How Much Do You Tip Your Hotel Maid?

Shoemoney recently asked his readers how much they tip their hotel maid.

Uh, you tip a hotel maid? Really?

Ok, I know I'll get comments about being a tightwad and so on, but really, isn't maid service part of what you pay the hotel for? You don't pay them extra for using the water, towels, and pool (usually), so why tip a maid? Do maids earn below minimum wage like waitresses and are expected to make up the extra with tips? And what about the servers (the ones who set out the food and keep it stocked) at those free breakfast buffets? Do they get a tip too? What about the front desk people?

Anyway, as you can see, I'm confused. Maybe you all can point out what you do and why -- I'm sure that would help.

Comments

[Dan D]

I tip about a buck or two per night spent in the hotel. No more than $10 however.

[Ryan S]

If it is personal travel, I tip a $5 at the end of the week, nothing if I'm only staying a night or two. If it is business, I tip nothing since my employer does not reimburse tips, and in reality I would rather be home, where my wife cleans the house for free.

[Jim]

I tip about $1 per day of visit.

Why do I do it? Same reason I tip anyone that I do. I guess its just etiquette that I learned somewhere along the why. I am not sure why we tip some jobs and not others, there doesn't seem to be much logic to it honestly.

Jim

[rdub98]

The way I see it, if tips are part of the income that they are required to report, then I tip and the tip is a DIRECT reflection of the quality of service I receive. I rarely tip any other time.

Tips are for those that go over and above the call to make sure you are taken care of. In that instance I tip (thus the rarely tipping part of my last paragraph - I hardly ever see that anymore). If they are simply doing their job, then they aren't getting anything extra from me.

I find it almost offensive that places like Starbucks put tip jars out on the counter. They are getting paid to take your order and give you back the proper amount of change, nothing more. Now, if they were to bring me my coffee instead of leaving it on the counter for me to pick up and blow on it for me to cool it off and offer to bring me an extra napkin or something like that, then I would consider tipping them, but don't expect me to give you money for being rude to me across a counter.

You have to do something worthy of a tip in order to get a tip.

[Rhea]

I am a big believer in tipping housekeepers at inns, motels, etc. They make lousy money. The tips vary. About $3-$5 per day.

[Valerie]

I tip when I remember (I'm sorry to say that I forget to sometimes), because I know that housekeepers and hotel maids barely make a living wage. If you've ever read Nickle and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, you can get a basic idea of how little these men and women make. Although I am far from wealthy, I consider this part of my charity and goodwill, even though they are employed.

[J-Bird]

I tip most people in the service industry. The pay is generally pretty poor (I've been there), and while I understand the "well if you aren't getting paid enough, then go do ___ and get yourself a better paying job", the problem is we all still want someone to be there, serving us our coffee or cleaning our hotel rooms but aren't necessarily willing to pay a higher ticketed price for these things. If I encounter truly horrific service I'm less likely to tip, but even then I know from experience that a letter to management has far more impact than someone not tipping, so I'm more likely to do that. I find generally people who have worked in the service industry tend to tip more than those who haven't, which makes sense.

[Kevin]

Put me in the no tip category, before this I hadn't even thought of it.

Question:
How do you go about tipping them? You can't just leave money in the room - the maid could easily be accused of stealing under that circumstance.

BTW - I agree w/rdub on the Starbucks "tip jar". Since when is a cashier supposed to be tipped?

[a]

I've never heard of tipping the maid at a hotel before. Then again I can't say that I stay at particularly swanky hotels where you may be expected to tip everyone who makes eye contact with you.

I tip waitresses and barbers. I often have a mental debate as to how much I should tip them. I know the customary 15% rule for waitresses but honestly I've been to a lot of restaurants where the service didn't equal 15%. I also wish there was a way to bypass the waitress and tip the chef. Sometimes the service is mediocre at best but the food rocks.

Other than that I will tip, or tip more heavily, if people do an awesome job.

Personally, I really want to stop tipping altogether save for those who go above and beyond. I just don't feel that tips should be expected for an average job.

