Do you feel an obligation to tip the hotel cleaning lady the same way you do a waitress or waiter in a restaurant? Why or why not?

I’m just going to go Mr. Pink on this.

Yes. We always leave a tip for the “housekeeper”, and if possible give them the money in person. It’s a practice adopted after a stay in Vegas where I discovered a supervising housekeeper, going from room to room to gather up the tips.

No, I never have. I just never even thought of it until I saw my sister do it recently.

It’s not an obligation, but I always leave something. I hate cleaning, so if you come in and clean my room for me, you deserve a tip. Plus, if the waiter could spit in your food, where could the cleaner spit?

I never have. They are not offering a special service for me, they’re doing the job they were hired to do. I don’t normally even see these people.

No. I have no personal interaction with whoever makes up my room, and I have no idea if yesterday’s housekeeper is who made up my room today. And if I check in at 6 one night and check out at 8:30 the next morning, I have no interaction at all.

There is rarely a sense of them ever doing something in particular to make my stay special.

I did stay in a condo/rental place in Hawaii for two weeks, left a tip then because we had the same staff every day and they were helpful and got to know us.

No. Never. Several reasons:

1) I never see the housekeeper. he/she is there when I am gone. Yes, I may see the fruits of that labor, but there is no personal connection or attachment. For all I know it could be a robot.

2) I have no idea if it is the same person each day. It would seem unrealistic for me to leave out money each and every day, but if I leave it at the end of the week, there is no guarantee that the person who cleaned Monday is the same one who cleaned Friday. So the premise of paying for service is bastardized.

3) More to the point, they do less and less each day. It used to be the linens were changed every day – now it is every 3rd day or so. It used to be that towels were replaced every day – now it seems iffy.

So what I am I tipping them for?

Yes, I tip a small amount for the number of days that I stay.

This is coming from someone who worked in the hotel industry for almost 30 years.

No one should feel obligated to leave a tip. Room attendants, at least in the US, make at least minimum wage and on occasion more. It’s not like a restaurant server who is usually paid min. wage as tips supplement their salary.

With that said, everyone should certainly consider leaving a tip. Room attendants have the most labor-intensive job in the hotel and make the least amount of money. They are the first group to have their hours cut when occupancy is low and usually are the ones that need a steady paycheck the most.

This is the group of people who spend all work day cleaning up people’s bodily fluids, body hair, nail-clippings, etc, and that just the par-for-the-course stuff. Then there are the regular occurrences of actual damage to fixtures and furnishings, plus theft, that takes time out of their already hectic day.

Then there are the severe cases. I could tell you stories about what we’ve found in hotel rooms that would make your toes curl.

What’s really sad is they rarely get recognition from guests because they are the magical house elves that are rarely seen by guests. The front desk clerks receive the most recognition because they are the people who have the most contact with the guests. Even if you don’t want to leave a monetary tip for whatever reason, just filling out a comment card and saying, “The person(s) who cleaned Room # xxx during my stay on (date) did a really nice job”, that message will get back to them.

@stanleybmanly I hope you reported it to a manager. There could be a valid reason behind the alleged theft. Some hotels may have a policy where the tips are collected and pooled between the housekeepers. The main reason it to make it more fair for those who contribute to the work, like the laundry attendants, public area cleaners, etc.

One time, I worked in a hotel where the maids kept the tips. I don’t recall how, but there was a suspicion that the housekeeping inspector was pocketing some, and she was set up, caught red-handed, and terminated. This is why any suspicion should be reported.

@elbanditoroso Regarding the #2 point in your post, while most room attendants are assigned the same floor each day, it isn’t always the case due to occupancy, the number of stayovers vs. checkouts assigned to each attendant, and scheduling.

The way I look at it though is that I’m tipping the person who is cleaning up the room once I leave for the day. This is why I usually leave a tip each day instead of at the end of a multiple night stay.

As for Point #3, the less frequent changing of linens is a policy done out of guest demand for sustainability. While it will save the hotel money in expenses, the amount of time spent changing bed linens and replacing towels amounts to ~5 min. per room in a room attendant’s schedule. They still have to make the bed and clean up all of the stuff mentioned earlier in a very short period of time.

