# How much do you tip the housekeeper?



## Smooth Air (Feb 2, 2007)

Hello, Tuggers! I never know how much to tip the housekeeper @ my home resort. With a hotel where we have daily housekeeping services, I usually tip $3 to $5 per day. But, when I stay @ my home resort for a week we do not have daily housekeeping. And, I never ask for "tidy up" throughout the week. Or extra towels or anything. So, how much should I tip @ the end of the week? We never see the housekeeper from one end of the week to the next. Yet I know that these ladies are working very hard every day especially on busy weekend check-in days.  I want to leave something as an expression of gratitude for having the condo/villa look great when we check-in. But how much? How much do you leave?


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## Dave M (Feb 2, 2007)

Here is a BBS thread from last September with 27 posts on this topic!


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## littlestar (Feb 2, 2007)

On our trash and towel day at our Disney timeshare, we tip about $3.00 to $4.00.

On final check out day, we usually leave $10.00 for a 1 bedroom and $15.00 or $20.00 for a 2 bedroom. If it's just a studio, we leave $5.00 on checkout day. Service workers aren't appreciated enough in my book. Just like mothers and grandmothers.  What would we do without the people who clean up after us? It's really hard to find the help anymore from what I've heard.


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## JimC (Feb 2, 2007)

Tipping is a thank-you for good service.  Tipping is not mandatory if you did not receive good service and certainly not required if no services were performed.

Basic guidelines for regular hotel tipping are $1/person/night in less expensive hotels and $2/person/night in upscale hotels.  Tips should be left in your room on a daily basis.  Different housekeepers may attend your room each day.  Leave your tip so that it is obvious to the housekeeper of its purpose.  

I am unaware of any guidelines for timeshares.  If you receive no service then I would not tip.  If you are getting a tidy service then I would tip $1/person/night.  Example:  Two guests and the tidy service is on day 4 (3 nights) then tip $6.  It the service were a full cleaning on day four then tip $12.


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## Cathy in Boston (Feb 3, 2007)

We own at the Surf Club.  They do a cleaning and linen/toiletries midweek.  We usually leave $10-20, then another $10-20 when we leave.


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## AmyL4408 (Feb 3, 2007)

I'm probably in the minority (And also probably wrong)


But I don't leave a tip at all......


I guess its because they are doing nothing particularly for me.    Its their job to clean the rooms.     





I'm not a wealthy person, so I don't just give away money.     Tipping the bellman for helping with luggage is tough for me,   but I guess I don't know if they are paid a regular rate.     I would imagine a Housekeeping staff gets a regular rate, that doesn't expect tips like a waitress might.

I don't think I need to tip at the beauty shop, but I do anyways.   After all,  am I not paying them already?      Once again, its not like a waitress who gets paid less than the average, and depends on tips to even it out.


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## Carol C (Feb 3, 2007)

I'm not wealthy but I tip maids. We've even tipped maids when we've been laid off and on unemployment ourselves. Maids have to spend more time cleaning rooms than a bellboy spends moving bags from point A to point B...yet the bellboys generally get $1.00 per bag. In Mexico and in the Caribbean islands especially, maids are paid a pittance...tips can make the difference in whether they are able to feed their kids 2-3 meals a day. 

Unless you know for a fact that the same maid is assigned to your room or to your floor, it's best to tip daily rather than all in one lump sum at week's end.


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## Cathy in Boston (Feb 4, 2007)

I guess I figure, if I can afford to own a timeshare, and/or can afford to stay at a nice hotel, I can certainly afford to tip the poor woman who has to clean up my bathroom and change my sheets a couple of bucks a day.


