What percent of hotel guests tip housekeeping?
A 2017 New York Times story that interviewed hotel housekeepers indicated that about 30% of guests tipped. I’m not sure if that number has changed in recent years, but that’s one of the few concrete numbers I’ve seen regarding tipping.
One thing is for sure — tipping is the exception, rather than the norm. As one housekeeper described it, sometimes they’ll go days without receiving a tip, and even a $2-3 tip makes them happy, because it means someone appreciates what they’re doing and thought about them.
Admittedly even having the opportunity to regularly tip hotel housekeeping has become more difficult since the start of the pandemic, given how many hotels have stopped providing daily housekeeping. Of course many hotel housekeepers are frustrated by this change in policy, since they have less work overall, and more work each time they have to clean a room (since it’s often days between rooms being cleaned).
Over the years we’ve seen some hotels introduce initiatives to try to encourage tipping, either directly or indirectly. For example, several years back Marriott had envelopes with the housekeeper’s name, intended for leaving a tip. These ended up being discontinued, as guests apparently found them to be tacky.
Other hotels have subtly introduced other initiatives to at least let you know who cleaned your room. For example, some hotels have “thank you” notes that the housekeeper leaves with their name on them. Presumably it’s intended to remind you that there’s a real human cleaning your room.
How much should you tip hotel housekeeping?
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (ALHA) recommends tipping hotel housekeeping $1-5 per night. If you’re going to tip, ideally:
- Leave it nightly, since someone different could be cleaning your room every day
- Make it obvious that it’s a tip and not just money lying around, since you don’t want a housekeeper to be accused of theft; personally I always leave a tip with a short thank you note
Personally I generally leave around $5 per night when I have it (I tip on the higher end of the scale because I often don’t have cash to tip, so hopefully that at least partly makes up for the times that I don’t tip). I’ll also tip a bit extra if the room is especially messy (though that doesn’t happen often).
Bottom line
Tipping hotel housekeeping can be a surprisingly controversial topic. I see both sides — ideally housekeepers would be paid good wages so that I wouldn’t feel like I needed to subsidize them. At the same time, they’re generally not paid particularly well, they work really hard, they deal with disgusting situations, and they draw the short end of the tipping stick because they’re “out of sight.”
Personally I think it’s appropriate to tip $3-5 per night for hotel housekeeping when you have cash on you. And if you tip, make sure you make it obvious that it’s a tip, and not that it’s just money lying around. That being said, tipping hotel housekeeping isn’t expected, in the sense that a majority of people don’t tip.
Where do you stand on tipping hotel housekeepers?
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
@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.
Well said.
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?
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.
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...
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 never tip. Not for anything. I'm not a payroll department and I'm not "punishing" anyone.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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...
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.
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..
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.
No, we're not.
Just the tip?
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!
Didn’t you write this same article last year?
He did. But the only reason I can think he reposted this is for algo reasons, to keep it ahead in Google search
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!
Better to hand it to housekeeper in person .
Yes , I tip . In appreciation to decent people who help me .
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
I agree with your sentiment . I also think that employers ought to pay a good wage .
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.
No, I don't tip because it could be perceived as an indecent behaviour, asking for extras you don't deserve.
@Andy -- What's indecent about leaving a little cash on the nightstand, or the bed?
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.
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?...
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.
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 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.
But but but how can you say no....
Just the tip on a one night stand?
Great post Lucky with great information. I always try and leave a tip for housekeeping.
As much as I want to, if I want to. None of your business.
^this guy gets it.
Should I tip bus drivers? And the janitor at the hospital when I come for a checkup? They’re among the lowest paid employees…
Abdolutely! Tip! And 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.
$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.
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...
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.
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.
Embassy Suites, at some properties, has a QR code in the bedroom for guests to scan to tip housekeeping. Talk about tacky.
A BIG NO...in my books. Especially these days where you are getting limited housekeeping and the end results these days...
Now if there was a way to do that without cash..
But, but… ‘cash is king.’
LOL
No.