In addition, many hotels are migrating to duvet covers that are replaced every time a guest checks out. If you’ve ever owned one, you would know that even with experience, it’s a time-consuming task to do on one’s own.

@All This is not a plea to persuade you to leave a tip. It is not an obligation. I would never judge someone for not leaving one. This was an attempt to shed some insight as to what room attendants experience, as well as explain a bit about the hotels’ behind-the-scenes life.

I do. I have this idea that most of them are single moms struggling to survive on minimum wage.

@Dutchess_III Some of them are. Some have a spouse who works as well. A few have told me about having two to three jobs at the same time. Some are retired and need money to supplement benefits.

Here in the US, many are from other countries. I worked at a hotel in DC where the housekeeping staff was primarily Latino, African and Asian. They all had the proper documentation to work in the US (I was responsible for checking this) but weren’t citizens. One woman had been a medical doctor in her country, but the qualifications weren’t accepted in this country. Also, she couldn’t speak English.

In seasonal locations, it’s easier to acquire help from young, single people from other countries. I assume that they are allowed to do so on a temporary work visa. They are willing to come over for a couple of months and do the jobs that so many American young adults are willing to pass up these days.

An employee once commented: “You know, as much as we whine about working here, I bet that some of our co-workers find showing up to work a better place than their home life.”

And it’s true to a certain extent. It’s sometimes more posh. There is air-conditioning when it’s hot and heat when it is cold. Uniforms are often provided. Sometimes we are fed. There is a bond formed in most hotel teams. We moan alot behind closed doors, but we take care of each other, at least in the hotels where I’ve worked or inspected.

P.S. Not all are female.

@Pied_Pfeffer – a follow-up question. You wrote:
As for Point #3, the less frequent changing of linens is a policy done out of guest demand for sustainability.

As a hotel stayer, I don’t have a choice. Hotels used to leave cards “if you want us to change your sheets, place this card on your bed” but that seems to have been discontinued.

Essentially the default action is to NOT change sheets. And if I want to make a stink (and call the front desk when I get back to the room at 7:00pm when no one is on duty) I can do so. But that takes the convenience factor out of the hotel experience. Why should I have to make a stink?

I’m all for sustainability, but I don’t like them making the choice for me.

I’m sure some are male, but I’ve never seen one.

@elbanditoroso I don’t know where you have been staying. My experience is that this information is offered in at least one place in the hotel room along with an option of how to convey this message. It is a hotel policy made by a corporation, owner, general manger. They are the ones who are adjusting to customer feedback. It isn’t a choice being made by the room attendant.

The room attendants are trained to abide these rules. Trust me…they know that guests don’t read the minuscule card placed in what is conceived obvious by anyone who doesn’t do their job on a daily basis. They know that every guest is different when it comes to expectations. Unfortunately, housekeeping takes the blame in situations like this.

@Dutchess_III Indeed, some are male and most are female from my experience. We are side-tracking here, and it’s my fault. The bigger picture alludes to what you said: ”...but I’ve never seen one.” How many room attendants have you seen? I rarely see any. I’m either gone before they are scheduled to work and/or back at the hotel long after they are gone. Unless there is some notification in the room who cleaned it that day, I have no clue what their sex is, and even then it isn’t clear, not that it matters. My responses are solely based upon experience in the business.

Oh, I see them all the time. Have never gone to a motel and not seen any.

I don’t. They’re paid a fair minimum wage here so I feel no obligation to leave a tip.

I see the staff regularly. I tend to work in my hotel at least one or two days when we’re away so they often come in and do their work while I’m there working. I’ve seen both male and female hotel cleaning staff.

@Dutchess_III “I see them all the time”, meaning what? Every time you spend the night in a hotel? How often is that?

@Earthbound_Misfit When you say “my hotel”, does that mean that you are an owner or a guest? If it is the latter, how do you know how much they are paid? Is this the same hotel or limited to a region or to a chain or something else?

When I say ‘my hotel’, I mean the hotel I’m staying in. In most cases that will mean within Australia. I’m in Australia and I know that under our fair work legislation people are guaranteed a decent minimum wage. This is a national requirement.