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## Smooth Air (Feb 4, 2007)

Amy: You say "I guess it's because they are doing nothing for me". Who do you think was responsible for making your villa look so great for you & your family when you checked in?? At Ocean Pointe it takes the housekeepers about 2 hours to clean just one 2BR Villa! That's a lot of work just for me & my family! I am always grateful for the work that they have done. I am absolutely l shocked that you don't even leave a few bucks! My question when I started this post was not "Do you tip the Housekeeper?" But "How much do you tip the Housekeeper?" because I assumed(obviously incorrectly) that all timeshare Owners left a tip. Maybe you should rethink your position on this one. I saw on another post that you will be going to Mexico....wages are very low there & it cld make a huge differnce if you helped out by leaving the equivalent of $10 or $20. But, hey, that's just me & my opinion means nothing really. It's just an opinion.


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## AmyL4408 (Feb 4, 2007)

smoothair said:


> Amy: You say "I guess it's because they are doing nothing for me". Who do you think was responsible for making your villa look so great for you & your family when you checked in?? At Ocean Pointe it takes the housekeepers about 2 hours to clean just one 2BR Villa! That's a lot of work just for me & my family! I am always grateful for the work that they have done. I am absolutely l shocked that you don't even leave a few bucks! My question when I started this post was not "Do you tip the Housekeeper?" But "How much do you tip the Housekeeper?" because I assumed(obviously incorrectly) that all timeshare Owners left a tip. Maybe you should rethink your position on this one. I saw on another post that you will be going to Mexico....wages are very low there & it cld make a huge differnce if you helped out by leaving the equivalent of $10 or $20. But, hey, that's just me & my opinion means nothing really. It's just an opinion.




I travelled alot around the U.S. with my family growing up.   We never stayed in fancy places,  mostly like Holiday Inns or Days Inns.     And I don't recall my parents ever leaving money for the maids.    So I never really realized that it was something people really do until just lately.

I would think that the maids get paid a regular wage,  and aren't expected to earn tips like a waitress.....

I don't think that cleaning the room,  really is doing anything special for me or my family.   I just feel it is their job.    I have had several jobs in my life, none of which did I ever get tipped for.   

I never leave a room in bad condition,   we aren't messy people.


And $20 is a meal for my family......     I realize there are alot of timeshare owners with money, but we are not one of those.

In the last 2 years since buying our timeshare:
Our house burned down
My husband had two strokes
I had cancer
My husband now has a rare athritic disease

I make monthly payments on my house, my timeshare, my car, and the loans needed to cover all those illnesses and loosing our house.    

If it wasn't for having these timeshare weeks,  we wouldn't be travelling anywhere.   We wouldn't be able to afford it.

Can't sell my timeshare, because the resale price is much much less than what we owe.      Not that I would want to sell it.

In Aruba we ate at fast food places, and tried to have only one meal out a day.  Why?  because we can't afford it.


Sorry that giving a maid $20, is a big deal to me


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## Smooth Air (Feb 4, 2007)

Couldn't afford to travel except for your timeshare? Sandals All Inclusive is hardly a Time Share!! In December you went to Sandals(Jamaica)...I remember that from your recent Aruba post. 
If you don't want to leave a tip for a housekeeper fine. But, please don't try to justify it by saying you can't afford to tip. Because you can. Even a few bucks is better than nothing!


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## AmyL4408 (Feb 4, 2007)

smoothair said:


> Couldn't afford to travel except for your timeshare? Sandals All Inclusive is hardly a Time Share!! In December you went to Sandals(Jamaica)...I remember that from your recent Aruba post.
> If you don't want to leave a tip for a housekeeper fine. But, please don't try to justify it by saying you can't afford to tip. Because you can. Even a few bucks is better than nothing!





And how much did I pay for those 10 nights at Sandals???????


$137  

I'd be glad to explain how, but that doesn't really seem needed.     Thought you had me though huh?


I'll accept that apology whenever you get the foot out of your mouth :annoyed:


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## Cathy in Boston (Feb 5, 2007)

As a point of information, hotel maids generally make at or close to minimum wage - just like waitresses.


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## johnmfaeth (Feb 5, 2007)

Hi All,

In fairness, I do not agree with Amy's position but I think it is WRONG to throw up a trip to Sandals in her face. Who is anyone to publically judge her? That is not our role in life, sorry but you are WAY over the line.

