Tipping TS Housekeeping

[am1]

After a Hyatt Coconut Plantation owner's meeting, we spoke to the housekeeping supervisor who had been present. Like many on this thread, we want to tip but since the housekeepers who come daily to empty trash and bring fresh towels, or do a full cleaning on Wednesdays, are several different people, we were not sure how to do this fairly. He said that the staff share tips and that our best way to tip is to put what we want to leave (for us, $ 20 per week) in an envelope and give it to the front desk with his name on it and it will be placed in the common pot. So that's what we do.
It has been interesting to read about many owners' tip or no tip philosophy. We do not judge others decisions, but both having grown up experiencing low paying physically demanding jobs at some time in our teens and twenties and now having the income allowing us to spend some winter weeks relaxing in Florida, we wish to give a bit back to thank those doing that sort of work. For us, it seems the right thing to do.

If he starts driving a sports car to work you know why.

 

[WinniWoman]

This is a good discussion. I think the only person I tip all the time is the porter that brings up our luggage. Usually $10 for a full cart. I tip once in awhile for the person that brings up extra toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap etc. but the problem with that is we usually start with only a roll or two of each. Hard to get through the week with 4 girls with me in a two bedroom.
I ask to stock me up once but they only bring up what they say is allowed.
As far as the maid, that I of course never see until check out morning. I hate to say I never tip.
That’s what housekeeping credits are for.....we also never leave a mess. All garage is taken out, towels in one spot, dishes in dishwasher etc. I have a hard time tipping housekeeping when I never see them for any service except for walking into a clean room.
I’ve tipped out many times the girl that gives me my “ update” gift money. she gets 10$ To buy lunch. Tipped the check in guy when needed for a extra parking pass $20 for a week.
But housekeeping no. Sorry

Aren't these resorts so cheap with the toilet paper? I always complain about that. As soon as I get to the unit I call for more. I also bring more with me just in case.

 

[itchyfeet]

We have and always will tip housekeepers, even if staying at a property where we pay maintenance fees. If we receive daily housekeeping, we tip $3-$5, depending on the size of the unit, and leave extra on checkout day for the extra cleaning. If there is no daily service, we tip $25 per week. I also like to leave the housekeeper a little treat. When in Mexico, I left Hershey kisses every day and the housekeeper was delighted. She told me she took them home to her children--then I left more so they could all have some. If the day comes that we cannot afford $50-$75 for tips, we will not travel.

 

[pianoetudes]

We have and always will tip housekeepers, even if staying at a property where we pay maintenance fees. If we receive daily housekeeping, we tip $3-$5, depending on the size of the unit, and leave extra on checkout day for the extra cleaning. If there is no daily service, we tip $25 per week. I also like to leave the housekeeper a little treat. When in Mexico, I left Hershey kisses every day and the housekeeper was delighted. She told me she took them home to her children--then I left more so they could all have some. If the day comes that we cannot afford $50-$75 for tips, we will not travel.

Interesting. My TS resorts in Mexico have daily turn down service that the housekeeping puts Hershey kisses chocolates on the bed. More kisses are given if we tip them.

Sent from my HTC U11 life using Tapatalk

 

[itchyfeet]

Oh no! They're giving my kisses away! We stay at Villa del Palmar Flamingos. Where is your resort?

 

[jbondoux]

We like to leave a good tip for the housekeeping staff. We are careful, though - one stay at a very high-end resort with daily full maid service with a very attentive housekeeper led us to plan a significant tip. She asked that we hide it in an envelope buried under the cutlery in a kitchen drawer, as the floor supervisor apparently had a habit of getting to the units as soon as they were vacated and secretly pocketing any tips left behind...FWIW

 

[klpca]

We like to leave a good tip for the housekeeping staff. We are careful, though - one stay at a very high-end resort with daily full maid service with a very attentive housekeeper led us to plan a significant tip. She asked that we hide it in an envelope buried under the cutlery in a kitchen drawer, as the floor supervisor apparently had a habit of getting to the units as soon as they were vacated and secretly pocketing any tips left behind...FWIW

Wow. There's always someone who ruins everything. I'm glad that your housekeeper told you about that.

