Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - The Evolving Etiquette Around Tipping
Tipping etiquette in the hospitality industry, especially at hotels, has undergone some significant changes in recent years. With the rise of the gig economy and increasing use of technology, both guests and employees have needed to adapt when it comes to gratuities. Understanding the evolving norms can help travelers avoid awkward situations and show appropriate appreciation.
Perhaps the most noticeable shift has been the proliferation of tipping prompts at checkout and on in-room tablets. Whereas tips were once more at the discretion of guests, hotels now actively encourage gratuities by providing buttons to addpreset percentages to bills. Some see this as helpful guidance, while others find it intrusive. It's a fine line between enabling appreciation and demanding extra payment. The consensus seems to be that these defaults are appropriate if reasonable, usually 15-20%, but guests shouldn't feel pressured to tip a certain amount.
Tipping culture has also been impacted by the decline of cash. With fewer people carrying bills, guests have turned to credit card tips, app-based tipping, and even Venmo or PayPal for hotel staff. But cash is still customary, especially for concierges, bellhops, and housekeeping. When cash isn't an option, it's best to ask staff how they prefer to receive tips. Digital tipping can work but should be discreet.
Additionally, hotel staffing structures have led to some confusion around who should be tipped. With more blended roles, it's not always clear if certain employees are allowed to accept gratuities. Some hotels prohibit tips for managers or anyone in a supervisory role. Others forbid tips at the front desk. Guests need to quietly inquire about policies to avoid putting employees in an awkward position. Err on the side of discretion when unsure.
Lastly, tipping norms vary greatly between budget hotels and upscale resorts. A few dollars per bag or night is standard at mid-range chains, while high-end properties suggest tips from $5-20 depending on the service. At smaller independent hotels, tips are appreciated but not necessarily expected. Familiarizing yourself with the norm for a hotel's tier will ensure your tips are appropriate.
What else is in this post?
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - The Evolving Etiquette Around Tipping
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - To Tip or Not to Tip: Bellhops and Doormen
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Housekeeping Gratuities: How Much is Appropriate?
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tipping at Hotel Restaurants and Bars
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Should You Tip the Concierge?
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tip Jars at Hotel Lounges and Common Areas
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tipping During the Holidays and Special Occasions
- Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Modern Alternatives to Cash Tips
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - To Tip or Not to Tip: Bellhops and Doormen
When checking into a hotel, two of the first staff you'll encounter are bellhops and doormen. These front-of-house employees handle your luggage and guide you in and out of the property. Tipping them is customary, but how much is appropriate? The answer depends on the services rendered.
According to seasoned travelers, bellhops should receive $1-2 per bag, more if they deliver luggage to your room or explain the hotel's amenities. Estimating $1 per bag is an easy rule of thumb. Bellhops often work for tips alone, so skimping is frowned upon. For bellmen who go above and beyond with exemplary service, $5 or more is suitable. Hand this cash tip discreetly upon check-in or in-room delivery.
The standard tip for a helpful doorman is $1-2 every time they hail a cab, give directions, or hold open doors. Add $1-2 per bag when loading luggage into a car. Some visitors tip doormen $10 or more for securing hard-to-find theater tickets or restaurant reservations. Those special concierge services warrant higher tips. Otherwise, a couple dollars per interaction is sufficient.
When staying at an upscale hotel, increase tips to $5 per bag and $5-10 for special requests. Bellhops and doormen at luxury properties expect higher gratuities commensurate with nightly room rates. It's also nice to tip more during busy times, like holidays or bad weather.
If you're only passing through the lobby or don't require any luggage assistance, tipping is not mandatory. Bellhops and doormen appreciate tokens of appreciation but never demand payment. Use your best judgment based on services rendered.
Some argue door staff are already paid a living wage and shouldn't require gratuities. However, veterans insist paltry salaries necessitate tips. Since bellhops and doormen rely on volume, when in doubt, tip.
Other pros share tips at the end of a stay when service can be assessed as a whole. This avoids repeatedly tipping the same bellmen and doormen each time you come and go. As long as you tip reasonably for the duration of your visit, don't feel guilty minimizing daily gratuities.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Housekeeping Gratuities: How Much is Appropriate?
Tipping housekeepers is an essential part of any hotel stay. But deciding how much to tip can be confusing, especially when daily rates, expectations, and norms seem ambiguous. Through research and interviews with hotel staff and seasoned travelers, I’ve decoded appropriate gratuities based on room type and service quality.
At mid-range hotels like Courtyard, Hampton Inn, and Holiday Inn, the standard tip is $2-5 per night. Estimating $3-4 per room is a safe bet for solid service. However, one-time housekeeping for an extended stay warrants more - $5 on departure is suitable. For luxury brands like Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and Four Seasons, $5-10 per night is customary, even if amenities go untouched.
Of course, gratuities should correspond to work performed. Extra trash removal, responding to multiple requests, or cleaning significant messes deserve added appreciation - another $2-5 per instance is sufficient. Conversely, declining daily service due to a Do Not Disturb sign justifies lowering the tip. Housekeepers never demand payment, so guests can adjust tips according to labor.
