Tiping in Cozumel

[DandyDon]

I figure that being a hotel maid is one of the worst jobs going, with little pay and no respect, for the desperate. Plus, you'll often get more towels, etc. If I don't, I'll cut the tip is half.

I had a couple of weeks ago at a Best Western in New Mexico, where the manager knows me by name. Maid took the $2 bill and made the bed, but didn't empty ashtrays, change out dirty towels, or anything else that I could tell. :cussing: :furious: Didn't get to talk to the manager until the day after I left, but I made sure I did. She promised to get my $2 back and fire the maid.

 

[Canucklehead]

I'll start tipping houskeeping when I start tipping the guy who hands me my sandwich at subway...i.e. never.

Wow.... I travel a lot on business and not nearly enough for pleasure, but tipping the housekeeping staff is always considered to be the right thing to do (unless the hotel is adding a "service charge" to the room). $1 a day per person in the room. Miss Manners would be SO disappointed....

 

[HammerNoMore]

Wow.... I travel a lot on business and not nearly enough for pleasure, but tipping the housekeeping staff is always considered to be the right thing to do (unless the hotel is adding a "service charge" to the room). $1 a day per person in the room. Miss Manners would be SO disappointed....

Why? Tipping is for personal service. When you buy a meal in a restraunt it includes haveing it served. I tip good friendly waiters for the personal service, I stiff rude or slow ones. I tip good DM's for being friendly and not too obtrusive, quiet or strict ones get stiffed. Cabbies, friendly works every time, unfiendly gets nothing.

Where is the personal service in a housekeeper? I pay the same price for a room every day, not a bigger price for the clean room on the first day and less thereafter. As for it being "always considered the right thing to do I'll quote:

"Juanita Edwards, room attendant at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel: Women are more likely to tip than men and Asians tip more than Americans or Europeans. But out of 18 rooms I'm responsible for, I'll find a tip in maybe three — anywhere from $3 to $5 a day."

16% of the customers tip...hardly always. Tipping has really gotten out of hand. They have tip jars just about everywhere now. It's ridiculous, when I pay for a product I expect the salaries of the employees of that business to be paid out of their revenues, not my pocket.

Hotels are such a scam now. A $100 room will cost you well over $150 by the time you pay for:

Bellman Tip
Doorman Tip
Concierge Tip
Housekeeper Tip
Valet Tip
Parking Fee
Taxes
etc....

Should I also tip the person who checks me in? They probably don't make much either. Should I track down the maintance guy because my TV worked? The guy who cleans the pool? Where does it end?

James

 

[ggunn]

[...]
Never, ever, ever, take a cab to/from Punta Langusta, you'll be charged double.

??? Never, ever, ever go to Punta (pun refained from) Langosta.

 

[Canucklehead]

16% of the customers tip...hardly always.

Does that mean that 16% of the people tip all the time, or all people tip just 16% of the time? If those other 84% of the people jumped off the roof of the garage, would you do it too? (hmmmm... kinda stretched that analogy a little too far....)

Should I also tip the person who checks me in? They probably don't make much either. Should I track down the maintance guy because my TV worked? The guy who cleans the pool? Where does it end?

The person who checks me in doesn't have to deal with all the stuff that falls out and flakes off into my bedsheets at night. The maintenance guy doesn't have to swab out the sink in the bathroom when I forget to rinse it after shaving. Sounds kind of like personal service to me....

The pool guy, on the other hand, would YOU want to deal with all the surprise packages that the little monsters leave floating in the pool after they leave? I don't use the pool, but I might have to track the pool person down next trip and let him/her know that I wouldn't want their job.

It's all about personal preference and choice. I'm not going to hold it against some minimum wage housekeeper that I think it's bogus that the local Subway shop has a tip jar. I don't tip EVERYONE, and like you, some I tip less than others. No water pourer in a buffet style restaurant is going to get 15%, but they might get a buck or two if they're pleasant enough and clear the dirty plates.

IMHO

Gary

 

[HammerNoMore]

Does that mean that 16% of the people tip all the time, or all people tip just 16% of the time?