 

[Resort Guy]

As a timeshare resort Manager I'd like to add my two cents. I never tipped housekeepers until I saw the behind the scenes issues that many housekeepers have to deal with. First, many management companies and board members fail to compensate these people adequately as they are low on the resort hierarchy and often out of sight to those who make the decisions. When budgets have to be tightened it's usually the people who make the resort tick that bear the brunt. Housekeeping is one of the most vital and most often overlooked aspects of a great vacation and these often under paid people can have one of the most significant impacts on your guest experience. A million dollar view loses its luster if the windows have finger prints, the place smells, and the dishes aren't clean. Sure, cleanliness should be a given, but if you could see the way people treat your resort (owners and guests alike) you would be appalled. Feces, vomit, disrespect, intentional damage, drunkenness are all regular occurrences. Many will respond to this with "well, that's what a damage deposit is for", but that doesn't help when the next guest is due to arrive in a mere few hours.

To answer the question. I tip $20 for a week. I love to see my housekeepers get tips because it shows in a tangible way that what were doing is succeeding. Today I high fived a housekeeper who got a $45 tip. Most importantly, I also clean up my mess before I check out and I make sure I leave the unit in good condition where the housekeepers can do their job quickly. I

 

[LannyPC]

First, many management companies and board members fail to compensate these people adequately as they are low on the resort hierarchy and often out of sight to those who make the decisions. When budgets have to be tightened it's usually the people who make the resort tick that bear the brunt. Housekeeping is one of the most vital and most often overlooked aspects of a great vacation and these often under paid people can have one of the most significant impacts on your guest experience.

Again, that's my concern. With such MFs spiraling out of control upward, why can't there be enough in there to pay the housekeeping staff a decent living wage without them having to rely on tips for a decent wage?

 

[Resort Guy]

In my experience there's just no desire on behalf of the BOD to provide a decent wage. They've never met a housekeeper or much of the staff so they have no empathy. A housekeeper to most of them is just another tool that can be replaced with a whim. Their desire is to keep more money in their pockets. Period. They don't have to personally deal with hiring, firing, constant turnover, personnel issues, or guest complaints so those responsibilities fall on the managers shoulders while they judge success or failure by the total on a spreadsheet.

 

[shoeie]

Okay, the curmudgeon is checking in now.

I've never left a tip for housekeeping as essentially I didn't (and do not) see the need. I mean where does this end - should one tip for every service one receives? I just came from the grocery store - do I tip the cashier? The bagger? The guy pulling carts in from the lot? At the resort, do I tip the check in staff? Activites staff?

IMO, it is up to the establishment to pay the wages it needs to attract and retain suitable talent. The establishment's performance (which includes all of its employees / associates) influences whether or not I am likely to return again in the future. In a hotel or timeshare, I'm already paying a considerable amount of money to be there, the resort (or hotel) needs to pay its employees / associate suitable wages.

This article looks like a covert effort to transfer more costs from the resort / hotel to the consumer.
Pass.

I take a split view on this, if housekeeping is included, then I do tip. But, at many TS resorts you have to pay for anything more than a mid-week "tidy." So if I'm already paying the resort, then I tend to have the same opinion as above. I paid for the service directly to the hotel, so I'm not inclined to tip on top of what is (typically) a pretty exorbitant housekeeping fee.

 

[itchyfeet]

Thank you for your comments Resort Guy. Exactly why we always tip even though we leave our unit in very good condition.

 

[Passepartout]

In my experience there's just no desire on behalf of the BOD to provide a decent wage. They've never met a housekeeper or much of the staff so they have no empathy. A housekeeper to most of them is just another tool that can be replaced with a whim. Their desire is to keep more money in their pockets. Period. They don't have to personally deal with hiring, firing, constant turnover, personnel issues, or guest complaints so those responsibilities fall on the managers shoulders while they judge success or failure by the total on a spreadsheet.

This may be (and probably IS) true when applied to the corporate- owned TSs like Wyndham, Marriott, HGVC ones. The ones I don't own. But the independent TSs- like those associated with VRI, TPI, who are 'mature' and not in active sales and the BOD are owners, like you and me. Sure, they try to hold costs (and MFs) down- and wages are about the easiest way to do that. There isn't much that can be done to reduce utilities, and the biggest expense on many financial statements- at least mine- is BAD DEBT. That's other owners who want OUT and are willing to default, and risk legal expenses to do it. They cost us all, and FAR MORE than paying housekeepers. There is no easy answer. You can't shame people who have no intention of returning to a resort into paying MFs that are in arrears. Offering to take deeds back for a year or two's MFs and hiring a sales weasel to sell the deed backs to people who want the weeks and will pay MFs might help by giving an 'out' to aging owners.

But that is not what this thread is about. I tip, and feel good about it. Do what you want.

