I have a pet peeve about people who don’t tip. It’s cheap, and mean-spirited. And I’m sure it brings bad karma.
More specifically, I have a pet peeve with people who don’t tip the maids who clean their hotel rooms.
Most people don’t even realize they’re supposed to tip the maid.
Whose fault is it? Tipping is confusing, and can sometimes be intimidating, and it’s far from an exact science.
Conventional restaurant tips in the US are 15 percent and up to the customer to add at the end of the bill. In France, an obligatory 20 percent is often tacked on to the bill — which can be hard to swallow, especially if the waiter doesn’t deserve the chunk of change.
“The Art of Tipping: Customs and Controversies,” is a book that tried to tackle to confusion, but it was published 20 years ago. Etiquette has changed since then.
Some tips are obvious: Waiters, taxi drivers, valets and bellhops are clearly to be tipped. But a major faux pas that many travelers overlook is tipping the maid.
One should leave several dollars per night for the maid; the tip depends on the price of the hotel room. Never leave less than two or three dollars per night.
It’s better to leave a daily tip, rather than a large tip at the end of one’s stay. This is for two reasons. The first is self-serving — the maid might take extra care of your room — and you — as a result of the daily tips.
Secondly, another maid may substitute on the day you leave, which means the money will go into the wrong hands.
John Wolf, a spokesman for Marriott International, said housekeepers are supposed to get tips, but many travelers don’t think about it.
He said only about 25 percent of travelers tip the housekeeping staff, and tipping is more common among frequent travelers.
Take a look at it from another perspective: Housekeepers are some of the hardest-working people in hotels, and they have a lousy job — cleaning your rooms. They usually earn minimum wage, so a tip means a great deal to them.
Finally, tipping rules at retail stores have also changed. Starbucks coffee shops provide clear plastic tip boxes in all its locations, as do many other delis and sandwich shops.
The subtle tipping station gathers loose change from customers, which in turn can make an important difference for an employee who again is usually paid a minimum wage.
Once, while working on assignment, I traveled with a woman who refused to tip anyone in the hotel, especially the maids. It was appalling to me to witness her callousness, especially as she received a “per diem” which included money for tips.
This woman was beautiful, wore expensive clothes, smart and talented. Yet she always complained that things were going wrong in her life. From my perspective maybe this was just karma: what you put out is what you get back.
So the next time you have the choice to tip, do so. You’ll feel better about yourself, and you many help someone in a way you can’t even imagine.