Tipping for Housekeeping

[cherrynegra]

I was wondering if anyone else tipped for maid services and what you tipped, as well as did they clean your room. I actually stayed at the Boardwalk, and was under the belief that our room would be cleaned (beds made for example) once for the week we were there. On the day it was supposed to happen, I left a tip on the dresser with the note "For Housekeeping. Thank you." I got back to the room later that day and the beds were not made and the room didn't look particularly clean. Oh.....and the tip was gone. However, housekeeping did leave fresh towels. Huh?? Is this normal service now? I've stayed at many a hotel and always tip housekeeping every day that I know they clean the rooms. Anybody else have the same experience??

 

[AkiraRaptor]

We usally tip, $4 to $5 a day, unless the service is not particulary good, well tip less.

We also make a game of it too. I make up Mousekeeping envolopes and we put Stitch or Simba on the bed holding the envolope.

We usally come back to some staged scene every night like Stitch reading a mag. or watching toons on TV. Along with "towel animals".

It's fun. :sohappy:

 

[cherrynegra]

Well....at least your rooms got cleaned. :lol: I was kind of shocked that they didn't even clean or room but took the money. My friend who stayed with me told me "I told you not to tip them." This from a woman who said "Why should I pay her more to do her job." Sigh. That was a very long conversation or argument that night. I wonder if it was an anomaly that they didn't clean it or if this is something new.

 

[AkiraRaptor]

Yea, they usally cleaned the room OK. There were a few times it looked like they made the bed and stritened up a bit, but nothing more. But overall, they did a good job.

Here's the Stitch picture. :lol:

Mousekeeping Setup

 

[One Lil Spark]

I always leave a heart-felt letter of appreciation for the housekeeping staff with 10-20 dollars after each trip.

 

[inorski]

If you stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, what you received was the standard Trash and Towel service where they empty the trash and replace the towels only. If you stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, you should have received full cleaning service for everyday you were there, but that is not standard in a Vacation Club Villa. Whether or not you receive trash and towel service or a full cleaning in a Vacation Club Villa depends upon how long your stay is at the resort. I don't remember the exact timing, but for a one week stay, we usually get one trash/towel service and one full service while we are there. You can get full service everyday in a Vacation Club Villa, but you have to pay extra. It can be confusing if you don't frequent the Vacation Club Resorts - but they should have explained it to you upon check-in anyway.

 

[Raven66]

We stayed at All Star Movies and I remember coming back to the room and our beds being made. I didn't make them before I left. And we had clean towels. I feel really bad tho, because we didn't tip and we really didn't know we were suppose too. We won't make that mistake again this trip. We will gladly tip because they did a wonderful job. :sohappy:

 

[cherrynegra]

Originally posted by inorski
If you stayed at the Boardwalk Villas, what you received was the standard Trash and Towel service where they empty the trash and replace the towels only. If you stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, you should have received full cleaning service for everyday you were there, but that is not standard in a Vacation Club Villa. Whether or not you receive trash and towel service or a full cleaning in a Vacation Club Villa depends upon how long your stay is at the resort. I don't remember the exact timing, but for a one week stay, we usually get one trash/towel service and one full service while we are there. You can get full service everyday in a Vacation Club Villa, but you have to pay extra. It can be confusing if you don't frequent the Vacation Club Resorts - but they should have explained it to you upon check-in anyway.

Thanks!! I thought it was me, but now I see it wasn't. I did stay at the Boardwalk Villas, so that would explain it. I will definitely remember that next time around.

 

[vanryan]

On our first trip we stayed at AKL and the room service people did an amazing job straightening up and decorating with our kids stuffed friends. We came back to the room once to find the gang watching TV- Mickey and Minnie with arms around each other, Tigger and Piglet sitting next to Pooh. Pooh had the remote under his arm. What a riot! My dad was staying at CB and we went to check it out and found some stuffed characters in the window with a sign that read "Welcome Home!" One day at AK my son bought a rubber dinosaur (actually it was a pteradactyl.) When we returned home the next day Piglet was riding it on the bed. We tipped quite a bit that trip! Last visit was to the Poly and the service was great, but no little scences set up. We are going in April to BC and I really hope they set up some surprises!

 

[DisneyDugger]

I hope this doesn't come off as too harsh but all this talk about tipping and poor housekeeping service gets under my skin.

I can't help but think that at $200 and $350 a night (Moderate and Deluxe respectively) EVERYBODY should get premium service EVERYDAY!! What up with this Trash and Towel rip-off?!?

This is rediculous! When we arrive next week we better be treated with the best Housekeeping service we have ever received or there will be lots of complaining in the Managers ear!! Trash and Towl - what a crock!! They promised us "Magic" when we paid the $6,500 to come and be "served like Prince and Princess's" and they'll darn well rise to the occasion! I'll make sure of it.

Tipping?? Here's a tip: The "tip" will come at the end of the holiday as a reward for great service and extra effort on their part - not mine. Tipping at the beginning as an "incentive" is to close to a bribe and that sets the wrong tone for the whole week. It's like we are begging for them to do their job. In my mind if you leave a tip before service and get no service then you get what you paid for.

Don't get me wrong, I'll tip in the range of $30-35 for the week if they show me the great service, and I think that is a super "thank you" for going that extra mile. But $2-5 per person per day is absurd given that that adds up to $70 - $200/ week for a family of five. I don't think so!!

