Do you strip the bed? Do you tip cleaning staff?

[clifffaith]

This subject came up on the Worldmark Facebook page. Would never in a million years have occurred to us to strip the bed when leaving a timeshare. We start the dishwasher and take the trash out (as long as it isn't a major hike to the big trash bins). We toss dirty towels in the bathtub. That's it. And tipping? At Worldmarks in particular there is no such thing as a midweek tidy, so it would never occur to us to tip like we do on the rare occasion we stay in a hotel where we are getting daily (if we allow them in) service. Cliff got jumped on and snidely asked if he tipped in restaurants when he indicated he wouldn't tip the cleaning folks at a Worldmark timeshare.

 

[NHTraveler]

This subject came up on the Worldmark Facebook page. Would never in a million years have occurred to us to strip the bed when leaving a timeshare. We start the dishwasher and take the trash out (as long as it isn't a major hike to the big trash bins). We toss dirty towels in the bathtub. That's it. And tipping? At Worldmarks in particular there is no such thing as a midweek tidy, so it would never occur to us to tip like we do on the rare occasion we stay in a hotel where we are getting daily (if we allow them in) service. Cliff got jumped on and snidely asked if he tipped in restaurants when he indicated he wouldn't tip the cleaning folks at a Worldmark timeshare.

We tip the same whether it is daily service, mid-week service of none at all. Someone has to go in the unit to clean it up once we leave.

 

[DeniseM]

Most timeshares have an info. sheet, or binder, that lists the check-out procedures, and we do whatever it asks.

We tip $20 per week, and when possible, I hand the housekeeper the tip to be sure she gets it.

We are neat people so we never leave a mess, but I feel like housekeeping works very hard, for little pay, and I like to tip them, simply because I can.

 

[Passepartout]

We don't strip beds, but do follow the check out instructions- if provided. Usually, that's start dishwasher, towels in tub. Take out trash. We tip $20/week.

Jim

 

[am1]

Most timeshares have an info. sheet, or binder, that lists the check-out procedures, and we do whatever it asks.

We tip $20 per week, and when possible, I hand the housekeeper the tip to be sure she gets it.

We are neat people so we never leave a mess, but I feel like housekeeping works very hard, for little pay, and I like to tip them, simply because I can.

That is very generous. I try to tip well as well. I figure a lot of people do not bother to tip at all. So even with generous tippers they still make very little.

Will peoples tipping habits change when wages go to $12 - $15 an hour?

My kids are messy and what I (my wife) find annoying is that there are no cleaning supplies in the room. It is not easy to clean up after two 3 year olds with what is provided.

 

[VacationForever]

Strip bed no, start dishes yes, take trash out or at minimum pick up everything that ought to be thrown away and put into trash, tip yes.

 

[slip]

We always check for instructions. We have only been to one resort that asked for the beds to be stripped. We do the dishes and take out the garbage and towels are put in a pile or in the basket provided. We tip $25 a week and we try to give it to the housekeepers but sometimes we leave it in the unit. Our home resort has envelopes in the unit for housekeepering tips.

 

[MabelP]

We leave the unit in great shape and tip $20.

 

[bnoble]

We don't strip the beds, but we don't leave trash strewn about. We do tip---usually $10 per bedroom, plus a little if the kitchen saw significant use.

I don't really care what the underlying wage is. The person who cleans my toilets is welcome to a little something extra.

 

[VegasBella]

We are neat people so we never leave a mess, but I feel like housekeeping works very hard, for little pay, and I like to tip them, simply because I can.

Same here.
I tip whatever I have on hand in smaller bills - usually at least $5

I have stripped beds but I know that's unusual. I would not expect normal people to do it. I do it sometimes because I actually worked as a motel housekeeper for a couple years when I was a teenager.

 

[MuranoJo]

Don't strip beds unless they require it. Try to keep things tidy--collect trash, clean up kitchen and start the dishwasher if there is one. If we have daily maid service as in MX, we tip on a daily basis, normally ~$5 a unit. If we only have service end of week, we'd leave closer to $20 as others do.

 

[vacationtime1]

We put the dishes in the dishwasher and turn it on.

Towels in tub. Linens remain on bed.

We leave $15 - $30 depending on size of our unit.

 

[Pompey Family]

We strip the beds, it just makes things a bit easier for them.

