Tipping Mousekeeping

[elhefe4]

Quite a bit closer. And in fact, it shows that more people tip housekeepers, then do not. That's pretty definitive.

From the article: "There is no consensus among Americans travelers about which, if any, hotel staffer should get a tip, according to a survey commissioned by the travel company Expedia."
That seems pretty definitive to me that it isn't a common practice. If there's no consensus, it isn't the norm.

 

[flynnibus]

Quite a bit closer. And in fact, it shows that more people tip housekeepers, then do not. That's pretty definitive.

And that group is still less than HALF of who tip wait staff. Yet, your position and others in this thread is that both are expected tips based on the same philosophies. So how do you reconsile that difference? If it's the same rule... and 90+% of people follow the rule... then why do more than half of those people selectively follow said rule?

 

[Laketravis]

From this small self-reporting sample it doesn't appear that as many WDW guests tip housekeeping as they do wait staff.

 

[elhefe4]

May I ask what part of the country you live in? Tipping is probably most common in resort and/or convention type accommodations, much less so in your highway La Quinta where people stay for one night on their way to somewhere.

Midwest, but in an area that sees a huge influx of tourists in the summer months. I agree that it might not be typical, but nobody in this thread has made the distinction between resort/convention hotels and a tourist trap hotel. The arguments I've seen have all been that tipping housekeeping is the norm, period. I'm just throwing my two cents in that it isn't the case.

 

[xdan0920]

Good thing the US government doesn't follow your logic about what 'consensus' means!

Simply being the largest group does not make consensus or 'norm'. It makes it a large faction.

Using simple numbers. I find that helps....

100 people surveyed.

46 Tip

32 don't

22 do not stay in hotels. So the effective number comes down to 78.

46 is 59% of 78.

So, 59% tip and 41% don't. That's a pretty large difference.

 

[flynnibus]

Um. I'm not even sure where you're going with this. But comparing tipping in hotels to gun rights is kind of a weird analogy, you have to admit. And there's no "emotions" involved there, just bafflement. Then again, you ignored my comment to say I don't understand 'basic math', so....

Yes.. percentages. I think we teach them in like 5th grade?

There is no comparison to gun rights.. its an ANALOGY. Parallels... THEY DON'T INTERSECT. The subject is actually about industry groups and their objectivity.

Do you have anyone nearby that can help you through this exercise?

 

[Otterhead]

Do you have anyone nearby that can help you through this exercise?

As you've clearly gone off the rails entirely and are now just ranting at people in all-caps, throwing insults at anyone who responds to you, I'm ignoring you now. You're not contributing in any positive way to this conversation.

 

[21stamps]

Just because you say something is factually incorrect doesn't make it so. Just because you and your friends do something doesn't mean you're in the majority or that it's common practice. I worked as a housekeeper during a few summers in college at a hotel in a touristy town and in my experience only about 10-15% of people left a tip. I never expected one nor was that part of the expectation before I was hired, but I did appreciate it when it happened. I'm not claiming that my experience would be the same everywhere, but when almost half the population surveyed says they don't tip housekeeping staff, you can't claim that tipping is a common practice. It's just not.

The facts are this- tipping has always been standard etiquette, For at least a century.. people can CHOOSE not to tip. But understand that it is not appropriate etiquette.

There's really no other explanation.

Tip, don't tip, but at least acknowledge that it has been practiced and taught for longer than we have all been alive.

We see examples of bad manners every day, that doesn't mean that bad manners are commonly accepted, taught, or practiced by the majority of Americans.

 

[flynnibus]

Using simple numbers. I find that helps....

100 people surveyed.

46 Tip

32 don't

22 do not stay in hotels. So the effective number comes down to 78.

46 is 59% of 78.

So, 59% tip and 41% don't. That's a pretty large difference.

That's not how statistics work You don't extrapolate from the subgroup to the whole.

And even if you do look at it through your lens... that means the swing is only 4.5%. Meaning, a delta of only 4.5% would change the outcome. That is BTW... normally within even the margin of error of a poll. So at best you have an even split... and we usually call that 'contested' and not 'consensus'

 

[flynnibus]

As you've clearly gone off the rails entirely and are now just ranting at people in all-caps, throwing insults at anyone who responds to you, I'm ignoring you now. You're not contributing in any positive way to this conversation.