If I find out that a place doesn't give tips directly to the person who did the job then I don't tip. This is a shame because I've met some people at the local Coldstone who are super excellent and I would love to tip them, but I happen to have insider info that they distribute my dollar amongst everyone rather than giving it to the person who served me.

[Karla]

I don't tip housecleaning. Unless they have done something extra or I made a huge mess (I have a toddler).

Actually I hate the idea of tipping. But I still do it as it's now seen as something that's manditory.

I have no problem if the person does something above and beyond their normal job. When I tip someone b/c of something great that they did, I feel great b/c I'm able to acknowledge it and both I and the server/housekeeper etc benefit from the experience.

But just taking my order, bringing my food and the bill? Or in this case, cleaning my room. Isn't that what they are hired and paid for?

As far as their wages, isn't it their choice to choose a job like that? Why is up to me to supplement their wage if they chose a job knowing that the pay isn't well?

I'm a CPA. If I went to work for a smaller firm with less pay versus maybe a bigger firm that will pay me more, should the clients add an extra 15% to the tax returns that I prepare since I'm not making as much as I could be?

[Mark]

I forget to tip almost 75% of the time. I think standard is $2 a night.

If we've 'pre-gamed' at the hotel before going out somewhere, and left a lot of garbage, I might leave $10-$20 bucks with a little note apologizing for the mess.

[Trent D.]

The problem I have with tipping maids and the like is that we're simply subsidizing the cost of their employment for the hotels. The more they make from tips, the less the hotel has to pay them.

I understand the incentive in terms of a waiter or waitress - there's value in them feeling their performance has an impact on their compensation. But a maid has a set job to do - they can't go above and beyond. Their job is to not be noticed, effectively.

It's a Catch-22 - we tip because they're not paid well - they're not paid well because they're tipped.

[Ann]

I tip a dollar a night, sometimes two, and usually leave the tip in an envelope on the bedside table marked For Housekeeping. If I made a mess, I tip more, and once I tipped $20 for no reason at all.

[Anonymous]

I tip $1/day per person in the room. I stay 3 nights, and get good service, I tip $3. My wife and I stay 3 nights, and get good service, I tip $6.

[MasterPo]

Remember that the word "Tip" originally started (I think in the 18th century) as an acronym meaning "To Insure Promptness". At a pub the patron would put a coin at the edge of the table to show the person wating on them "This is what you will get IF you do good for me." Somewhere the idea of a tip became SOP.

[stocksbondsandrock&roll]

From a hospitality industry vet, you should absolutely tip a housekeeper for a stay longer than one night with good service. They do a tough, demanding, sometimes demeaning job for little pay and more often than not they do it very well. You can get into the economic supply/demand argument if you want, but it doesn't change the reality on the ground for those in this line of work. You ask them to pick up after you and look after your belongings for the duration of your stay, and in many cases you leave behind messes that are less than hygenic.

A dollar or two is fine. If you meet your room attendant and they personally perform a special request, another buck wouldn't hurt.

If you really want to help them out and earn some karma points, at the end of your stay strip the sheets off your bed and the pillow cases off your pillows and leave them in the corner by the door. Likewise the towels. it takes 30 seconds and is an excellent way to make sure you aren't leaving items behind. Win-win.

[stocksbondsandrock&roll]

From a hospitality industry vet, you should absolutely tip a housekeeper for a stay longer than one night with good service. They do a tough, demanding, sometimes demeaning job for little pay and more often than not they do it very well. You can get into the economic supply/demand argument if you want, but it doesn't change the reality on the ground for those in this line of work. You ask them to pick up after you and look after your belongings for the duration of your stay, and in many cases you leave behind messes that are less than hygenic.

A dollar or two is fine. If you meet your room attendant and they personally perform a special request, another buck wouldn't hurt.

If you really want to help them out and earn some karma points, at the end of your stay strip the sheets off your bed and the pillow cases off your pillows and leave them in the corner by the door. Likewise the towels. it takes 30 seconds and is an excellent way to make sure you aren't leaving items behind. Win-win.

