Should You Tip at High-End Hotels?

I hate machines that suggest a tip STARTING at 20% and even 25%. The arrogance of that assumption irritates me so much that I manually enter 10% while I would have happily accepted a 12% or 15% suggestion.

I’ll open with I think tipping is getting ridiculous in Canada. Every shop now has a tip jar and I refuse to acknowledge it. And tipping percentage should be calculated on the bill not on the taxes. I’m lazy enough to let this pass on the machine by selecting 15% on the whole bill but I dont feel really great on it.

My tipping is arbitrary but fairly systematic. Wait staff and hairdressers 15%. Taxis I round up to the next 5 dollar increment if I’m paying cash. 15% if I’m using a machine. I dont tip bell hops (dont usually use them) and I dont tip the cleaning staff whihc is probably unfair….it’s just that I never actually see them.

Tour guides and such like I try to give them something too. depends mostly on what I have handy.

It gets fuzzier for me though once I have a free thing happening. I’ve had a few steaks comped by wait staff and I always try to tip as if it was included in the bill. If I were to get free breakfast I think I would feel compelled to tip. I’ll get back to you if I ever get platinum status.

I am a firm believer that tipping should be based on the service and should derive from gratitude and appreciation to the counterpart. Thus I find the “pseudo obligatory” tipping culture in N.A to be challenging.

Outside N.A – I tip when I get a great service and it’s because I really felt happy & I am thereby sharing my happiness & gratitude. (again it depends on if I have spare change with me – but most of the times I make a point I tip or atleast write a handwritten note or pass a good word to the property manager)

In N.A – now I purposely carry 5$ & 10$ Bills. Because almost everytime, the breakfast will be comped due to elite status & for some reason I find tipping on full price to be a rip off especially because it’s mostly a self serve buffet with the maître assisting you with the seating & the coffee / juice. Thus I place a 5/10$ bill (depending on number of pax).

Having said that, in certain occasions where the maître went above and beyond – I happily tipped more.

I rarely tip the bellboy as almost always I carry my own bags.

In general, I rather have the properties pay more wages to their employee even if in result in slight increase in the product cost so that tipping is expected only when the service is above & beyond.

I have been on both the sides of the tipping story. I used to work at a mid-end restaurant, hourly rate was lower than minimum wage, and tip was a big part at the end of day. I would say it comes from both sides: if the server does a good job of taking care for you and go further than their responsibility to assist you, they expect better tip (18-20% +), if the server just does minimum services of taking your order and bringing your food, they expect regular tip (12-15%). If for some reason the server makes you feel uncomfortable (service is bad, food takes too long, etc.), they don’t expect you to tip either. I would say: tip accordingly on the service you receive.

Ricky … In Toronto and New York the hotel staff get their wage plus a 15% gratuity from the hotel that is charged to the customer. Your average full time hotel employee whether it be the cleaning maid or the bartender make a six figure salary. … no joke !! Look carefully at the majority of staff there… the average age is 60 + cause the pay is so GOOD they would rather work till they die than quit as the work is so easy and the pay so good. So while i cant speak about other countries…. in Toronto and NYC dont tip… they already get it from the hotel. Anything extra goes right in their pocket on top of their 6 figure salary

One of things in Canada that galls me these days is the tipping function on keypads when picking up take out orders. What have they done to deserve that?

Great post Ricky. Here is an example I’d like clarity on….Platinum breakfast with Marriott: assuming the hotel is in North America, are you expected to tip for the complimentary breakfast when they provide a bill that allows you to room charge the tip (thought they stamp it complementary "for your records")? I feel obligated to tip, but it certainly sours the "complimentary" part of the benefit.