When paying gratuities, cash left daily or on departure is best. Handing payment directly to housekeepers ensures they receive tips, unlike ledger tips that hotels may pocket. If cash isn’t possible, ask the front desk how to tip housekeepers appropriately. Some hotels now offer digital tipping on tablets or at checkout, although cash is still preferred.
Ultimately, tipping housekeepers is less about percentages and more about acknowledging their hard work. Maids often perform back-breaking, thankless labor for little pay. Generous gratuities can affirm their efforts. According to hotel staff, even small tips make a difference. Their salaries depend on the collective kindness of strangers.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tipping at Hotel Restaurants and Bars
Tipping at hotel restaurants and bars follows standards similar to other dining establishments, but also has some distinct considerations. According to seasoned travelers, sticking within the 15-20% tipping norm based on pre-tax totals is suitable for most hotel eateries. However, some nuances around gratuities deserve illumination.
One key factor is whether wait staff work directly for the hotel or operate as a leased vendor. Employees of hotel-run restaurants rely exclusively on tips as their wages, earning well below minimum hourly pay. Leased outlets like celebrity chef venues offer hourly wages so tips don’t comprise a server’s entire income, although they remain important. Knowing staff tip dependency helps gauge appropriate gratuities.
Additionally, the type of service impacts customary tips. Sit-down restaurants with full table service warrant tips around 18-20%. At hotel coffee shops and cafes with counter service, tips generally range from 15-20% depending on order complexity. Bartenders expect $1-2 per drink or 15-20% of the tab for cocktail service. Room service tips vary from $2-5 per delivery or 15-20% of the bill. Bellmen who deliver food often receive part of the gratuity.
Tipping guidelines also differ across hotel tiers. At budget chains, tips align with lower room rates - 15% suffices. Upscale hotels link tips to higher prices - 20% is standard. This reflects greater expectations and service levels. But fair tips ultimately reflect work performed, not hotel status.
With rising use of digital payments and in-room tablets, how guests tip now varies. Cash tips remain preferable and guarantee waiters receive gratuities. Added tip prompts at checkout also work. But regardless of method, expressing gratitude through reasonable tips boosts staff morale.
According to experts, the key is tipping consistently throughout a hotel stay. Singling out one restaurant visit rather than tipping every meal breeds staff resentment. Fair gratuities every time maintains goodwill. Thoughtful guests aim for harmony with service providers.
Of course, terrible service warrants lowering tips accordingly. But travelers suggest leaving at least something so employees learn without deprivation. Massive blow-ups help no one. Thoughtful, measured reductions to 10% express dissatisfaction while acknowledging human dignity.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Should You Tip the Concierge?
As the professional problem-solvers of the hotel world, concierges provide an invaluable service. They book reservations, secure hard-to-get tickets, arrange childcare, provide restaurant recommendations, and even satisfy quirky requests like finding locally-sourced honey for afternoon tea. With this kind of personal assistance, it’s no wonder that tipping dilemmas abound when it comes to concierges.
According to road warriors, how much you tip concierges depends entirely on the complexity of the task and the results achieved. If a concierge simply hands you a city map or gives basic directions, no tip is expected. However, if they score last-minute theater tickets or make dinner reservations at an exclusive venue, $10-20 is suitable. For exceptional efforts like arranging a proposal package or finding sold-out concert seats, $20-50 is reasonable.
The key is to tip in proportion to the time and connections required to fulfill your request. Small favors may warrant $5, involved arrangements $20 or more. And don’t forget to tip on top of fees concierges may charge for securing tickets. The buy-in isn’t the tip.
Of course, tipping shouldn’t feel like a requirement. One travel blogger explains, “I don’t tip out of obligation, but appreciation when a concierge knocks my socks off.” It’s about recognizing effort above the call of duty.
In terms of when to tip, discretion during exchanges is best to avoid awkardness. If not presented discreetly in-person, consider leaving tips in envelopes at the concierge desk to maintain privacy and build rapport.
However, many seasoned travelers argue concierges are simply doing their well-paid jobs and don’t require gratuities. As salaried employees, they aren’t dependent on tips like waiters. But according to one hospitality blogger, “I find that tips often mean the difference between a concierge giving you a business card and saying ‘call me directly if you need anything else’ versus just sending you on your way after completing just what you asked.” Goodwill goes a long way.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tip Jars at Hotel Lounges and Common Areas
Stroll through any hotel lobby, and you’re bound to see tip jars at the front desk, concierge stand, business center, and bell desk. Yet this form of gratuity generates more confusion than any other hotel tipping scenario. Should you toss in a few dollars just for using the lobby printer or asking the bellman to store your luggage? What if the concierge just pointed you towards the hotel restaurant? And what happens to those tips anyway? I’ve explored hotel tip jars through conversations with staff and veteran travelers to provide guidance.