We all have the right to do what we want with our money. If we want to spend even our last $1 on a caribbean trip because we just need a break from life, don't judge that. May be the best way to spend it at that time from a psychological basis.

I do realize that many service jobs are at a substandard pay rate and tips are supposed to make up the difference. I had some of those jobs myself starting as a paperboy at 12. But you also figure in a certain percentage who never tip regardless of the reason.

Next time you are ready to publically judge and attack, spend a minute thinking what the other person's shoes may feel like. If that doesn't work, write out a list of your own top ten faults. Then attack if you still feel the need to...

Disagree sure - but in the spirit of discussion and debate.

John


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 5, 2007)

Restaurant servers get paid $2.25 an hour, not minimum wage.


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## JimC (Feb 5, 2007)

One thing you can do is to ask at the resort if they consider the housekeeping position a "tipped position and if so what is the local custom".  The resorts understand that not all of their guests understand the local customs.  They can also tell you the local customs for restaurants, cabs and the like.  There are books and internet sites that can assist.    

For housekeeping there are some resorts where it is not considered a tipped positon and others where it is.  And the amounts suggested vary as well.  There are general guidelines which I put in an earlier post in this thread.  But local custom and the quality of the service should determine the tip.


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## chrisnwillie (Feb 5, 2007)

Well said John. 

I am an owner of a company that is in the service industry. I am on the job and service both commercial and residential accounts. Years ago, my employees used to receive tips from customers after they performed the service. Today, tips are few and far between. 

When I am at my timeshare, I tip the maid at the beginning of the week. I've known our maid for a lot of years, so I am comfortable doing this and she has come to expect it I think. I give her $50 at the beginning of every week I am there. That being said, there are plenty of people that don't tip her at all. 

I do it not because I have a lot of money (which I don't), but because I want to.


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## sandesurf (Feb 5, 2007)

johnmfaeth said:


> In fairness, I do not agree with Amy's position but I think it is WRONG to throw up a trip to Sandals in her face. Who is anyone to publically judge her? That is not our role in life, sorry but you are WAY over the line.
> 
> We all have the right to do what we want with our money. If we want to spend even our last $1 on a caribbean trip because we just need a break from life, don't judge that. May be the best way to spend it at that time from a psychological basis.
> 
> ...


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 5, 2007)

*I will always tip and could never expect services without leaving one.*

This really is a matter of personal preference, but I always lean toward generosity.  I figure if a trip is costing us fees, airfare, meals out, and car rental, we are going to spend hundreds of dollars, if not into the thousands, on that one week, so what is another $20 for a maid?  It is not even 1% of our entire vacation budget, so I would just rather do it and feel better about helping that person who is changing our sheets and cleaning the bathrooms after us.  

If I felt that our budget was too tight to tip, why am I even taking that vacation? I should be paying bills with the cash and renting out my timeshare weeks at my home resort.  That is how I feel.  I am not pointing fingers at anyone here, so please do not take offense.  

Restaurants pay such a low hourly wage ($2.25 was the standard a few years ago and I doubt it has changed) to servers and they really get their work out of them during the slow times.  All of my kids were servers in high school and had horrible tasks of cleaning kitchen counters, mopping kitchen floors, cleaning toilets, vacuuming carpets, rolling silverware, washing menus, refilling table items like salt, etc.  They have you come in for a four-hour shift and only two hours are you really making the big money with the tips. They expect you to work during your down time, that's for sure.  Hopefully, everyone realizes tipping is a necessity and not an option for servers.  Our foster son, Kimeul, still works at Pappadeaux several evenings a week, along with his regular job as a 911 operator, and people think he is getting a better wage because the food is more costly.  Not true.  About one-in-four customers do not tip at all and his service is excellent.  I hate to see him treated that way, when he is trying to save for a house.