[Mark]

"They do a tough, demanding, sometimes demeaning job for little pay and more often than not they do it very well."

You are probably right but all I can think of is that YouTube news report of the hotels the crew visited with hidden cameras and how they cleaned the glasses, etc.

[Anne]

At hotels you should leave your tip in an envelope (or with a note) labeled "Housekeeping". I've been told not to tip until the end of the trip, when I'm checking out.

As someone who worked for several years in the service industry, I can honestly say that you accomplish NOTHING by refusing to tip on the grounds that, "Tipping allows the employer to pay less." Your refusal to tip says nothing to management, and has absolutely no effect on "the system." By not tipping, you only make yourself look like a jerk -- and ensure crappy service next time you visit.

If you don't believe in tipping, go somewhere where tips are not expected.

As for places where tips are shared among the employees, even these tips are much appreciated! When I worked at a coffeehouse, each employee would wind up with an average of $15-$20 a week in divvied tips (depending on hours worked), and it helped pay for gas.

And if you want to blame anyone for the current tipping system, blame our government, who began requiring servers to claim their meager tips as taxable income (in the 60s, I think). This allowed restaurant owners to pay their employees less than minimum wage, as long as the tips brought the servers' final pay up to the minimum. Now servers don't make more money; they're just more pissed at patrons who are bad tippers.

[Cheap Like Me]

We always tip hotel housekeeping. Used to be $1 a night, now it's usually $2. We just leave the couple of dollars daily on the nightstand or in plain view on the foot of the bed -- it's obviously not overlooked, but intentional.

I believe in saving money, but I also believe in giving to people who are helping me out. I believe custom dictates that we tip people who provide an intimate service -- hair cutting, bringing us food, driving us around, carrying our luggage, and most certainly, changing our sheets and towels and cleaning our bathroom. I'd rather get a good deal on Priceline and spend $70 rather than $200 on the hotel, and then "splurge" by tipping the housekeeper. If we stayed a whole week it would be $15 or less, and if you can afford to travel, surely you can afford to be that generous.

[MasterPo]

Just to play Devil's Advicate:

Isn't changing the sheets, cleaning the bath room, emptying the trash etc their job?

Aren't you paying the lodging fee with the expectation of a clean room, clean sheets, etc?

Do you get a tip for just doing what your function is?

(bring on the flames ;-) )

[JB]

I tip for long stays (more than two nights) and $3/night or so, depending on the service or how messy we were (particularly if we have our kids with us).

[Darin H]

Should you tip at a Bed & Breakfast?

[Kevin]

So what if you're staying there 5 nights and for the first 4 one maid cleans the room, but the 5th night someone else does it? You leave the tip for the first 4 nights worth of work, but maid #2 gets all of it. I seriously doubt #2 is going to go back to #1 and refigure his/her share.

[Walden]

I usually don't tip, but that's because we almost always put the "Do not disturb" sign on the door and leave it. We don't usually need our room to be serviced (we re-use our towels and generally remake the bed), and I'd rather not have to worry about putting things away in preperation for them to come in and clean. That being said, if we stay for longer than a few nights and end up having the room serviced, we'll leave a few bucks. It just seems right, though logically I know that's their job.

[Homer S]

Zero. Nada. Zilch. Zip. Bupkus.

[Rich]

A few years ago I realized that I have been treated generously in more ways than I can count, so I decided that I ought to live more generously in relation to others - especially those with thankless jobs...like janitors, housekeepers, etc.

I tip $2.00 a night when I travel by myself (probably 40 nights a year), and I tip $5 or more per room when I'm with my family (we have 5 kids and nowadays have to rent 2 rooms at a time).

Also, I always make it a point to verbally thank the workers when I see them out in the hallways. I say something like "Wow, you must be the one in charge of making things look so good around here!" It always brightens their day. I've discovered that generosity makes others feel good...and makes me feel good too.

[FS]

My usual daily tip is $1 per "star" plus $1. ($5 per day for a 4-star hotel.)