According to hotel insiders, grab-and-go tip jars create ambiguity around appropriate gratuities. The openness of jars seems to demand payment for any interaction, even just passing through the lobby. But in reality, nothing is expected for standard service. Bellmen don’t need tips for one-off luggage storage between activities. You needn’t compensate the concierge for basic directions. Think of on-demand tips more as showing appreciation for above-average service, like arranging a restaurant reservation or hailing a cab in pouring rain. If you feel compelled to tip in a lounge or common area, $1-2 suffices. But it’s better to wait for opportunities to tip privately for specific help. Public tip jars can degrade meaningful experiences into monetary transactions.
What’s less apparent is what happens to those tips. Experts caution that openly pooled tips rarely get distributed fairly, especially in big hotels where dozens of workers interact with guests. Managers often redistribute the money disproportionately. That crumpled $5 bill you deposited as thanks for the bellman’s help may end up in the pocket of someone who never lifted a finger. Without clear attribution, tip jars basically fund hotel operations rather than reward individual efforts. This frustrates many travelers who want gratuities to go directly to those who helped them.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Tipping During the Holidays and Special Occasions
The holidays. Weddings. Birthdays. Special occasions warrant celebratory stays at hotels, whether for seasonal festivities, milestone events, or well-deserved vacations. But typical tipping guidelines get lost amid the revelry. Generous spirits prevail, flowing as freely as the champagne. With emotions running high, overtipping becomes the norm. However, how much holiday gratuity is appropriate? There’s an art to tipping befitting the occasion while avoiding unnecessary excess according to hoteliers.
Service workers admit that holiday tips far exceed everyday gratuities, sometimes by 100-200%. Guests feeling merry and bright bestow lavish cash gifts on bellmen, housekeepers, and wait staff from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. The highest holiday tips flow around Christmas when year-end cheer opens travelers’ purse strings. But the excess can breed entitlement that extends into January’s hangover, making travelers feel guilted into overtipping long after the tinsel gets taken down.
Hotels capitalize on this seasonal spirit by sending tipping reminders along with Thanksgiving turkeys or Christmas cookies presented to guests. It’s a not-so-subtle cue that it’s time to spread holiday generosity. But how much should you really tip above your normal gratuity? Workers suggest sticking within 150% of your everyday tip - a jump from $5 to $10 per day or $2 per bag to $5. Increase the percentage, not necessarily the amount.
Birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings also loosen wallets. Celebrants want to fete their good fortune by spreading tips around hotel staff. But again, moderation prevents awkward obligations. Stick within 50% of your normal tip if splurging for a special event - bumping up from $5 per day to $7 or $2 per bag to $3. A little extra shows you’re in a party mood without breaking your budget.
Tip Top in 2024: A Fresh Guide to Tipping at U.S. Hotels - Modern Alternatives to Cash Tips
The days of discreetly tucking a few dollar bills into your palm for hotel staff may be fading fast. With cashless payments becoming ubiquitous, tipping has had to evolve. Travel pros are ditching the Room Service envelopes made redundant by Zelle, Venmo, and lobby tablets prompting for tips at checkout. Wave goodbye to the awkward in-person exchange. But do these frictionless modern options capture the interpersonal essence of tipping?
Digital native guests embrace alternative gratuities as a seamless solution to a transactional chore. No more scrounging through your luggage for that last crumpled $5 to offer the chatty concierge who went above and beyond. Now you simply select 15% when paying via iPad after dinner or click an in-app “Leave Tip” button when your suitcases magically appear in your room. It takes two seconds and requires minimal forethought once your credit card is linked. Some travelers even schedule automatic tips at the start of each trip to eliminate hassle. Why carry cash when an app can handle it?
But while convenient, app-based tipping risks reducing meaningful human connections into anonymous clicks. Tipping through an intermediary app strips the immediacy, nuance and warmth from directly thanking someone for excellent work. And worse, it potentially skims off profits that should go to workers. Delivery services and hospitality apps don’t always transparently pass along tips, taking a cut instead. Well-intended generosity gets lost in the world of startups and fees.
Yet even for guests wary of Big Tech, cash presents its own problems. You never know if housekeepers receive their enveloped tips or if managers redistribute them first. Cash-free travelers worry the money essentially vanishes into the bureaucracy. And recipients may prefer digital tips to spare them trips to the ATM. The old-fashioned way seems inefficient compared to instant mobile transfers.
Of course, tech-averse travelers can still tip the old fashioned way. But it takes extra planning to hit the ATM before each trip in a cashless world. And you risk looking out-of-touch by sliding a bellhop a crumpled $5 like it’s 1975. Tipping cash can feel like more trouble than it’s worth.
There are compromises between cold efficiency and outdated cash. Direct bank transfers through Zelle let you instantly send funds to identified recipients, adding a personal touch missing from generic in-app tipping. Earmarking digital tips for individuals - “thanks to helpful concierge Jane for dinner recommendations” - also adds meaning. And handing someone a gift card activates human interaction while avoiding the cold exchange of cash. It shows you respect their time and effort.