We don't tip though. Housekeeping staff receive a wage, they're already paid for cleaning my room. No-one has ever tipped me for doing my job.

 

[easyrider]

Oddly, we kind of strip the bed when we check in where ever we go, to check for the what-ever's. We have found some pretty gross items including bed bugs.

We do tip maids at the timeshares but not at motels and vrob type rentals. We tip more in Mexico and less in the USA.

Bill

 

[chellej]

We follow instructions and usually do not tip.....I expect a clean room. If we get exceptional service, for instance in Mexico we had daily maid service and the maid left a fresh flower and made sure all the supplied items were replenished, we tipped $3-4/day

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I generally don't tip in the USA, but do tip consistently and generously when traveling in countries where that is expected. That's based on my perceptions of cultural norms.

After my second or third visit in Latin America, spending time observing in some less-touristy locales, it suddenly dawned on me that tipping for services provided was a form of income distribution. If you are wealthy (and in most countries any visiting Norte Americano is almost assuredly wealthy by local standards) it is expected that you will receive services from other members and will tip for those services.

Shining shoes, for example. My perception is that wearing leather shoes, marks a person as wealthy. And culturally, if a person can afford to wear leather shoes, as a matter of personal pride that person will want the shoes to be clean - if not, what is the point in wearing leather shoes? Going around with dirty leather shoes is comparable to walking around with mustard and ketchup stains on a white shirt. So if you visit the mercados, there will often be dedicated shoe shine stands. And in many areas there will be ubiquitous niños pobres in the parques and plazas, begging to shine shoes. In any case, there will be the expecation to tip for services provided. If someone can afford to wear leather shoes, that person should be able to tip.

Or, consider the restroom? There will often be a person who is handing out towels or providing other minor services. There is an expectation of a tip for the service provided.

Since the government in most of these states doesn't provide welfare, the burden of providing subsistence falls back to those who are wealthy. And while I don't think of myself as wealthy in the US, once I venture outside the US that picture changes. And I adjust my behavior accordingly, trying to adapt my behavior to the locale where I am, and not expecting the local culture to adapt to my customs. To gringos, it seems as if there is always someone with a handout, expecting to be paid for some trivia activity. But in the prism of local norms, that might not be the case at all.

That's how I see it, and I said my piece. You can agree, disagree, or find some space in between. Each of us needs to find the spot where we are comfortable, and be content there.

 

[Teresa]

I don't tip maids/cleaners

I don't tip for maid service (unless it's out of the ordinary clean) as I own a vacation rental and I pay $75 for each cleaning after a guest is gone. It takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours for a typical clean for our 2/2 but may take more if guests were 'less than neat'. I do give instructions on what the guests should do (put trash in trash chute, put used towels in bathtub or kitchen sink, etc.). I used to have people strip beds (I called it the sheet shake) mostly so they didn't leave anything in/on the bed when they left. My cleaner has asked me to have them NOT do that as it messes up her system a bit so I stopped asking them to do that (some people do it anyway). I also ask them to wash and put dishes, pans, etc. away but if they can't do that, at least put them in the dishwasher and start it. If they do it that way, I suggest that they leave a few bucks on the counter for the cleaner to put them away (have no clue if people do this).

So -- at $75 for 2 hours; that's a decent wage. I'm going to suggest that you check your financial report that comes out when you get your annual bill and see what your resort has put aside for 'cleaning'. If the cleaners are not getting at least half in their paychecks of what is charged (the rest being payroll taxes, benefits, etc.) then your management company is profiting yet again. And off the backs of the maids/cleaners. Hmmmmmm. Probably 80% (or more) of the companies do it. That's on top of their management fee. We had a management company at our year round place that was charging owners about $50-70 for a clean (years ago) and was paying $10-12/hour for the cleaners. Absurd.

Management companies rely on people leaving tips so they don't have to pay their cleaners a reasonable wage. It's a spiral. They can't get anyone to clean because the wages are so low so they take 'anyone' who doesn't do a good job. No one wants to leave a tip for THAT! Resort goes down in ratings. Management cries the blues.

A clean condo/unit is the first line of ratings. Management should pay accordingly. Tipping only let's them continue to do what they do.

 

[Big Matt]

We don't strip the beds. We do put towels in the tub/shower, throw out the trash, and tip $20 for a weekly 2BR stay.