Jim

 

[MikeM132]

I'm also in the 20/week group. I tip on the nightstand when I check out. I don't usually get any service during the week unless it is not at a Marriott.
I'm not sure who actually gets the tip, but figure it all works out eventually. I have noticed the good Karma of tipping in hotels, motels and t/s has slowed down my hair loss.

 

[MikeM132]

???This post showed up 4 times in my browser.

 

[SPG900NY]

All this is fine and dandy - more power to y'all - but I'd be curious if the two of you would answer my previous (sort of) question. Having just come from the grocery store, do you tip the cashier, the cart pusher, the counter clerk at the deli? Where does the idea of tipping begin / end? Each of the individuals I just mentioned are also providing you a service aren't they?

Edit: FWIW, let me say that I am asking these questions inquisitively, not from the standpoint that there is a right / wrong here....

I will take your question as an inquisitive one, so please don't get defensive if I try to explain my point of view since you asked an open question.

I think there are some industries where tipping is an established "norm." I live in the Northeast, and everywhere I've lived, I don't know anyone who tips the cashier in our area. I don't know anyone who tips the cart pusher. I don't know anyone who tips the clerk at the deli. Maybe it's different in other areas of the country.

Some service jobs it's kind of up in the air. If someone washes your hair and someone else cuts your hair, you tip both (usually the washer less). If the owner of a salon does your hair, I think tip is optional, but recommended. I tip the mailman $40 every xmas, along with the people who collect my garbage, and the person who brings my bottled water all year. I'm sure some don't. The mailman deals with all my Amazon packages and occasional neighbors parking in front of my mailbox and brings the mail to the door, always with a smile. The garbage collectors have a tough job and if I can say thank you this way once a year, I do. The bottled water guy lugs the heavy bottles up our walkway to our stoop, sometimes in the snow and rain.

Then there are some industries where you ALWAYS tip, that it doesn't even seem to be up for debate. Housekeeping and waitstaff are on that list as far as I'm concerned, and yes, I see the line for "housekeeping" in my itemized MF every year, and no, for me that doesn't justify not leaving a tip.

I don't tip the activities staff or the checkin staff, and have never seen anyone do either. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

The way I see it, I own a timeshare. I can afford to be on vacation. It doesn't hurt me at all to leave a $20/week. We get no mid-week refresh at our home resort. Housekeeping preps the unit before a visit, and that's it. We don't see them again until checkout.

Sometimes my wife, son, and I get two adjoining units just to have more space and we'll leave $40. Even though we strip the beds and put the dirty linens and towels all in one place, we take out the trash, and we put any leftover dirty dishes in the dishwasher and run it, we still tip, and hope that whoever is cleaning up after us gets a pleasant surprise that hopefully there isn't too much work to do in our unit. They have a hard job. I want to make it easier on them so they don't have to clean up our messes. Tipping is our way of saying we appreciate all the hard work you did to make our unit clean, change the sheets for us before we arrived, etc. Really, it's not an imposition, and as I said before, this is one of those industries where everyone just agrees that you tip. It's not really up for debate as far as I can tell.

But of course, I worked in the food industry when I was young and I know how hard people in low-wage jobs work for their pay, and things are getting more expensive all the time.

I think I'll tip $40 a room this year as well since now I know some don't tip. I thought everyone tipped at least *something*.

 

[barrey]

- do I tip the cashier? The bagger? The guy pulling carts in from the lot? At the resort, do I tip the check in staff? Activities staff?

I don't tip cashiers at a Grocery store. I would tip the Courtesy Clerk (bagger) if they carry stuff out to my car.
At the sandwich deli I frequent near home, I do tip the sandwich maker, who now remembers what I like on my sandwiches.

I only tip resort check-in staff if they provide a service above and beyond the norm, such as a view upgrade, etc.
I generally DO tip activities staff at a resort if I think they have done a good job for me and my family.

I tip housekeeping about $20 a week where there's daily service and $10 if it's just a once a week deal. I usually try to hand it to them directly.
If we need an extra "something" (pillow, blanket, dish soap, you know) and someone delivers it without us having to call back, I tip a couple bucks.

 

[normab]

Interesting topic.

We tip $15 for a smaller unit and $20 for a 2 bedroom. We've only had a 3 bedroom 3 times, and when there were just two of us we left $20 because we didn't use 2/3 of the unit. When there were 4 of us we left $30. I must state we also clean up and don't leave a mess. My parents owned a summer beach motel when I was growing up and I have seen how messy, seriously grossly, people can leave a unit. I know that it can take an hour longer to clean a messy stovetop (think burnt on food) and fridge (think crumbs, syrupy spills) vs a relatively clean one that just needs a wipe down.... So I choose to tidy/clean up the night before checkout as I am packing and I think that is appreciated in itself!!!

