Tip The Housekeeper
Travel
My fellow travel adventure-seekers, just a quick note today to remind you to tip your housekeeper. That's right, the brave men and women who venture into multiple guest rooms and suites every day and pick up after us deserve a little appreciation. Actually, they deserve more than that. They deserve gratuity. But how much? Well, allow your friendly neighborhood travel expert to shed a little light on this financial subject.
If the housekeeper is exceptional, then a little more is also appropriate but a general rule is between $1-5 per day (per person) is completely acceptable. Although anything is always appreciated! There's no need to perform a Google search, but there is plenty of sufficient data that supports this figure. A similar figure is suggested by the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Yes, that’s a real thing. They meet weekly in hotel boardrooms to discuss the ins and out of getting in and out of hotels all across this great land of ours. Okay, that last part wasn’t true, but it DOES exist, I swear!
So, why do we forget to tip our hotel maid? After all, we remember to tip the valet, the bellmen, the front door attendants, the bathroom attendants, the waiters, bartenders and hostesses we encounter. Why not the person who makes your bed, fluffs your towels, and folds your toilet paper into that neat little shape. Well, it may be because those other folks are standing right in front of us. But the housekeeper's job is to work in the background. They are the ninjas of the service industry. Therefore, sometimes people simply forget. We are only human, in the end, are we not?
I always tip about $5 per night when I am traveling for business (in a three star or better hotel/resort). If my children are with me, I tip a little more. Hooboy those rascals can make a mess, can’t they? In addition, I leave the money on the table with a note to the housekeeper, thanking them for their hard work.
Oh, and saying hello to the housekeeper is also a nice touch too. Most housekeepers work hard and, frankly, it's a thankless job cleaning up after people. So spread the love and show them you care. You may just get an extra towel or coffee packs if you do!
Erik the Travel Guy