We also leave non-perishable food and alcohol on the counter with a note. When I'm flying back and can't bring stuff back, I feel better about leaving it for the housekeeping staff instead of throwing it away. They do keep this stuff.

 

[csxjohn]

We also do what the check out instructions say to do. In the past some have asked to strip beds so we do that. Dishes are clean before we leave so no, we do not start dishwasher.

Mid week cleans we leave $5. At check out we leave $10 for a 1br and $20 for a two if we use both bedrooms and both bath. Sometimes we get a 2br but stay out of the second Br and second bath so tip as a 1br.

 

[geekette]

Will peoples tipping habits change when wages go to $12 - $15 an hour?

Only for those already in the habit of inquiring as to what hourly wage hk gets currently.

For me, it doesn't matter. I never base a gratuity on what I assume a person's wage to be as it's immaterial to the service I receive. I don't decrease my tip in a restaurant because it seems busy that night, and don't increase it when we're the only table.

A tip is isolated to the facts of service to me, not any kind of larger framework or varying parameters to logic through.

 

[geekette]

I follow check out procedures at a minimum and may do more. I tip if we create extra work or if we have asked for and received anything special, so normally not.

 

[WinniWoman]

Always did for many years at the request of the resort and left the sheets and towels by the door for quick pick-up by housekeeping staff; but then the resort reversed itself and made a point of putting it in writing for us not to strip the beds on check-out. That be Smuggs. I never leave a tip there as there is no services during the week.

However, at Pollard Brook- we also do not strip the beds- but we do leave a tip because the staff stops by several times a week to change out towels and throw garbage and also changes the sheets and cleans mid-week. Asks if we need anything, etc. Usually give $20.

Both resorts request the dishwasher be run upon leaving, which we always oblige, as well as garbage thrown and towels in the tub.

I am a clean freak anyway. I am usually wiping things down during the week, sweeping the floors, etc. I joke that often I leave the place almost in better shape then when we left! I am right on top of the maintenance issues and will call for every little thing to be fixed.

For example- somehow there was bird poop on two lampshades in the living room this past June. I assumed when they put the new carpeting down that they might have had the balcony door open and a bird flew in (both lampshades are near the balcony door). They immediately came up with 2 new lampshades. I am not sure that other owners/.exchanger/renters would bother calling about things like this. Heck- I will call if a bulb is out, wasps on the balcony, water stains on the ceiling- whatever. I treat the place like my home.

 

[rapmarks]

do you tip the guy that comes out to change the lightbulb, replace things, etc?
I have been reading a lot about people stripping the beds to ensure the sheets are changed for the next guest. Gross as that may sound, there is a lot of evidence that sheets have not been changed between check out and check in.
I tip if anyone comes in for any reason, but I have stopped tipping at end of week. My resort charges a $90 cleaning fee for each reservation, I feel that is enough.

 

[easyrider]

do you tip the guy that comes out to change the lightbulb, replace things, etc?
I have been reading a lot about people stripping the beds to ensure the sheets are changed for the next guest. Gross as that may sound, there is a lot of evidence that sheets have not been changed between check out and check in.
I tip if anyone comes in for any reason, but I have stopped tipping at end of week. My resort charges a $90 cleaning fee for each reservation, I feel that is enough.

Yes, we have found dirty sheets more than a few times at motels, most recently it was a nice major brand chain with hair and makeup on the linens.

We have found bedbugs twice. They are easy to see near the top of the bed.

The worst things we found in motel beds were blood on the mattress pad and an empty syringe tucked in between the mattress. So far, the timeshares have been very clean, especially our timeshares in Mexico and our Worldmark.

Bill

 

[SandyPGravel]

Most timeshares have an info. sheet, or binder, that lists the check-out procedures, and we do whatever it asks.

We tip $20 per week, and when possible, I hand the housekeeper the tip to be sure she gets it.

We are neat people so we never leave a mess, but I feel like housekeeping works very hard, for little pay, and I like to tip them, simply because I can.

I have only stayed in VSE timeshares and I never knew there was a checkout expectation sheet. I will have to look for it.

I worked as a hotel maid when I was a teenager, so I think I leave the unit pretty cleaned up. (I wish they all had recycle bins as well.) I have trained DH to do the same. Until you have to clean up after total slobs you have no appretiation for the job.

At $2300/unit/wk for maintenance fees, they should pay the housekeeping/grounds crew/maintenance staff a livable wage.