Would you tip this hotel housekeeper?
Filed under: Travel
I recently spent a night at the Comfort Inn in Marietta, Ohio, where I found this envelope on my desk.
Our blogger Jason Cochran wrote an excellent piece last year posing the question, should you tip the housekeeper at a hotel? After receiving this envelope, I had a couple of additional thoughts on the issue, specifically about one-night stays.
1. Did the hotel management know of this plea? Note that this envelope makes no mention of the hotel, and could easily have been printed at home by an entrepreneurial room keeper. If I had left some money for Jackie, I would have given the manager the envelope to deliver.
2. Expecting guests to tip room staff is part of the very very annoying "baffle them with B.S." strategy other industries (the worst offender, airlines) have taken to disguise the true full price of their products. The quoted room price of $75 did not include local taxes (11%), nor did it include this tip. How far will this plague of atomizing charges spread?
IMHO, the hotel should be paying the housekeeper a reasonable wage out of the room rate charged, rather than expect me to make up the difference with a tip. A tip is a supposed to be an direct exchange between customer and server, a deserved reward for good service.
For a one-night stay, I have no such contract with the room-keeper, any more than I do with the groundskeeper or the switchboard or the pool cleaner or any other staft person I never see. And I'm not tipping the pool boy.
When one hotel successfully twists the arm of visitors to chip in extra to make up for its unwillingness to pay its staff fairly, its competitors must soon follow suit or make up the difference out of their pockets. Guess which option they'll choose.
Travel and Leisure, shills for the hotel trade, suggests tipping housekeepers $3-5 a night. For my Comfort Inn room, a $5 tip would represent a 6% increase in the room cost. That's a huge hidden cost.
What's your take? Do you tip housekeeping when spending one night in a Holiday Inn Express, Super 8 or other mid-priced motel? If so, how much?
(If you enjoyed, this column, feel free to send a tip to my Paypal account. $3-5 is recommended.)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 18)
10-10-2009 @ 9:21AM
Heather O said...
Tipping your maid has always been an understood curtesy in my family. I however only tip if I stay for more than one night - the 1st and only night stays get nada. Why? Because when we book the room we do so with the expectation that the room will be clean and well stocked for our arrival.
If I stay more than one night and I've allowed the maid in to tidy up after me...then, and only then do I leave her a tip. But I also tip the bellboy and the room service staff. All of these employees (like waitstaff in america) work on a minimum hourly wage and good performance for tips is expected and the only way they actually earn a decent living.
Tipping is an acceptable 'blind' cost that is expected and should be graciously given to those serving you. My husband tips his mechanic - not the man that owns the shop but the guy that touched his car. He tips the tow truck driver. He tips to show appreication for a job well done.
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10-12-2009 @ 9:37AM
mel said...
i work in retail and i go above and beyond to help my customers, if we are out of something, i go out of my way to get it for them..if a customer wants something wrapped. i wrap it. do i ever get a tip..uh no.......why?, cause it's part of my job, i get paid minimum wage..no to mention, if a customer has a bad day, they take it out on me....so i do not agree all these other people should be tipped for doing their job.
10-12-2009 @ 9:39AM
sandy said...
When I was young and in college I worked in the service industry.
A waitress, a bartender..
What you & your husband do is very American and some may say old school. I was raised by my parents to also tip those same people. I also appreciated tips as a server. That was how I actually made a living because many of theses services pay way less legally than minimum wage. If it were not for people like your husband & you the service industry would starve on there pay checks.. Thanks for being an American with Class and humbleness.
10-12-2009 @ 10:14AM
Mary said...
I use to be in the Hospatailty industry and who do u think cleaned that room for that one night? I'm not in that line of work anymore,but it's a hard job and we would work long hours cleaning rooms after conventions. So why not leave a tip no matter how many nights u stay. When my family and I go on vacation we always leave a tip. We leave a tip when dining out at home too. So stop being cheap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
10-12-2009 @ 10:07AM
Mary said...
We are not maids anymore, we are Room Attendants or Suitekeepers. U must be a maid.
10-12-2009 @ 10:28AM
Manuel said...
Dear Heather,
You and your husband are a class act. We all need to take your example. I am sure your kindness toward others can be seen in everything that you guys do. Thank you
Sincerely,
Manny
10-12-2009 @ 10:47AM
chuck said...