[Anne]

The "it's their job" thing just doesn't always apply. Tipping is part of certain industries, and if you don't tip you're asking to be given less-than-stellar service.

When I was a server, I knew which customers tipped well, I knew which customers were friendly to me, I knew which customers didn't tip at all, I knew which customer were rude, the list goes on... You'd better believe I took the BEST care of the people who treated me with respect, and didn't leave a religious tract as my "tip" (sorry, my landlord doesn't accept tracts as payment, and yes, I do know Jesus).

I do believe that hotel tipping has a little to do with the quality of hotel you're staying in. Higher-end hotel housekeeping does personal things, like folding up your jammies. Tipping those folks is certainly a reflection of the quality of their service. At a cheap hotel, I would think you could tip just out of sympathy for the pitiful wage they're probably receiving.

[MasterPo]

Anne - The difference (to me at least) is a good server helps make the meal a better experience. A suggestion or recommendation, quickly refilling your drink w/o having to ask, automatically bring extra napkins, extra sauce, a good joke or two, etc that's service.

A maid, I suppose you can say that if she doesn't change the sheets or bring fresh towels that detracts from the stay. But I rarely interact with the maid service.

My point is where do you draw the line between someone doing a job that deserves extra compensation vs. someone doing their job? Someone above made the comment that you wouldn't tip your tax preparer if they got you a bigger refund than you expected.

[guinness416]

Yeah, a buck or two a day. More if we make a mess, hold up their schedule with the DND sign up late. It's really nothing to me in the grand scheme of things, and they work very hard and are always very cheery and helpful when I need anything.

[guinness416]

Rich at 4:19pm, I like your comment a lot (made me smile) and you've articulated really well the philosophy we try to use too.

[Sarah]

I tip when I remember (sometimes I forget in the hurry of checking out the last day). Housekeeping is super-low-paid and has to clean up my messes; I don't begrudge them a small additional reward. At the kind of hotels I stay in as a business traveller, around $5/night. On my own, a little less. If I notice bad service, I might adjust downward, and if I made some kind of spectacular mess (e.g., got sick all over the room), would probably go up, but I've never been in that particular situation.

[MonkeyMonk]

We always tip $2 per day. We try to remember to put it in an envelope that's marked for them because in good hotels the housekeeping often won't accept it otherwise.

[whatever you choose to call me sir]

"A few years ago I realized that I have been treated generously in more ways than I can count, so I decided that I ought to live more generously in relation to others - especially those with thankless jobs...like janitors, housekeepers, etc."

Well said Rich

...I feel like I've been treated really well in life and though it should not be expected as a housekeeper I hope it provides a little pick me up to their day. I feel like it just lets them know that their work is appreciated.

The only time I always leave a tip for people is on a holiday. The maid who cleans up your room on Christmas morning is getting paid but I can guarantee it's not enough to skip time with family. Same goes for really anybody working on the holiday. I'm sure some work by choice on that day because there families live far away and they get paid extra but there are just as many out there who have no choice but to work that day. A couple bucks doesn't make up for it but it makes my soul feel better.

rip away sir

[BW]

I don't really like to tip, so I try to avoid situations where tipping is involved. In the case where tipping is a part of the service, though, I try to leave the same amount my companions leave. The last time I stayed in a motel, I was only there for one night - but I forgot all about tipping since it slipped my mind. When I stayed at places with my parents, they always tipped and I liked the mints the housekeepers left on the pillows : )

[Penny]

If my employer would reimburse for it, I would. He's very miserly and I'm being paid very little.

[Shane]

Most of the people who work as chambermaids are young mothers, or grandmothers. You cheep-skates who justify leaving nothing should think about others. Do you think the people who clean your room can afford to stay in a hotel/motel?

Leave a $2 per night tip on the counter with a note and something to hold it down like a remote, or a class(Say something to brighten their day). The note also serves as proof that they have not stolen the money, for those of you who are using that ridiculous excuse.

Sometimes I leave a $20 tip.

[Kelly]

We always tip generously.