If I was overseas, my answer might be different. It would depend on whether I’m aware of people working in those roles being paid poor wages. It is a tough job and I’m certain on occasions, unpleasant (some people are pigs). I think that warrants a reasonable reward in wages.

@Earthbound_Misfit Thank you for the clarification and an insight to those of us who travel to Australia.

@ucme Lurve for the Dogs reference.

I usually don’t, unless I leave a mess. I remember a coworker and I suffered alcohol poisoning during a hotel stay, and sprayed vomit all over his room. He said the maid would earn the $5 tip he left.

I must be spoiled royally. I almost always know my attendant personally, and I leave cash and gifts. Plus I get gifts back from them. But I’m traveling to a small village, so maybe that’s the difference.

@filmfann I think 5 bucks is a little low for something like that. Ewwww

My husband travels. I used to go with him. We’d stay in a hotel 3–5 times a month. And yes. I encounter the cleaning crew because we usually check out at about the time they’re coming around.

@elbanditoroso I’m one of those guests who becomes irate at the idea that the default is having sheets and towels changed daily. If the guest can’t be bothered to indicate their preference, that shouldn’t automatically lead to wastefulness.

^ Totally agree. I hang towels up to avoid them being taken and it grates (a little bit) when I come back and the towels have gone and new ones have replaced them. I don’t change my sheets daily at home so I surely don’t need someone in a hotel to do that for me.

I feel guilty if I don’t leave a tip, chintzy if I do.

No, in fact this whole tipping thing creeps me out. Why can’t we be more European?

@filmfann Tarantino consulted me as co-writer for Buscemi’s lines in that opening scene.

@Dutchess_III Please accept my apology. Upon re-reading your responses, it should have been clear the first time.

@filmfann Nice~

I rarely stay in a hotel more than one night. For all I know that room was made up a week ago by someone unrelated to my stay. It’s a minimum wage job, yeah, but I don’t tip fast food workers, either. Who would I tip? (As you allude to with the reference to the laundry staff at the hotel.)
If I stay more than one day, when I leave I tip at least a couple of dollars per day. Then I wonder if I’ve insulted the staff?
You’ve encouraged me to tip.

@ibsturbro, if you feel that you would like to leave a tip, just leave it in the room. The tip is for the person cleaning up after you stayed there. The laundry people are just doing their job. It’s the room attendants who have to deal with the icky, nasty, gross stuff.

Here is a thread from another site. I hotel guest poses a question to room attendants on how to be an ideal customer in their eyes. The responses are very interesting.

The laundry people never have to deal with the icky, nasty, gross stuff, @Pied_Pfeffer?

@ibstubro Yeah they do. It’s just rare that it isn’t spotted and dealt with in the appropriate manner before it reaches the laundry area via the clothes chute or carts.

I met a room attendant who had to succumb to a series of tests after pricking her finger on a syringe needle tucked behind the mattress and wall while she was changing sheets. The manager of the hotel told me that it was causing stress on the whole staff, including him, because they were awaiting the final results. Imagine what that woman is/was going through.

Late to answer my own question – No, I don’t usually tip the hotel cleaning lady. What I do, every time I stay in a hotel, is pile up all the used towels on the floor in one spot. I make sure all my garbage is in the garbage pails, big stuff like newspapers is piled up near the garbage pail, the remote is right in front of the TV, and in general, the room is pretty much ready to clean without her having to do a whole lot of picking up.

I do the same @jca. I try to leave as little avoidable mess as I can.

@jca and @Earthbound_Misfit On behalf of all room attendants, your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Most hotel housekeeping depts. run on a certain amount of time for the the attendants to clean a room…usually 15–20 minutes for an occupied room and 20–30 if it is a check-out. The minutes are longer if it is a suite. If a room is trashed, then additional help is brought in, which throws off the whole schedule.

If a room requires being put on out-of-order, which happens more than you might expect, it means a loss of potential revenue for the hotel.

I do the same, @jca, for everyone that occupied the room. Single pile of towels, trash in cans, ‘stuff’ in the general vicinity of where I found it.

If something is out of the ordinary (say there was a spill), I then leave a dollar or two.