Topic: Tips on "tipping"
Tips on "tipping"
I just thought I would share some of my thoughts on 20 years in the hospitality industry. (and as someone who has 8 beer and two bottles of wine to pour out today as well as dead flowers to dispose of)
1. Please be advised that most chains now have a "no alcohol" policy for staff, which means the 11 beer or nearly full 40-ouncer of vodka you "thoughtfully" left as a "tip" for your room cleaner is being poured down the drain. Even leaving a note or gift card on an unopened pricey bottle of wine that clearly states "For you" or "To **Name**" will most likely result in your "gift" being poured. It's just policy, and your room attendant risks losing their job if they try to sneak the item into their lunch bag. And if you ask your room attendant in the hallway, she will most likely deny this is their policy, as they are just being polite. Take it with you. If you want to leave your room cleaner a booze tip, leave a NBLCC gift certificate.
2. Ditto for the almost full bag of cookies or package of cheese slices you left for them, some hotels have a "toss" policy for any opened food left behind as it poses a liability risk if the food product is tampered with.
3. For front desk staff, a gift of flowers is nice, but more appreciated is (sealed) chocolate/candy or cash/gift cards. Cut flowers die and make a mess on the desk that they have to clean up, and honestly, many hotels have a policy that "if it aint theirs, it aint goin' in the lobby," as it violates brand standards to have a non-chain item displayed, so your "thank you gift" will not be seen. It can create bad feelings as well between staff if someone is going home with the flowers -how do you "split up" a potted plant? As well, some staff may have allergy issues so your pretty $25 flowers will be chucked by them when they arrive for their shift. Since for the most part, your good experience is the result of teamwork, seen or unseen, it is not very fair to pick one over the other.
4. Don't feel obligated to tip. However, if you want your tip to go to a specific person who provided great service, leave it at the front desk with their name on it. Don't assume that because Mary Anne cleaned your room Monday-Thursday that she will on Friday when you depart, she might be off that day, or assigned to another floor, and generally tips are the property of the room attendant who cleans the room when you go, as administering it any other way is too difficult for supervisors-sorting out who and why and when is too hard most of the time.
Last edited by trinity; 10-07-2008 at 09:53 AM..
Reason: punctuation added
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