If you've ever worked in the service industry you understand that a little extra goes a long way for folks who work in these demeaning and physically demanding jobs. (most without proper health insurance)

There are some great articles out there on what to tip service industry folks.

If you want to avoid tipping then don't go places you should tip. (IE eat take out instead of delivery or eating out, or don't stay in motels/hotels while traveling.

I agree with the above posters, I have had a pretty good life, and $1-2 is no big deal to me, while it can make a world of difference for someone who works in the service field.

[cmadler]

Tipping a hotel maid had never even occurred to me. Unless they did something for me beyond their normal job, or I left an exceptional mess, I just can't see doing it, for all the reasons people mentioned above. In general, I tip for service recieved. I've left restaurant servers probably as much as 75% for outstanding service on a small bill (as much as 45% on a larger bill), and once as little as $0.01 on a credit card for truly heinous service (also spoke to the manager, and haven't been back there in the 6 years since).

[Mar]

Rich's note, posted at 4:19 p.m., expresses my views very well.

To me, the tip is just part of the trip or vacation expense. If I can afford to pay the hotel cost for the night, I can afford the $2-3 per night tip for a regular hotel room for someone who has cleaned the toilet, the bathtub, made the bed, taken out the trash, etc. If I can't afford that, I can't afford the trip. My employer doesn't reimburse for the tips, but if I had to travel for business, I would still tip.

Our annual vacation at the beach includes staying at the same independent, family-run hotel in the same apartment (two bedrooms, one bathroom, living room, private porch, and kitchen) every year. I tipped $75 this year for the weeklong stay and it was worth it to me (and hopefully the cleaning staff). They do a fabulous job, clean a larger area, and even if they make above minimum wage (I don't really know), they don't make enough, in my opinion. These tips are put into an envelope and left at the front desk so they are split between the maids, according to the owners. Again, if I can't afford this tip, I can't afford the botel, the go-karting, the water park, the meals out, the mini-golfing, etc., and I shouldn't be on vacation.

[PatatrooperJJ]

Nope.

[MelMoitzen]

"How do you go about tipping them? You can't just leave money in the room - the maid could easily be accused of stealing under that circumstance."

Usually not, if you leave it at the end of your stay as most do.

Sometimes the hotel makes it incredibly convenient for you to tip. Like providing a small envelope pre-printed with housekeeping's phone extension and a pre-printed note "Your room is being cleaned by _________."

Along with a tip, I'll leave a note with a simple "thank you" (or "gracias" if it's apparent the majority of the cleaning crew speaks Spanish). Knowing their work is appreciated is as important as the money, and you usually can't convey this face-to-face as you can when you tip a waiter or concierge.

How much I leave largely depends on the market. $3 a night in a big city, $2 a night in more rural areas. More for special services or if my kids are along and have trashed the room every day.

When all is said and done, tipping in the service industry is largely a matter of "paying it forward." The service you receive isn't so much based on how well you tip, but rather how well those ahead of you tipped.

[soma2zoot]

"As far as their wages, isn't it their choice to choose a job like that? Why is up to me to supplement their wage if they chose a job knowing that the pay isn't well?"

Oh Karla (August 25, 2008 at 02:17PM), the intelligence of your quote expresses your in depth understanding of socioeconomics. I mean, it is as if other people on this board don't understand that everyone has the same educational opportunities and identical circumstances in their lives. You obviously have no need to read Nickel and Dimed, the book previously mentioned.

OK, so my response thus far has not been the most mature. But there is a huge difference between believing in personal accountability and blanket statements assuming people picked low paying jobs over the multitudes of other employment available to them. I mean, that line was the most ignorant thing I have read in a long time.

Nope, I don't tip and frankly I am bothered by the uppity attitude by those who do. Tip if you want, but I see no reason to behave like tipping in a Motel 6 or even a moderate business hotel is obligatory. If you want to do it as an act of charity, fine. But don't turn this into a social more.

I will tip if there's good service or special service. Making the bed in my otherwise perfectly tidy hotel room is hardly what I think I need to pay extra for. If you want to blame me for the low wages being paid by the employer, go ahead, but that's the wrong answer.

