To Tip or not to Tip

[mooseberry]

Some of you have little envelopes provided in the rooms for tips.
What do they say?
I have never thought of it, but it might be worth a try .
Do you you tip when in a B&B ? How do you determine the amount?
It is easy in a restaurant, but what is the going % in a B&B or hotel?

 

[Morticia]

My tip notes say we appreciate the guests' visit, etc and then that our housekeeper is very proud of her work and if the guest would like to leave a gratuity, which is appreciated but not expected, to please use this envelope.
We don't have anyone cleaning now so the whole thing about the housekeeper is left off the note and it's just a 'welcome' note.
I usually tip more at a B&B. Altho, quite frankly, the places I've been that had staff were not nearly as clean as the ones that were done by the owners.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I would tip for something special or above and beyond the standard expectation at a B&B.
In a restaurant I tip anyway even when they are crappy servers. I have to since we live in this town. UGH

 

[Innlover]

As I go through the day I think of more things to ask...I was so excited to see your opinions on tipping, because as a guest I always wondered what was appropriate and never knew how to get a straight answer!
Okay, so because we didn't know, our standard rule has been to leave approx. $5.00 a day (more if extra special, less if really poor), BUT, we leave it at the end of our stay and I always find out if there are different people who rotate cleaning our room so we can leave enough for them to share. I feel wierd though, like they think we are stiffing them if i see them before our last day...do they think we are stiffing them? Will they do a better or worse job? Those are the thoughts I have during my stay when I am supposed to be relaxing! Is it a different standard for hotels than B&BS?
I first found out that we should tip when I went to a resort to pick up a friend from a conference and he through a few bucks on the bed. I asked him about it and he explained. He said he usually leaves it on the nightstand. Whoa! That was an eye opener, especially cuz my dh tends to leave his spare cash and change on there if say, we are out at the pool or breakfast. How would housecleaning know when it is for them or not?

 

[EmptyNest]

I have never expected a tip and am just pleasantly surprised when one was left. We did not have staff. If we had staff, I would have an envelope that said "For Housekeeping" But i still don't feel it is necessary to tip in a B & B unless SOMEONE has really done something extraordinary.
Do you tip at hotels???? Usually I do not if it is just a one night stay? If I am on vacation and in the same place say for a week and I have talked to the housekeepers and see they have done a good job, then I will leave a tip.

 

[Innlover]

Well, like I said, I never knew it was an expectation until about three years ago when my friend did it and he acted like it was a common practice. So now I feel cheap if I don't, regardless of where I stay. It just feels wierd to me to leave money out and then it is gone. Plus, when it is more than one night i don't want to have to think about it and have the ready cash each day, that's why I do it before we leave, with a thank you note (even if it is just on a piece of paper.) Since then I have stayed in a few B&Bs that actually have an envelope marked for this purpose. By the way, I hate tipping as an expected practice. I thought it should be for above and beyond. But that is why, since i realize I may not be the best tipper, I want to make sure I do it right and be generous. Still don't know if I am or not!

 

[YellowSocks]

I rarely tip, but then, sometimes I do.
Dh is much better about it, especially at hotels. Not so much at B&B's.
We get tips once in a while... never expected and always a nice surprise.
If there was a "rate" I'd guess $5 to $15 per day, based on what we've gotten, but then we haven't gotten that many.
=)
Kk.

 

[YellowSocks]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others did as well. Is this a new forum?

:Welcome:
Fairly new...
Are you an innkeeper? Aspiring? B&B goer? B&B industry person? Either way, we're glad you're here!
=)
Kk.

 

[JBloggs]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?

 

[gillumhouse]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?.

Joe,
Welcome to the Forum. Looking forward to many conversations.

 

[Samster]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?.

Welcome, Joe!

At first I thought I was reading "Joe Muggs" which is a coffee shop in the Books A Million stores. haha!
I hope you enjoy the conversations here.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?.

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?

We have had many go around on this topic. I think it may be 50/50. Feel free to chime in on any topics, the more the merrier!