I really enjoyed the way you put your comment.
I also tip those who do me right and seem to go out of their way to do a good job..Great to read others do so.have a good day
10-12-2009 @ 11:44AM
tulipferia said...
Waitstaff in the US actually make below minimum wage, which is why you're supposed to tip them. I spoke with a waitress once who said her entire paycheck was eaten up by taxes - the tips were how she made any money at all.
I also worked retail for minimum wage, and I worked at a deli counter for below the federal minimum wage - I was making $4.15 an hour and this was in 2006. And I also went above and beyond with service because it was my job and I am the type of person who likes to do my job well. Not only was I never tipped, I was not allowed to ask for tips and if I accepted a tip from anyone, I could get fired.
10-12-2009 @ 12:27PM
tagg said...
It's nice that your husband is so blessed with extra money for tipping, but most of us Americans are feeling the recession and don't have the spare money to be giving it away to people just doing their jobs. Have you checked the labor rate for car repairs lately. Couple that with the high cost of parts and I'm dipping into my savings just to keep my car running so I can get to work. So if you have the spare money, come to Texas and tip us for doing our jobs.
10-12-2009 @ 12:11PM
Natosha said...
I used to work as a hotel maid in a casino many years ago, this card is nothing new. Granted I admit this one doesnt have the name of the hotel on it as it should and could have been written up by the employee herself. anyway, we had those cards and envelopes at the hotel i worked at. they had the name of the hotel on them, and pretty much said the same thing on them. staying one night you shouldnt tip. they didnt even give us the card for rooms with people only staying one night. of course people staying at a casino hotel dont stay for only one night, unless your a local just getting away for a night. so from the mouth (or fingers) of a past hotel maid, yes you should tip your maid, and no dont tip if you stay for only one night
10-12-2009 @ 2:03PM
Mark Cowley said...
You summed it up perfectly. More than one night, it's a common curtesy. My family has been know to trash a hotel room with fast food containers, coke cans, candy bars, and honestly I feel the maid deserves extra. I think about how I'd feel if I opened the door after we left and had to clean it up. I'd left $10 a night before. If someone is going to piss and moan about $3-5 extra to be nice then they should sleep in their car or stay home.
10-10-2009 @ 9:34AM
Floridian said...
We always tip the maid. If you only stay one night, then just leave a couple of dollars. We usually stay in "mid-range" or "average" hotels. If we stay somewhere for a week, we make sure we tip about two dollars per day. My goodness, if you cannot afford a few dollars to tip people, then you really cannot afford to travel, can you? The author of this blog sounds like he is just trying to justify being CHEAP! And as for his idea to give the hotel MANAGER the tip to give to her? LOL!! She would NEVER see that money! People who don't tip should stay home!
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10-12-2009 @ 12:07PM
Julie said...
I totally agree, Floridian. This blogger acts like this is something new. this has been around for decades and decades. Really,
it's not going to kill a person to tip even $2 for a one-night stay. What if the housekeeper has a whole week of one-nighters. That's not fair.
10-12-2009 @ 12:28PM
Shon said...
Floridian, it is obvious you believe that no matter what you do you think you deserve a tip. I've had this conversation with other people in restaurant industry. Why do you think you deserve a tip unless you done a excellent job. Do you even know where tipping came from?(France) Do you know why?(Rich/man poor status) Do you know that other countries have stop this?(France especially the origin) They just add it into there cost of doing business. If one more of you people who have job like this think your due more because you decided to take a job that doesn't pay what you think they should. Then take it up with your manager or the hotel owner! Also, the person that states that room service work long hard hour. Hard...yes, but long hours no. I worked hospitality and the room service people usually work between check out and check in which is usually about 3-5 hours at most hotels. I knew I did not want to clean rooms so I would do front desk. Stop bleeding the customer for more money. If you have customer whose is on the level of pig then talk to the front desk. I know some customer can be pigs that why I would help the room attendants, especially in cases where the person was making the room a toxic dump. I would not allow them to clean it, but would talk to the manager and customer because no one should go thru that. If you have horrible manager then try find another job or do housecleaning pays a little more and/or offers better perks.
10-10-2009 @ 9:52AM
Renea said...