Those Housekeeping folks must just laugh all the way to the bank with the hundreds of dollars they collect each day from the guests. I get this sense that guests think these folks who work at Disney are poor or disadvantage or something like that. Well at his rate, me thinks they are doing better than I financially!!

I can't imagine that the Resort Managers accept these poor services stories as allowable standards.

Whew. That's it. Thanks for letting me rant. 6 days and counting and I'm already wired... must go take a Valium now!

 

[WDWHeadBanger]

Thats weird...Everywhere on disney property I have sayed, my beds have been made every SINGLE day and the room spotless...

 

[Woody13]

Originally posted by DisneyDugger

I can't help but think that at $200 and $350 a night (Moderate and Deluxe respectively) EVERYBODY should get premium service EVERYDAY!! What up with this Trash and Towel rip-off?!?

This is rediculous! When we arrive next week we better be treated with the best Housekeeping service we have ever received or there will be lots of complaining in the Managers ear!! Trash and Towl - what a crock!! They promised us "Magic" when we paid the $6,500 to come and be "served like Prince and Princess's" and they'll darn well rise to the occasion! I'll make sure of it.

The Boardwalk Villas is a DVC resort. You have to buy a contract to become a member (or rent points from a member). Members buy "points" to stay is these accommodations. In order to keep point costs down, the mousekeeping service is limited. The regular resorts get daily mousekeeping service.

As for tipping the mousekeepers, it is best to leave a tip each day. Generally, $1.00 per person per day is standard (i.e. if there are 4 people in your room then $4.00 per day). I suggest daily because if you stay in a room for a week, you may well get several different mousekeepers. If you leave one big tip at the end of the week, then only that one mousekeeper benefits. :animwink:

 

[rosie.ca]

i have never had *bad* service ...once they left a facecloth in the sink ... maybe they just forgot but that was it.
i have been to deluxe and value resorts service was just as good in either... i leave a tip everyday though because you might have more than one maid and i would feel bad about one getting a tip nd not the other for cleaning up after MY mess...
you know being the maid isn't all that easy, they deserve a nice tip just as much as waiters and waitresses and other people you may tip

 

[murphy]

We are staying at the boardwalk villas on our next trip and I was told That they even do the dishes if you leave them. This was told to me by WDW. I tend to agree with Disney dugger for the money you pay you should expect execelent service!! I always tip well but if they don't do there job why tip! I have never felt this way but I have had excelent housekeeping at even the smallest hotels in the country!

 

[Worldphile]

Originally posted by DisneyDugger


Don't get me wrong, I'll tip in the range of $30-35 for the week if they show me the great service, and I think that is a super "thank you" for going that extra mile. But $2-5 per person per day is absurd given that that adds up to $70 - $200/ week for a family of five. I don't think so!!

I usually tip each day so that the housekeeper doing the work gets the tip. You may not have the same housekeeping staff for the entire length of your stay. For example, say you are staying Mon-Sat. You have a housekeeper that works Mon-Fri. If you give one big tip on Sat. when you leave, the person who did all the work all week never sees the tip.

So, I leave the tip on the pillow each morning for that days housekeeper. I've never left a tip and then come back to the room and felt that a great job wasn't done. Every time I've left a tip, I've gotten great service.

 

[DisneyDugger]

ok - I concede to the daily tipping but it will be on some sort of premise like a note explaining the following (politely put of course):
"This gift (tip) you are receiving today is joyfully given to you based on the wonderful service yesterdays Housekeeper gave to us. I trust tomorrows Housekeeper will also enjoy a nice gift. Thank you for making our holiday a memorable adventure!" ... or something like that.
Is that fair enough? It puts the ball farily in their court.

cheers

 

[Woody13]

Originally posted by DisneyDugger
ok - I concede to the daily tipping but it will be on some sort of premise like a note explaining the following (politely put of course):
"This gift (tip) you are receiving today is joyfully given to you based on the wonderful service yesterdays Housekeeper gave to us. I trust tomorrows Housekeeper will also enjoy a nice gift. Thank you for making our holiday a memorable adventure!" ... or something like that.
Is that fair enough? It puts the ball farily in their court.

cheers

I see a problem. Many (if not most) of the mousekeepers don't read or speak english. :animwink:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

The ladies that cleaned our cabin at FW were excellent. they did the normal stuff, bins beds and bathrooms but they also cleaned the kitchen doing dishes and straightning the fridge etc. All in all they provided a wonderful service.

I didnt tip every day but every couple of days, and the girls always left a thank you note.

 

[RogueHabit]

Originally posted by DisneyDugger
ok - I concede to the daily tipping but it will be on some sort of premise like a note explaining the following (politely put of course):
"This gift (tip) you are receiving today is joyfully given to you based on the wonderful service yesterdays Housekeeper gave to us. I trust tomorrows Housekeeper will also enjoy a nice gift. Thank you for making our holiday a memorable adventure!" ... or something like that.
Is that fair enough? It puts the ball farily in their court.

cheers

That's actually the coolest idea DisneyDugger.

As Woody13 points out, there is the language issue, but if you had a note in both English and Spanish then that would solve that.

Any Spanish speaking members care to translate?

 

[TURKEY]

Originally posted by Catch 22
That's actually the coolest idea DisneyDugger.

As Woody13 points out, there is the language issue, but if you had a note in both English and Spanish then that would solve that.

Any Spanish speaking members care to translate?

You might want to translate into Hatian Creole as well.