Buhahah.. you can sling it but you can't take it. So fitting. You've been the most hateful, throwing insults left and right person in this thread to date... but actually have to defend your points and you run and hide. Perfect example of emotional based beliefs.

 

[NormC]

This thread has reached its tipping point.

 

[flynnibus]

May I ask what part of the country you live in? Tipping is probably most common in resort and/or convention type accommodations, much less so in your highway La Quinta where people stay for one night on their way to somewhere.

Oh, so now the 'social norm' behavior is actually dependent on the type of property you are staying in?

These arguments are leakier than a sieve...

 

[xdan0920]

That's not how statistics work You don't extrapolate from the subgroup to the whole.

And even if you do look at it through your lens... that means the swing is only 4.5%. Meaning, a delta of only 4.5% would change the outcome. That is BTW... normally within even the margin of error of a poll. So at best you have an even split... and we usually call that 'contested' and not 'consensus'

I can't battle all day on this.

We agree tipping housekeeping is considered good etiquette and is the suggested practice when traveling in the United States.

We don't agree that more people tip and then don't.

For me, I tip. In fact, I don't know a single person who doesn't. And I asked around because of this thread. So, maybe it's just where I live that I think tipping house keeping is a social norm. In my social subgroup, everyone tips.

 

[jakeman]

This thread has reached its tipping point.

 

[kelknight84]

Quite a bit closer. And in fact, it shows that more people tip housekeepers, then do not. That's pretty definitive.

I'll just leave this quote here from the LA Times article.

"There is no consensus among Americans travelers about which, if any, hotel staffer should get a tip, according to a survey commissioned by the travel company Expedia.

The survey of more than 1,000 American travelers found that 30% don’t tip anyone at a hotel. Of those travelers who do tip, 46% say they tip housekeepers, 40% tip room service attendants, 30% tip the valet, 20% tip the porter and 10% tip the concierge, according to the survey."

Read carefully..of those who do tip! So those who do tip 70%, only 46% of them tip housekeepers. So about 35% of everyone.

So to each his own on tipping but a societal norm it is not.

Personally until probably last year until I saw a thread on this board about tipping mousekeeping I didn't know it was a thing. I'd never heard of it, never seen an envelope and never even thought about it because they are paid a salary, don't rely on tips, and don't really do anything above and beyond their job description.

I don't have an issue with tipping and actually rarely tip less than 20% at a restaurant, but servers make less than minimum wage with an expectation of tips

I posted a question many pages ago that was left unanswered. Are mousekeepers even allowed to keep the tips? As a former watercraft employee accepting tips was a fireable offense unless you immediately turned it over to your manager.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Oh, so now the 'social norm' behavior is actually dependent on the type of property you are staying in?

I'm not talking about when you "should" or "shouldn't," I'm talking about what people do. You always should.

 

[Otterhead]

Are mousekeepers even allowed to keep the tips?

Yes, absolutely, yes. People tip them because they can keep the tips. They are not paid a living wage and thus tips help them immensely.

 

[disney4life2008]

Out of curiosity, for the people that leave housekeeping tips. Do you leave a tip to the people that clean your office?

 

[Santa Raccoon 77]

Out of curiosity, for the people that leave housekeeping tips. Do you leave a tip to the people that clean your office?

Yes

 

[flynnibus]

We agree tipping housekeeping is considered good etiquette and is the suggested practice when traveling in the United States.

I will concede it is 'suggested' practice (depending on who you ask). But the important point is 'suggested' does not equate to mandatory, nor expected.

We don't agree that more people tip and then don't.

The numbers are at best.. split. That does not equate to consensus, or 'norm'. That is where I think the numbers do not support this postulation that 'everyone else does it' or that it's 'norm'. Etiquette guides or industry groups do not get to define the norm based on their own suggestions. Which is why dictionaries adapt and update to follow common, accepted practice... not dictate from on high what is reality.

The 'norm' crowd likes to selectively quote the guides, yet leave out the phrases that weaken the position or acknowledge the uncertainty.

The logic of it all is trainwreck.

Suggested tip of 1-5 dollars. a 5x swing. Imagine if your waiter's tip guidance was 15-75% (a 5x swing).