I agree that these ever increasing expectations for tips only allows businesses to pay their employees less. Should we tip a lab tech for how good they are at hitting our veins without rolling them and requiring an extra needle stick? Should we add to our senator's and representative's already enormous pay by tipping them when we get a tax decrease? Although I tip out of obligation to do so, I greatly disapprove of it, and I've even worked as a waitress. Everyone should get paid for doing their job, and employers should give raises based on merit. It's ridiculous to pay wait staff next to nothing (it was $2.10 when I waitressed years ago) and expect patrons to pay their salary. The employer is responsible for making sure the employees are fairly paid, and guests or patrons should be given the courtesy of upfront and complete costs. Tipping frustrates me to no end, and I feel it unfairly places responsibility on the consumer when the responsibility should be on the employer.
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10-10-2009 @ 10:18AM
Michelle said...
I could not agree more with what Renea said above. It almost makes you just want to stay home and not go out to eat or stay in a hotel...or even get your hair cut! Where do we draw the line? I don't get tipped in my line of work, yet i still do the best job I can. I, too, think the employer should take the responsibility of paying the employee and not the consumer, period!
(ps. I think the waitress/waiters still make $2.10/hr.) unbelieveable!
10-14-2009 @ 2:06AM
Nancy said...
I think folks who complain about tipping service workers have no idea what it's like to BE a service worker. I don't mean taking one of these jobs for extra money or as a teen or college student. I mean being a service worker as a career to support yourself and/or your family.
Saying they should be paid more money is just nonsense. It will never happen and it's a way to avoid the basic civility of tipping someone for service. I've been there. And I am now blessed to be on the "other" side.
I travel routinely for my job and am paid very well for my work. When I stay in a hotel for a week, I generally leave $20. It appalled me that none of my coworkers left anything.
If people in our country could just start treating each other better, the US might start to get a better image worldwide.
10-12-2009 @ 10:08AM
Laurie McMonigle said...
I agree completely! I tip when I feel the person has gone above and beyond but I resent being made to feel responsible for their low salary! This is the responsibility of their employer. WHY do we allow restaurants to pay less than minimum wage?? It makes no sense... they charge the going rate for your meal, so why aren't they paying the going rate for their employees. THAT is the problem here!!
10-10-2009 @ 10:24AM
TNFair said...
As a hospitality industry veteran of over a decade, I have seen the horrors that housekeepers must put up with on a daily basis. Most people, shamefully, DO NOT tip their housekeeper. These poor women must pick up after you, even if you stay only one night. They encounter your discarded hair and (forgive me) bodily fluids in the bathroom and on the sheets, which even the tidiest of us leave behind. They wipe up whatever germs and illnesses you have left behind on the surfaces of the room. They pick up towels that have touched who knows what part of your anatomy. They empty garbage cans that contain your used tissues, feminie products, etc. They clean up from any meals that you have eaten in your room. If you are an exceptionally tidy person, then they will appreciate cleaning your room vs. a slobby person, but it is still a really classy gesture to leave $2 per person/per night for your housekeeper. If you have multiple people in your room (especially if you are travelling with messy adults or children) you may consider leaving more based on the state of the room when you leave it.
Now, here's an industry insider tip for getting EXCEPTIONAL service from your housekeeper when staying for multiple nights:
When you wake up the first morning of your stay, look for a housekeeping cart on your floor. They usually begin cleaning rooms fairly early. Approach the closest housekeeper (you may have to poke your head into a room they are working on) and hand them a tip while being sure to let them know which room you are staying in. THANK THEM for how clean your room was when you checked in and for all of their hard work. You will be amazed at the little extras that you will find when you return to your room later in the day. Even at a mid-scale hotel, most times you will find surprising extra touches that your housekeeper has thought of to thank YOU for your kindness.
The system of expecting guests to make up for a housekeepers low pay may be flawed, but that is the fault of the industry and NOT the housekeeper. Remember that these women have your health and in their hands, and please treat them with respect!
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10-12-2009 @ 5:25AM
sherri said...
I agree with TNFair.I have been a housekeeper for 15 years.For all the bending,pulling,twisting one has to do to clean a room the pay isn't fair.Find the housekeeper that will be cleaning your room during your stay.Let her/him know that u appreciate what he/she has done.You will be amazed how clean you room will be.Clean sheets,etc.Most housekeepers are single mothers working for minimum wage,with no health care,no sick days,no paid vacations.With all the things they come in contact with their pay should be well above.