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## cindi (Feb 5, 2007)

chrisnwillie said:


> Well said John.
> 
> I am an owner of a company that is in the service industry. I am on the job and service both commercial and residential accounts. Years ago, my employees used to receive tips from customers after they performed the service. Today, tips are few and far between.
> 
> ...




How do you figure out who "your" maid is? I never see anyone when I check in and also never see anyone when I check out. I do leave a tip, but I have no idea who it is that is getting it.


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## Htoo0 (Feb 5, 2007)

My home resort used to have daily maid service and at least one day a week it was a different maid.  Sometimes this was on the day we were leaving. We leave a tip in the envelope but have wondered if they actually divide it fairly.  Hope so and I guess it's not really my problem but???


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## Smooth Air (Feb 5, 2007)

HtooO: I was wondeing about that too!


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## Cathy in Boston (Feb 6, 2007)

That is a definite concern with timeshares.  With hotels, though, the solution is simple.  I tip daily, $3-5.  That way, I know that whoever cleans the room that day is getting the tip.  (It also almost always results in more shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions and extra towels than I can possibly use!)


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## chrisnwillie (Feb 6, 2007)

cindi said:


> How do you figure out who "your" maid is? I never see anyone when I check in and also never see anyone when I check out. I do leave a tip, but I have no idea who it is that is getting it.



I make the effort to meet our maid in our timeshare. I do so because I want to give the tip before the week begins and also, we generally need more bathroom towels than we are given.


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## icydog (Feb 6, 2007)

littlestar said:


> On our trash and towel day at our Disney timeshare, we tip about $3.00 to $4.00.


 
I agree with the lady who doesn't tip for routine service. If someone brings me something, or tries to make my vacation more wonderful, I always tip. But to do routine trash and tidy services I don't tip. By the way, maybe the reason I don't tip is because I never accept the Trash and tidy service. It is more of a pain to have someone in than to clean the villa myself.


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## Andar (Feb 6, 2007)

What an eye opener to read different points of view. Question: How do you leave the tip?  Cash on counter? bathroom? pillow?  In Card? Envelope? Do you write "Maid" on it?  Seek them out to hand it to them personally?
Now I am curious.


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## Smooth Air (Feb 6, 2007)

I usually leave my tip on the bathroom counter or on the pillow with a Thank You note. But, last time I was in a hurry to get to the airport & I just left the money on the pillow. No envelope. No note. Afterward I thought that maybe that wasn't such a smart thing to do. Maybe the housekeeper thought that I had dropped the money by mistake. 
Others times, if I see the housekeeper, I will give her the tip & say "Thank you for all your help."


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## Smooth Air (Feb 6, 2007)

Oh! I address it "To Our Housekeeper"


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## Beverley (Feb 6, 2007)

Sometimes, I tip in money if someone does something special for us or goes out of their way... or a particularly good job... our tips are not lavish.  

However, what I do more, and feel it may go a little farther than a few dollars, is write a letter of compliment to the management specific to the person.  I find out the name of the employee (housekeeper, mantenance guy, concierge, etc) and write a letter.  

The MVCI website offers a "Way to Go" avenue to compliment an associate that does a particularly good job or goes out of their way.  When I return to my home resort, the employees there that got this type of compliment from me in the past seem to remember me well and treat me extra well.

Complements to the boss must be meaningful and sometimes can mean as much or more than money even to the person who works for lower regular wages.  

Beverley


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## Smooth Air (Feb 6, 2007)

Beverley: Thanks for telling us about that. I did not know that we had that! Great idea!


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## Cathy in Boston (Feb 7, 2007)

I always leave cash, with a note just saying "Thank you!"

Great suggestion from Beverley, too!!


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## littlestar (Feb 7, 2007)

Cathy in Boston said:


> I always leave cash, with a note just saying "Thank you!"
> 
> Great suggestion from Beverley, too!!



That's what we do. Our says to: housekeeping. Thank you. God Bless.


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