 

[egoodell]

I don't expect a tip. Rates here in Charlottesville are very high which is why. We get lots of people making a splurge for a special trip. We do get tips, especially for the tours which is more common.
If anyone asks about a tip, I honestly tell them that a review online would be more worth it to me than a monetary tip. There are lots of wonderful B&Bs here in town and that review helps us far more than money.
RIki

 

[Penelope]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?.

Welcome! Jump right in

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We will tip when we stay at bed and breakfast if there is something special. If the room is clean, which is expected we won't leave a gratuity, but will of course write a good review online for the owners.
I am glad I found this forum I was wondering if others left gratuities as well. Is this a new forum?.

Welcome, Joe!

At first I thought I was reading "Joe Muggs" which is a coffee shop in the Books A Million stores. haha!
I hope you enjoy the conversations here.
.

Welcome, Joe!

At first I thought I was reading "Joe Muggs" which is a coffee shop in the Books A Million stores. haha!
I hope you enjoy the conversations here.

We have a books-a-million near us.

I thought Joe Muggs at first too.

 

[Copperhead]

Welcome Joe, glad to have another on the forum.

Tips at hotels and B&B's in my opinion are for an extraordinary job. What sets this apart from a waitress or waiter is that tipping IS part of their salary. There is a lower min. wage scale for wait staff than any other workers in this country and they are being taxed on what the GOV is expecting them to have made per hour, including tips. In the accommodations industry, cleaning staff are paid on a regular scale.
I do not have staff, so if a tip is left I consider it a 'thank you' for everything we did for them, not just because the room was clean and tiddy each day. A couple of times I recall having a guest leave $3-5 on the bed each morning. The first day, I just thought that they just left it their by accident or was unaware that I come in to clean. I just laid it on the night stand. The next day there was double. I then made the connection.
For guests, I think the best rule of thumb is to leave the tip at the end of the stay, in the room with a note (is always nice). If you know or feel the work was done by more than one person, give it to the innkeeper and request that each person gets their fair share. If you want to pay daily and there is no tip envelope, make sure you leave a note so they know the money is for them. - my 2cents worth!

 

[seashanty]

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip.

 

[Morticia]

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip..

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip. If the housekeeper shows up after the guests have departed, the guests do not even know the housekeeper exists, they assume it's all us and leave nothing. I think we may have gotten around $10 in Sept, total. My 'tip note' no longer mentions the housekeeper and it is now just a 'welcome' note.

 

[stephanie]

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip..

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip. If the housekeeper shows up after the guests have departed, the guests do not even know the housekeeper exists, they assume it's all us and leave nothing. I think we may have gotten around $10 in Sept, total. My 'tip note' no longer mentions the housekeeper and it is now just a 'welcome' note.
.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip.

Inflatable housekeeper? Apron hanging outside the hall closet with a "Housekeeper" pin on it? Wig and a French accent?

 

[Morticia]

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip..

i use bree's wording on notes.
sometimes there is a tip, sometimes not. it's not for me, it's for the chambermaids. if they got $5 a day, they'd be flying!!! that seems super generous to me. if anything, they mostly get $2 or $3, occasionally $5. for someone who stayed 2 or 3 nites. i've been chambermaiding by myself lately and there is not usually a tip.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip. If the housekeeper shows up after the guests have departed, the guests do not even know the housekeeper exists, they assume it's all us and leave nothing. I think we may have gotten around $10 in Sept, total. My 'tip note' no longer mentions the housekeeper and it is now just a 'welcome' note.
.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip.

Inflatable housekeeper? Apron hanging outside the hall closet with a "Housekeeper" pin on it? Wig and a French accent?
.

I'll just throw in my observation again...if the guests SEE a housekeeper it is more likely there will be a tip.

Inflatable housekeeper? Apron hanging outside the hall closet with a "Housekeeper" pin on it? Wig and a French accent?

I bet the tips would be a LOT better with the latter...