How Much Should You Tip?

Did you know that “tip” is an acronym? Do you know what “tip” stands for?  Tip stands for “to insure promptness.”   Today, “tip” has become synonymous with gratuity and is widely expected among those working all types of service industries – no matter how prompt or good/bad their service was.

So how much should you tip when you travel?  RealSimple.com recently wrote an article about how much they think travelers should be tipping.   Personally, I think tipping is an individual thing and you should do what you’re comfortable with and can afford.  I also think that where you are in the world should determine how much you tip.  Some cultures don’t expect tips. Some people are offended by tipping. It’s always best to research in advance, ask people who have already been to a destination or ask someone at the hotel (like a manager who doesn’t expect to be tipped) what is customary. It’s also worth noting that in countries where tipping isn’t expected, staff at many brand name western style hotels may expect tips.

I decided to compare my tipping habits to the list RealSimple came up with.

RealSimple List: 

• Doorman$1 to $3 if he brings your bag to the front desk or flags down a cab for you. Up it to $5 if he hails a taxi for you in the rain.
• Bellhop$1 to $5 per bag delivered to your room.
• Housekeeper$2 to $5 a day for chain hotels and B & Bs. For luxury resorts, where rooms require more upkeep, tip $5 to $20 a day.
• Room Service15 to 20 percent of the cost of the meal. If a service charge appears on your tab, the gratuity is included.
• Concierge$5 to $50, depending on whether the service was minor (booking you a restaurant reservation) or major (scoring hard-to-get tickets).
• Valet$2 to $5. Tip when you pick up the car, not when you drop it off. But if you just got a new set of wheels, you may want to hand the first valet a few bucks, too.
• Room Delivery$1 to $2 per delivery for items that don’t come with the room, such as a razor or a tube of toothpaste.
• Spa Staffers10 to 20 percent of the treatment cost. Leave the tip with the receptionist.
• Room RepairsZero. There’s no need to pay someone who fixes things (the TV, the AC) that were supposed to work already.
• Airport Shuttle Driver$2 to $3.

VeryGoodPoints List:

• Doorman: I mostly agree with RealSimple (RS for short) – I would tip $1 to $3 if he brings your bag to the front desk. I would tip $2 if  flags down a cab for you. Nothing extra for the rain – the hotel should have umbrellas and ponchos for the rain.
• Bellhop: I don’t agree with RS on this one. I would tip max $1 per bag delivered to your room and tip $1 extra if a bag is extremely heavy or awkward size and requires special handling.
• Housekeeper: Again, I don’t agree with RS. I think there will be a lot of varying opinions on this one, and that’s why I say tipping is an individual thing.  Personally, I don’t tip housekeepers unless they do something extra for me or unless I make a huge mess in the room. 
• Room Service: I agree with RS with one addition. If no service charge is included in the bill, I tip 10-15%. I don’t think room service delivery requires as much as traditional dining does because they’re bringing you a tray one time. They don’t have to get refills, they don’t have to check back with you, and so forth.  Therefore, 10-15%.  However, when I am in a country where 10-15% is less than $1 USD, I will always round up to at least $1 (usually $2).
• Concierge: Again, mainly agree with RS here, however, with the ability to get things online, I can’t imagine needing a concierge to find many things that we once would have asked of them. For example, I can find tickets to shows online.  RS recommends up to $50 and I think that’s quite high (this coming from someone who worked as a concierge at one of Orlando’s largest hotels while going to college.) 
• Valet:  I agree with RS here. I usually tip when I pick-up the car and I tip based on weather.  Standard tip for me is $2-3 and $1 for extreme heat or rain. 
• Room Delivery I’ve never had anything delivered to my room (except when housekeeping hasn’t put something in at check-in. For example, I checked into the St Regis Bangkok last weekend and there was no soap or shampoo in the bathroom. I didn’t tip when they brought that.)  I typically would go to the front desk to pick up an amenity item if I needed it. 
• Spa Staffers:  For spas, it’s important to check if the hotel automatically applies gratuity. Some spas automatically put 18-20%.  If they do, I ask in advance of confirming a booking if I can change the amount. If they say no, then I don’t book.  For exceptional expericnes, I tip 15-18%. For good, I tip around 15% and for fair I tip 10%.  If it’s a bad service or experience, I may not tip at all, but in that case, I explain to the staff why I’m not. 
• Room Repairs Totally agree with RS here. I don’t tip anything for room repairs.
• Airport Shuttle Driver I don’t agree with RS on this one. I would only tip an airport shuttle driver if they help me bring my bags on/off the shuttle. In that case I tip $1-2 per bag.  If all they do is drive the shuttle, I don’t tip.  

So, how do you determine what tips to leave?