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Tips/payments to hotel staff
Are there any kind of rules re how much to tip hotel staff eg porters who take your bags to your room or the consierge who has provided help and advice throughout the stay?
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There are no general rules. To some extent, the situation varies country by country. For example, it's illegal to give or receive a tip in Singapore. (That simply results in, for example, the bar staff consistently 'forgetting' to give you your change).
It will also depend upon the type of establishment you're staying in. You can probably leave a smaller tip at Mr's Scroggin's B&B in Cleethorpes (at, perhaps, �25 per night) than you would at The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi (around �8000 per night for a suite).
In a moderately-priced UK hotel, a couple of quid would probably keep a porter happy for taking your bags to your room. If you're staying for a few nights, a fiver for the chamber maid might be reasonable (or a tenner if you're staying longer). A tenner would probably be OK for a helpful concierge but if he'd recommended the best restaurant you'd ever been to, given you loads of tourist information and saved you money by calling private hire cars rather than black cabs, �20 might be more appropriate.
Incidentally, not everyone expects (or accepts) tips. I used to run a railway station and we were frequently offered tips. We always refused them. (We weren't barred from accepting them by our employers; we just agreed that it was wrong to expect extra payment for doing our jobs). If customers insisted on giving us something, we'd usually give the tips to charity.
Chris
It will also depend upon the type of establishment you're staying in. You can probably leave a smaller tip at Mr's Scroggin's B&B in Cleethorpes (at, perhaps, �25 per night) than you would at The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi (around �8000 per night for a suite).
In a moderately-priced UK hotel, a couple of quid would probably keep a porter happy for taking your bags to your room. If you're staying for a few nights, a fiver for the chamber maid might be reasonable (or a tenner if you're staying longer). A tenner would probably be OK for a helpful concierge but if he'd recommended the best restaurant you'd ever been to, given you loads of tourist information and saved you money by calling private hire cars rather than black cabs, �20 might be more appropriate.
Incidentally, not everyone expects (or accepts) tips. I used to run a railway station and we were frequently offered tips. We always refused them. (We weren't barred from accepting them by our employers; we just agreed that it was wrong to expect extra payment for doing our jobs). If customers insisted on giving us something, we'd usually give the tips to charity.
Chris
Thanks so much for giving such a comprehensive answer - (as always Chris!)
I have stayed in many different hotels ie cheapos through to quite posh. I have to admit that I think it is entirely reasonable for a hotel to provide staff to transfer your luggage (porter), assist with local queries (concierge), and someone to clean your room (chamber service) with no tip being expected. However there seems to be a weird anomoly that the more expensive a hotel, the more expected it it to tip. When in actual fact it is in the cheaper establishments that I feel more inclined to do so. Am I wrongly presuming that the staff are paid more in the fancier hotels?
I have stayed in many different hotels ie cheapos through to quite posh. I have to admit that I think it is entirely reasonable for a hotel to provide staff to transfer your luggage (porter), assist with local queries (concierge), and someone to clean your room (chamber service) with no tip being expected. However there seems to be a weird anomoly that the more expensive a hotel, the more expected it it to tip. When in actual fact it is in the cheaper establishments that I feel more inclined to do so. Am I wrongly presuming that the staff are paid more in the fancier hotels?
Thanks for the reply.
I suspect that chamber maids (or whatever politically correct title they're now given) get very similar pay, irrespective of whether they work in an easyHotel or at Claridges.
Porters generally don't exist in the cheaper establishments but, even in the 'posher' places, I doubt that they get much more than the room service staff.
Similarly, you don't find true 'concierges' (as opposed to reception staff) in cheaper hotels. From my limited experience of more expensive establishments some places regard their concierge as simply a 'head porter' (with probably no more than about 10% extra in his pay packet). In other hotels, the 'concierge' or 'bell captain' is a god-like figure who might well receive a much higher rate of pay than most of his colleagues. (In a Novotel, in Singapore, the bell captain was a guy who was not to be argued with. I made the mistake of trying to walk out of the front door of the hotel. I was ordered (definitely not 'asked'!) to take a seat while he obtained a taxi for me. The bell captain made it extremely clear that he would have felt insulted if I'd failed to use his services).
Chris
I suspect that chamber maids (or whatever politically correct title they're now given) get very similar pay, irrespective of whether they work in an easyHotel or at Claridges.
Porters generally don't exist in the cheaper establishments but, even in the 'posher' places, I doubt that they get much more than the room service staff.
Similarly, you don't find true 'concierges' (as opposed to reception staff) in cheaper hotels. From my limited experience of more expensive establishments some places regard their concierge as simply a 'head porter' (with probably no more than about 10% extra in his pay packet). In other hotels, the 'concierge' or 'bell captain' is a god-like figure who might well receive a much higher rate of pay than most of his colleagues. (In a Novotel, in Singapore, the bell captain was a guy who was not to be argued with. I made the mistake of trying to walk out of the front door of the hotel. I was ordered (definitely not 'asked'!) to take a seat while he obtained a taxi for me. The bell captain made it extremely clear that he would have felt insulted if I'd failed to use his services).
Chris
This also depends where you are,in the US the staff rely on tips because the wages are low.
Definately tip in India if you are on holiday i.e. Goa, Kerela, because their wages are lower than you could ever imagine someone existing on and its seasonal.
On holidays abroad always obtain small amounts for tips before leaving UK so on arrival you have something to tip with for taxi, porter etc.if you forget you can usually get small change from the cabin crew who are pleased to get rid of it.
Definately tip in India if you are on holiday i.e. Goa, Kerela, because their wages are lower than you could ever imagine someone existing on and its seasonal.
On holidays abroad always obtain small amounts for tips before leaving UK so on arrival you have something to tip with for taxi, porter etc.if you forget you can usually get small change from the cabin crew who are pleased to get rid of it.
New York is the most tip crazy place I've ever been, it's standard though so you end up factoring it into your spends.
Standard tip for anything is $5. As said before, they survive on tips so you are kinda stalked for them to do things for you as that's how they up their wage and they're not backwards in telling you to tip them or if it's not enough.
Bars, it's a $ a drink.
Standard tip for anything is $5. As said before, they survive on tips so you are kinda stalked for them to do things for you as that's how they up their wage and they're not backwards in telling you to tip them or if it's not enough.
Bars, it's a $ a drink.
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