I would assume the former since quite a few people never tip housekeepers. My point is that not many people do. I don't have actual statistics but I would say from teenage experience that 90% of people tip wait staff. I'm guessing about 50% on cabbies, etc. 16% is a pretty low figure to assume it's standard practice.

The person who checks me in doesn't have to deal with all the stuff that falls out and flakes off into my bedsheets at night. The maintenance guy doesn't have to swab out the sink in the bathroom when I forget to rinse it after shaving. Sounds kind of like personal service to me....

Personal experience tells me that the person behind the front desk is far more likely to impact the enjoyment of your stay either in a positive or negative way. The houskeepers job may not be pleasant but that doesn't mean it's my job to pay their salary. Do you leave tips in porta-potties for they guy who cleans them out? Now theres a job...

I don't use the pool, but I might have to track the pool person down next trip and let him/her know that I wouldn't want their job.

I don't want a job at McDonalds either but I don't tip there. (Ok I don't go there but if I did I wouldn't tip.)

It's all about personal preference and choice. I'm not going to hold it against some minimum wage housekeeper that I think it's bogus that the local Subway shop has a tip jar.

One really doesn't have much to do with the other. They are just both examples, IMHO, of people who don't need to be tipped. I also don't tip doormen for hailing me a cab unless they actually go out to the street to flag one down. I always love that scam, there's a line of cabs 50 feet away just waiting for a fair but they can't pull forward until the doorman, and only the doorman, waves to them so he can get a tip.

No water pourer in a buffet style restaurant is going to get 15%, but they might get a buck or two if they're pleasant enough and clear the dirty plates.

I'll tip buffet waiters well if they are friendly and give good service. I look at a tip as a reward for going beyond what is required or a bribe if it's a place you'll be returning to soon. I guess I've just never seen a houskeeper make a bed so well that I thought it went beyond what was expected. Now if I call down for extra towels and a houskeeper brings them to me with a smile, I'll give them a tip. Thats what I considert personal service.

James

BTW, I've been having a string of bad luck lately, it's a pleasnt change to find someone who can discuss and disagree without taking everything personally. Where do I send your tip ?

 

[HammerNoMore]

??? Never, ever, ever go to Punta (pun refained from) Langosta.

Yea, but it's located around the spot where the town starts to fizzle out. When I'm staying a couple of miles south of town and I've made the walk 5 or 6 times I somtimes grab a cab in the area. Now I pretty much go the extra block and grab one at Chedraui if I don't catch one along the way...

 

[Moodiejeff]

Christi - do you think you can chime in on this one? Obviously you're not going to tell us how much your DM's make but what about housekeepers at the hotels? Any idea how much they make? I'm sure it's not much.

Intruderdiver - You're obviously there by now but as you can see the old addage is being reinforced: Opinions are like a**holes, everybody has one and they all stink... some more than others.

Take from this what you will but I, for one, will be tipping when I'm down there in 2 weeks. DMs, Housekeepers, Waiters, and yes, maybe even Cabdrivers. I guarantee you I will receive better service than a non-tipper.

 

[element]

When I satyed at the Iberostar last year, I tipped the waiter at the buffet who would go to front bar to bring me a latte as the coffee at buffet are not so good(do to the water). I tipped the bar man/woman for good strong drinks and I tipped the maid to get daily beer fridge refills(opposed to every other day). I usally use a us dollar as a tip. I only gave the DM 20 bucks after 3 days of diving maybe I should pay more but most boat dives seem steep allready.

I aggree with James Goddard that tipping is getting out of hand. Especially as when bussiness men see their employees making tips they usally start using that as justification not to pay staff as much or not give them bigger raises. So really your just tipping the owner who who is allready over charging you. But on vacation I try not to worry about it, but when at home thats a different story.

 

[Canucklehead]

BTW, I've been having a string of bad luck lately, it's a pleasnt change to find someone who can discuss and disagree without taking everything personally. Where do I send your tip ?

My pleasure... we can agree to disagree without making it a flame war. You know what they say about winning an argument on the internet....

Gary