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Just wondering what the customary tip was for hotel housekeeping and bathroom attendants? I dont stay away too often nor encounter bathroom attendants on a regular basis. I like to tip for good service and don't want to offend by under tipping. For dinner I tip 15 to 20 percent depending on quality.
I hate the bathroom attendants. They take the paper towles out of the dispenser then try to get tips for handing it to you.Quote:
Originally Posted by junkinduck
Luckily I dont do the "club scene" any more and never see these guys.
Housekeeping.. Not more than a couple bucks each night. Helps keep them from stealing my stuff or stuffing my toothbrush into places it shouldnt go.
I agree on the BR attendants but we went to a restaurant while on vacation that had an attendant. Annoying but I guess a symbol of quality service?
Don
If they were after quality service they'd pay them enough so you didn't have to tip them. I just don't like people loitering in the bathroom. 15-20 seems generous, but then, service on the whole is bloody awful here. I've always left over 10%, but just recently have decided that if they don't do the job, they don't get anything. Judge your tip on what you believe is reasonable for your length of stay.Quote:
Originally Posted by junkinduck
US is different, 15%-20% tip at a restaurant is the norm here and it's expected.
I prefer not to disclose the establishments where I've encountered bathroom attendants...
The ONLY time I used a restroom in France, when I stopped there on a trip to England, I was completely weirded out by the FEMALE attendant in the restroom. I had no idea if I was supposed to tip her or not but it seemed rather odd to me to have a female attendant in the men's room.
BTW, I did not tip her as I did not have any interaction with her other than the uneasy interlude at the urinal when I noticed her watching me. I was able to wash my hands and leave without any assistance from her. I later surmised that I should have tipped her simply for keeping the restroom clean. Oh well, next time.
I grew up in restaurants 10% was the norm, anything above that is for exemplary service. Tips have gone up in recent years, but IMO its because staff now expects it of you and people are willing to give it. 10%Quote:
Originally Posted by gugi
should be the norm for good service.
In Europe, I always tipped the little old ladies outside the restrooms, because I know it must be a crappy job (pun most certainly intended) keeping those public bathrooms clean.
But hotels? I've never tipped the housekeeping staff...I didn't even know it was common practice till I was told by Japanese tourists.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Utopian
HAH! In Japan, the old ladies come in and clean around you while you're doing your business! I'm still not used to that. That, and the public bathrooms in parks are often just a roof over a wall of urinals...totally open to view. But that's a different story...
Quote:
Originally Posted by nun2sharp
I realize there are a lot of different thoughts on this, but it's worth mentioning that wait staff often get paid almost nothing by their employers, so their only chance to make money comes from the customers. Don't know how that was in the past - maybe the owners paid them more?
If you factor in the time a waiter/waitress spends with sidework beforehand and afterwards, you're looking at a 6-8 hour shift (for dinner, say), during which only maybe 3 hours are very productive in terms of tips. Since they aren't making the food themselves, they're also somewhat at the mercy of the kitchen staff in terms of food quality and timing. Also, most have to take turns working far less lucrative lunch shifts.
I could go on, but it's all been said before. After years of waiting tables in different kinds of restaurants myself, I usually tip around 20% if the service is adequate - sometimes more if I expect to come back in the future. Lack of attentiveness or a bad attitude are really the only two things that will always drop that rate in a hurry.
One other thing: some people make the argument that the owner of a food establishment should be the one paying his employees - not the customers. I can understand the argument, but after traveling in several countries where this is the norm, I can say that I've generally received much better service when the wait staff depends on tips.
I remember making a dollar an hour and thought I had something!
funny, I grew up around restaurants too, but by then it was customary 15%. I do 15-20%, even more if really great, especailly now with the kids knowing there is more mess. I have left as little as a penny for real crap service.
bathroom attendents, in the US which is the only place I've encountered them, irritate me to no end, I'd like to give every one of them a swirly. thanks for reminding me, my employer has these big all employee meetings at this one facility and they always have a men's restroom attendent when we're there. and just like you said, he takes the paper towels out and puts them on his little tray, with some other stuff.
I have been to a nice place before, with some nice rags that he was handing out, which means he was doing some serious laundry. still, I don't like them being in there. I'm emailing the planning committee for the staff day and telling them I'd like there not to be a bathroom attendent in there.
Red
any time I have seen bathroom attendants the restrooms were markedly cleaner than without. so I personally don't mind tipping an attendant if it means a decent and clean restroom.
I never stay in a hotel long enough to require the need of a cleaning or turning of the sheets. Therefore I ask the concierge to put a "no clean" notice on my room and I place a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. That being said, I don't tip. No help there, sorry.
I don't ever recall being in a restroom with an attendant.
Waitress and waiter I always start off with 20% tip. If the service is terrible and I cannot see that they are slammed, under staffed then I reduce the tip automatically to 10%. And, it gets lower as the service gets worse. However, if I received service that is above and beyond than I will tip much higher than 20% if the service calls for it.
Thinking of tips... I just got some credits for replying to this thread so I'm gonna spend it on BlackJack.
In Australia it is customary not to tip, no one doe,s it and no one exspects it. You get paid to do the job just like every one else. So when my son was in America he got a hell of a lot of scowlling looks when he didn,t tip. The only times he did tip when over there was when the service was well above what would have been exspected in the normal course of duties.
I've never tipped hotel staff either... never even heard of it. Maybe Bellmen and the like, but I never stay at that type of hotel. Nicest I've really stayed at is Embassy Suite type places.
Bathroom attendants are a joke, and I'm never quite sure what they expect.
Restaurants for average "good" service I go with 20%. for mediocre/acceptable it's 15% if it's bad, the tip drops off very quickly. Minimum is 2 pennies (2 cents worth). Don't want the server to think you simply forgot!
I have tipped as much as something like 200% but that was a 3rd shift waitress who wasn't on hourly payroll yet (management couldn't be bothered), and was getting harrassed all night while trying to do her job properly. I usually go with a larger tip for 3rd shift wait staff knowing that they have a lot less income potential than 2nd shift people.