We tend to always tip at timeshares always but less at hotels now, unless I can give it directly to a hotel HK staff near the room. At timeshares I generally see the people who clean the room coming by so I know they get it. I make this commentary because a couple of years ago we had left a tip for housekeeping at a Marriott brand family hotel (as we always did), and I had to run back to the room 5 minutes after checking out to get something I had forgotten. I saw the head housekeeper, clipboard in hand,coming out of the room as I was at the far end of the hall. I went in the room and noted the tip was gone. Sadly, I cannot assume she shared it with the staff. She could have left it there.

So when at hotels, and I see the HK staff by our hotel room, I hand them a tip directly or don't leave one at all.

 

[Talent312]

At the sandwich deli I frequent near home, I do tip the sandwich maker, who now remembers what I like on my sandwiches.

My pharmacist doesn't ask me my name any more, instead he says:
"We have your refills ready, Mr. B. How's retirement?" -- even though I don't tip him.

.

 

[VacationForever]

My pharmacist doesn't ask me my name any more, instead he says:
"We have your refills ready, Mr. B. How's retirement?" -- even though I don't tip him.

.

We have lunch almost everyday at this breakfast and lunch place and on our way back, we drop by CVS whenever we have a prescription ready for pick up. Almost everytime we end up having a couple of delicious Udis muffins still sealed in their individually wrapped plastic as they are part of the meal and we don't eat them as we limit our calorie intake. We give away our muffins to our favorite CVS pharmacy staff. One girl in particular does not ever get a muffin from us.

 

[Pompey Family]

My local barman used to know what I drank and would pour me one before I'd reached the bar. I never gave him a tip, nor have I ever given a tip to any barstaff in the UK. He knew what I drank because I was a regular not because of any extra money I gave him.

I wonder if those who tip housekeeping give any consideration to tipping the maintenance staff who work around the clock behind the scenes to ensure that their room and resort is running perfectly, just as hard work as housekeeping and more important in my opinion.

It's all so terribly inconsistent and I'm glad we don't have such a tipping culture here in the UK and Europe.

 

[SandyPGravel]

My local barman used to know what I drank and would pour me one before I'd reached the bar. I never gave him a tip, nor have I ever given a tip to any barstaff in the UK. He knew what I drank because I was a regular not because of any extra money I gave him.

I wonder if those who tip housekeeping give any consideration to tipping the maintenance staff who work around the clock behind the scenes to ensure that their room and resort is running perfectly, just as hard work as housekeeping and more important in my opinion.

As the wife of a "maintenance" type worker and being a former housekeeper(my first job at age 15) the wage discrepancies between those two job categories are astronomical. Housekeeping makes min wage, maintenance makes exponentially more.

It's all so terribly inconsistent and I'm glad we don't have such a tipping culture here in the UK and Europe.

I agree life would be easier if wages made tips unnecessary, but until that happens...

 

[Passepartout]

It's all so terribly inconsistent and I'm glad we don't have such a tipping culture here in the UK and Europe.

I made a similar comment waaaay back in post 11. But it is what it is, and stiffing service workers won't help to change the culture. Like in so many things, 'The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave' has it's own rules.

Jim

 

[bobpark56]

I have left tips on the pillow in Spain, only to have them refused. My understanding now is that in most parts of Europe (and perhaps the UK) workers are paid a decent wage, and there is no expectation of receiving a tip...except perhaps when rounding up a bill at a restaurant. I still do tip a bit if the person had been more than usually helpful.

 

[rapmarks]

I just read a post on the Wisconsin dells Facebook page, a young girl, living temporarily in a homeless shelter, asking for a room for rent. Her job is as a hostess in a dells restaurant. Making 6.50 an hour and some shared tips.

 

[Panina]

I did what I said I would. I tipped $25 for the week instead of $20.

I was at Blue Ridge Village and the unit was very clean. I was hobbling around with my sprained ankle without socks and my bandage and feet stood clean.

This week was a trade but I also own a week. My new thought is tip the cleaners well so they stay because they are happy. I could not find one thing wrong in the unit. Of course, all my previous reasons for tipping I still believe.

What I did do is put the note on the bed with the tip so not noticeable to someone walking in prior to the cleaner. I got that good tip in this thread.