We are all in the service industry. No one tips me at my job. I don't hand people a bill and expect them to pay more than the bill. And in many countries tipping is not at all customary.

Now, if I trashed the hotel room (which I ask why is anyone making the hotel room that much of a mess in the first place) or otherwise clearly increased the burden of cleaning my hotel room above and beyond the ordinary, then that's a different story. I'd tip then.

Otherwise, I'm sorry, but I'm not responsible for solving the woes of all low-income jobs by tipping everyone in one whose work product I encounter. That may sound harsh, but it is true.

[Meg]

I had never even thought or heard of tipping maid staff at hotels until one day when I was a teenager and I saw my grandmother leave a stack of $1's on the bedside table with a note for them. It really stayed with me for some reason, probably out of the general respect and admiration I have for my very generous grandmother.

Though I have to admit that I don't usually tip maid staff in hotels, mostly because I don't think of it or remember.

But I think it's important that we don't say we tip "because they are paid so badly." There are a lot of people who have low income jobs that make your life easier in come way, but that doesn't mean you have to go around tipping all of them.

For whatever reason tipping in the hotel industry just became standard, though, and a lot of people do it. You tip the guy who hails you a cab, the guy who carries your bags, the guy who serves you your drinks...why not tip the gal who is cleaning your room?

[somethingfishy]

We can argue that they're just "doing their job" but, in the end, the pay is horrible. We expect these people to be there for usin these lousy, low paying jobs, and yet we get offended when the subject of giving them a little extra comes up. Most people would not want to do this job. They do it because they have to. In this economy, you take whatever you can get. I would love to see a society where all of the maids, waitresses and, well, the hired "help" just got sick of it all and quit. All of them. Society would fall apart. In which case, you could pay a hotel a bit less and clean up your own mess.

Yes, tipping cleaning people is a nice way to say, "Hey, your job sucks, your pay is crap, but I'm glad you're here because, if you weren't, I'd be cleaning up.

[melanie]

oh my god people. im reading about how much you leave for tips at hotel rooms. (CHEAP SKATES) the average is 2 dollars a night for a family of 5 staying in a room. or just leaving a dollar tip. why bother? thats quite an insult and if you think that its our job (why tip) then dont leave one. if you feel obligated to leave a dollar then just put it back in your pocket. i mean i cleaned hotels in the past but i am now a residental house keeper. and most of my clients dont tip. we are not your servants or people that will be greatful for a dollar either. okay this is the hardest job in the world and if it were easy i am sure your house would be clean and you would pick your hotel rooms up after your bratty kids.

[melanie]

dear somethingfishy, or whatever you call your self. ummm what is that you do that makes so much money? you had better own your own company or be a movie star to put the working class down like that. we are not going to take your shit i hope servers just does unspeakable acts to your room or food or what have you. you wanna know something else? my man owns a construction company that makes money and alot and our new cars, pickups, houses, food, clothes, or what ever we want is paid for through the company, so his personal cash a year is 100,000 dollars a year for his self. i mean you had better be rolling in an escalade for a blog like that. I will always work becuase modesty and hard work the honest way is the only way to be liked or even be worthy enough to your self civil. KARAS CONSTRUCTION WATER LINES (BIATCH)

[melanie]

ITS JUST A FEW BUCKS GET OVER IT. YOUR NOT SUPPLEMENTING SHIT WITH A FEW DOLLARS!! HOW THOUGHTFUL OF YOU TO THINK THATS EVEN ACOUNTABLE FOR A RELIABLE QUOTE UNQUOTE "ITS MY CHOICE TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR WAGE" ITS CALLED A SIMPLE THANK YOU FOR TAKING CARE OF ME. IF YOU CHOSE TO BE DICK HEADS ABOUT IT I AM SURE YOUVE ONLY GOT YOUR COMPUTER FOR YOUR ONLY FREIND. SUCKAS! COURTESY PEOPLE ITS CALLED COURTESY.