Tipping in US hotels- help

[Ethros]

Basically I'm going to New York next week for a break, and I'm staying in a hotel. I've actually only ever stayed in a hotel once before (ever), and that was in Northern Ireland, which followed the typical British rule of "no tipping, pay for your room and that's it"


Americans on the other hand love their tips. So I'm just asking for some advice/help please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHi8P85augw
(I'm essentially someone who agrees with everything Mr Pink says. But if I'm in America I'll play the game as I don't wanna get chased down the street by some angry restaurant owner )



Who do I tip? Does the maid service come round every day? Do I have to leave tips for them?
I'm only gonna have a backpack and one luggage bag with me, I'd rather just carry it myself than have some bellboy do it for me and then demand money from me for 5 seconds work when he probably earns more than I do.

I know you tip the bartenders in bars and whatnot; I've been to the US before but a while ago. Is it like $1 a round/drink or something?


Any help would be much appreciated. Anythings I need to know.
I feel like I may get into some Curb Your Enthusiasm style moments

 

[Spot's Meow]

It depends on how nice the hotel is that you are staying at. If it is a super nice hotel then I would assume tipping is in order. But I never stay at those hotels so I wouldn't know. The middle to lower end hotels don't require any tipping. I always carry my own bags as well.

 

[StolenThunder]

I've never had a bellhop. When I stayed in a hotel I left a few dollars a day tip for the cleaner, and got a nice note at the end so I guess I went beyond the usual!

 

[Ethros]

Well it's The Wellington Hotel in New York if that helps

 

[SmoothieX]

At the big chains, I seldom tip. If it's a little mom and pop joint, I'll throw them a few bucks per day at the end of my stay. More if it's a B&B where they are cooking and coordinating activities around you.

At bars, a buck with the first drink and usually another at the end of the night for crowded places with impersonal service. If we have the bar mostly to ourselves and strike it up with the bartender, then more.

 

[RoJoHen]

I've never had a bellboy take my luggage. It's never even been offered. Chances are that won't come up unless you're staying at a really fancy hotel.

As for the maid, I would leave a few bucks on the dresser when you check out. Nothing too crazy.

 

[RoJoHen]

At bars, a buck with the first drink and usually another at the end of the night for crowded places with impersonal service. If we have the bar mostly to ourselves and strike it up with the bartender, then more.

Yikes. Remind me to never wait on you.

 

[gturner]

I've never tipped at a hotel under $100/night (which don't have bellboys), and don't really know of anyone who has. I sometimes abandon a few beers in the fridge for the maids to sort out.

In a sit-down restaurant the usual tip is 15 to 20%, except for kids and college students who never seem to tip.

 

[RoJoHen]

In a sit-down restaurant the usual tip is 15 to 20%, except for kids and college students who never seem to tip.

Which, frankly, is a sign of bad parenting. I've known how to tip since I was in elementary school!

 

[Scout101]

At bars, a buck with the first drink and usually another at the end of the night for crowded places with impersonal service. If we have the bar mostly to ourselves and strike it up with the bartender, then more.

Yikes. Remind me to never wait on you.

That's maybe a little light, but how much SHOULD it cost for you to reach behind you and twist off the cap of a $4 bottle of bud light? If the bartender isn't really going out of his way to serve you, and you just get it after waiting around, a buck here and there (or most rounds) is more than fine. I mean, if it's a big order, or I'm ordering a pile of girlie drinks for people, then yeah, maybe a little more but already being gouged for the drink itself, let's not round it up to a $7 pint! If it's slow at the bar, or the service is good, i'll tip more (or more often). If it's just handing me a beer, or the place is busy, i'll tip more sporatically (first round, then maybe every other) as they aren't doing me any favors, and i'm not likely to be remembered when it's slammed anyway.

Plus, know you work mostly on tips and whatnot, but how many drinks do you serve in an hour behind the bar at a decently-busy place? I don't want to watch someone make more in tips for handing a beer over a counter than I make with specialized degrees

 

[RoJoHen]

I guess I don't go to those kinds of bars. If I go to a bar, chances are I'm sitting AT the bar and getting good service.

If I AM at that kind of busy bar, I usually have a tab running on my credit card, so I just tip 20% at the end of night.

 

[Jan]

I've worked in hotels for...well, most of my working life. Regardless of how much the room costs, please, *please* tip the room attendant! Believe me, the one who cleans your toilet in a $350/night room probably isn't getting paid any more than the one doing it in the $26/night room. It's best to tip daily and leave it clearly marked for the room attendant. I generally leave $3 to $5 per day.

In general maid service is daily but most hotels don't change the linen every day anymore. There's often a card telling you about that hotel's 'Green' program and how to let them know whether you want the sheets changed or fresh towels.

Other than that, a couple of bucks if the doorman hails you a cab or gives you directions, a couple of bucks per bag for the bellperson, 15-20% for food and beverage and I have no idea how much for wine stewards or Maitre'D-types or a concierge (though I think that last is 10-15% of the total). While it used to be customary for finer hotels to insist that a bellperson accompany you to your room, that's not generally the case any longer.

Hope that helps!

Jan

 

[JiNX-01]

Basically I'm going to New York next week for a break, and I'm staying in a hotel. I've actually only ever stayed in a hotel once before (ever), and that was in Northern Ireland, which followed the typical British rule of "no tipping, pay for your room and that's it"


Americans on the other hand love their tips. So I'm just asking for some advice/help please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHi8P85augw
(I'm essentially someone who agrees with everything Mr Pink says. But if I'm in America I'll play the game as I don't wanna get chased down the street by some angry restaurant owner )



Who do I tip? Does the maid service come round every day? Do I have to leave tips for them?
I'm only gonna have a backpack and one luggage bag with me, I'd rather just carry it myself than have some bellboy do it for me and then demand money from me for 5 seconds work when he probably earns more than I do.

I know you tip the bartenders in bars and whatnot; I've been to the US before but a while ago. Is it like $1 a round/drink or something?


Any help would be much appreciated. Anythings I need to know.
I feel like I may get into some Curb Your Enthusiasm style moments

Hotel cleaning staff: Leave the tip in the room when you're leaving. Having cleaned hotel rooms, I'd say $1-$2 per day if you're tidy and if you were messy increase to compensate for the extra work (here's why: the number of rooms a person is assigned to clean is based on being able to get a the room done in a short period of time: so if there is extra work that has to be done they have to work fast meet their schedule). The bosses don't like it if they fall behind.

You'll only get a bellboy in a high-end hotel. The rest you're on your own.

I have always tipped bartenders and wait staff when I'm getting ready to leave. Bartenders based on the quality of service. Did I have to wait for him or her to stop watching the game and notice my glass was empty? Smaller tip.
Wait staff is generally 15 percent of the bill for good service, 20 percent for exceptional service (and you get to be the judge of that).

 

[SmoothieX]

At bars, a buck with the first drink and usually another at the end of the night for crowded places with impersonal service. If we have the bar mostly to ourselves and strike it up with the bartender, then more.

Yikes. Remind me to never wait on you.

That's maybe a little light, but how much SHOULD it cost for you to reach behind you and twist off the cap of a $4 bottle of bud light? If the bartender isn't really going out of his way to serve you, and you just get it after waiting around, a buck here and there (or most rounds) is more than fine. I mean, if it's a big order, or I'm ordering a pile of girlie drinks for people, then yeah, maybe a little more but already being gouged for the drink itself, let's not round it up to a $7 pint! If it's slow at the bar, or the service is good, i'll tip more (or more often). If it's just handing me a beer, or the place is busy, i'll tip more sporatically (first round, then maybe every other) as they aren't doing me any favors, and i'm not likely to be remembered when it's slammed anyway.

Plus, know you work mostly on tips and whatnot, but how many drinks do you serve in an hour behind the bar at a decently-busy place? I don't want to watch someone make more in tips for handing a beer over a counter than I make with specialized degrees

I've gone to a bar for the sake of going to a bar twice in the last year. I'm talking more of my experiences in bars/clubs when I was in college.

Loud, crowded, complete lack of attention and service on the part of the bartender. Nothing like waiting a half hour for a bottle of beer shoved into your hand with a grunt.

 

[Misfit Toy]

When I took my family to Di$ney World, we left a dollar per day per person. We would often come back to the room to find our towels twisted to form interesting little creatures, or my son's stuffed animals would be caught gathering around the tv remote...

 

[Spot's Meow]

When I took my family to Di$ney World, we left a dollar per day per person. We would often come back to the room to find our towels twisted to form interesting little creatures, or my son's stuffed animals would be caught gathering around the tv remote...

I love when they do that. I think they do it regardless of whether or not you tip, but I could be wrong. The room service people on Carnival Cruise ships seem to be especially skillful at the towel animals.

 

[Scout101]

That's the whole point that often gets missed. For the guy PAYING for all this, it should be part of the giant bill that you get decent service. The tip is supposed to be GRATUITY on TOP of what you paid, a thanks for a job well done, or extra service. If people go out of their way for me, I'm happy to show it.

People that are just going through the motions, and then get pissy when there's not much of a tip, anger me to the whole process. It's a service indrusty, and your tip/salary is dependent on it. If you give me piss-poor service, why should I add an extra 20% or more to my bill to thank you for it? Waiters/foodstaff tend to do better by me, as it's generally just 15-20% however the rounding works out. I don't usually vary that much unless the service was really good or really bad. As for the bartenders/maids/etc, i guess I kinda wanna see something EXTRA for my tips. Otherwise, the bar could do us all a favor and just remove the bartender in favor of a vending machine. I don't need a 20% increase in my tab for you to hand me a beer. Go the extra mile, or help me out, etc, and it's all yours with a smile.

 

[Ethros]

Thanks for the help guys


Another question tho, what time do the cleaners usually come? I ask as I'm staying for 8 nights, and maybe the odd day I might just wanna sleep in a lot, ie. not get out of bed or do anything until the afternoon. Do I have to get up for them, or can I just leave a sign out telling them I don't want/need it cleaned?

I probably sound like an idiot here but I just wanna be thorough

 

[Kestra]

That's the whole point that often gets missed. For the guy PAYING for all this, it should be part of the giant bill that you get decent service. The tip is supposed to be GRATUITY on TOP of what you paid, a thanks for a job well done, or extra service. If people go out of their way for me, I'm happy to show it.

People that are just going through the motions, and then get pissy when there's not much of a tip, anger me to the whole process.

Sums up much of how I feel. I'm pretty fed up with the whole process myself, honestly.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Thanks for the help guys


Another question tho, what time do the cleaners usually come? I ask as I'm staying for 8 nights, and maybe the odd day I might just wanna sleep in a lot, ie. not get out of bed or do anything until the afternoon. Do I have to get up for them, or can I just leave a sign out telling them I don't want/need it cleaned?

I probably sound like an idiot here but I just wanna be thorough

They usually come in the early afternoon, sometimes later. I have caught them in my room anywhere from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There is a sign you can hang on the door handle that says "do not disturb" or something similar, and that way they will not come in your room that day.