How Much To Tip Hotel Bellboy: Hotel Etiquette
Are you travelling on your own for the first time and afraid of being judged for not being aware of some of the unspoken hotel etiquette? Do you want to know how much to tip hotel bellboy? How to treat the hotel’s staff and facilities? Hotels and resorts are a few public spaces where you relax and feel at home despite being hundreds and thousands of miles away from your actual residence. The increasing popularity of activities like staycation or holistay wherein people stay some time-off away from home by booking a hotel and staying there for as long as they like greatly increased the demand for affordable hotel rooms. However, do you know that there are some unspoken hotel practices and etiquette?
Types of Hotel Guest Service Crew
How about the appropriate range of how much to tip hotel bellboy and housekeeping? If you’re not aware of these things, it is time that you know.
Before we go into the details of how much to tip hotel bellboy, valet, or housekeeping, let us first list the different types of hotel service crew that we are expected to tip. Hotels and resorts have hundreds and thousands of staff if we consider the management and logistic aspects. However, in this article, we will focus on the different hotel guest service crew types that guests often meet and encounter to provide necessary service throughout their stay:
Parking Valet
The parking valet’s primary responsibility is to assist and retrieve guest’s vehicles in and out of the hotel’s parking. If you bring your car to the hotel, you are most likely than not be greeted by a valet offering service to take the car away from your hands and park it themselves so that you can go ahead and check yourself in. While parking valet services are not necessary, they take the burden away from finding a spot in nearly full parking.
Doorman
Doormen or doorkeepers are stationed at the hotel entrance to facilitate the arrival and exit of guests and establish a welcoming environment at the forefront. Also, doormen are tasked to assist guests by opening doors, hailing taxicabs, offering umbrellas, and guiding and carrying bags into and out of the hotel.
Bellboy
Hotel bellboys or bellhops are the ones tasked in helping guests with their luggage. While having a bellboy is not entirely necessary as you can carry your bags and cases, but you prefer someone to help you with your things, bellboys are readily available to assist you in transporting your luggage to out of your vehicle and into your hotel room and vise versa.
Concierge
The hotel concierge is located in the lobby and serves as the main entrance desk that greets and welcomes the guests. Most of the time, the concierge acts as the reference point for guests who need assistance or ask for information about the hotel. Furthermore, the concierge is also expected to cater to the guests’ wishes and requests while also manning the hotel’s logistics.
Room Service
Room service attendants have various responsibilities, but all fall to delivering requested service and orders directly to the guest’s room. Such duties include maintaining supplies, taking orders, completing tasks assigned by the manager, being polite to guests, collecting dirty dishes, restocking minibars, and more.
Housekeeping
If you stay in the hotel for more than a day, you will likely encounter the hotel’s housekeeping a few times. Generally, the housekeeping ensures that the guest rooms and other hotel areas are kept clean every day. Regular cleaning includes vacuuming carpets and cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms and more.
How about the appropriate range of how much to tip hotel bellboy and housekeeping? If you’re not aware of these things, it is time that you know.
Before we go into the details of how much to tip hotel bellboy, valet, or housekeeping, let us first list the different types of hotel service crew that we are expected to tip. Hotels and resorts have hundreds and thousands of staff if we consider the management and logistic aspects. However, in this article, we will focus on the different hotel guest service crew types that guests often meet and encounter to provide necessary service throughout their stay:
Parking Valet
The parking valet’s primary responsibility is to assist and retrieve guest’s vehicles in and out of the hotel’s parking. If you bring your car to the hotel, you are most likely than not be greeted by a valet offering service to take the car away from your hands and park it themselves so that you can go ahead and check yourself in. While parking valet services are not necessary, they take the burden away from finding a spot in nearly full parking.
Doorman
Doormen or doorkeepers are stationed at the hotel entrance to facilitate the arrival and exit of guests and establish a welcoming environment at the forefront. Also, doormen are tasked to assist guests by opening doors, hailing taxicabs, offering umbrellas, and guiding and carrying bags into and out of the hotel.
Bellboy
Hotel bellboys or bellhops are the ones tasked in helping guests with their luggage. While having a bellboy is not entirely necessary as you can carry your bags and cases, but you prefer someone to help you with your things, bellboys are readily available to assist you in transporting your luggage to out of your vehicle and into your hotel room and vise versa.
Concierge
The hotel concierge is located in the lobby and serves as the main entrance desk that greets and welcomes the guests. Most of the time, the concierge acts as the reference point for guests who need assistance or ask for information about the hotel. Furthermore, the concierge is also expected to cater to the guests’ wishes and requests while also manning the hotel’s logistics.
Room Service
Room service attendants have various responsibilities, but all fall to delivering requested service and orders directly to the guest’s room. Such duties include maintaining supplies, taking orders, completing tasks assigned by the manager, being polite to guests, collecting dirty dishes, restocking minibars, and more.
Housekeeping
If you stay in the hotel for more than a day, you will likely encounter the hotel’s housekeeping a few times. Generally, the housekeeping ensures that the guest rooms and other hotel areas are kept clean every day. Regular cleaning includes vacuuming carpets and cleaning and disinfecting bathrooms and more.
How Much Do I Tip?
If you’ve come into a situation where you wonder how much to tip hotel bellboy and other guest service crew members, do not fret as there are ranges that are generally deemed appropriate and acceptable for most occasions. Keep in mind that these price ranges are merely suggestions, and you can easily go over these price ranges.
Keep in mind that there are some places that tipping staff and crew is expected, particularly for luxury hotels and resorts. With this in mind, it is ideal to have a separate budget and several small bills to make tipping much easier. It is important to know that some hotels and resorts charge for a luxury fee, which is approximately 15% to 20% of your bill and is divided among the staff and crew that will serve you. This integrated fee on your bill will technically eliminate the need to tip every crew you encounter personally.
If you’ve come into a situation where you wonder how much to tip hotel bellboy and other guest service crew members, do not fret as there are ranges that are generally deemed appropriate and acceptable for most occasions. Keep in mind that these price ranges are merely suggestions, and you can easily go over these price ranges.
- Valet (paid upon pick-up): $3–7
- Bellboy: $1–2 per bag
- Bag storage: $1–2 per bag
- Housekeeping: $5–10 a day
- Food and beverage staff: 15–22% of your bill
- Spa services: 15% of your treatment(s)
- Concierge: $10–20 for securing tickets or a hard-to-get reservation
Keep in mind that there are some places that tipping staff and crew is expected, particularly for luxury hotels and resorts. With this in mind, it is ideal to have a separate budget and several small bills to make tipping much easier. It is important to know that some hotels and resorts charge for a luxury fee, which is approximately 15% to 20% of your bill and is divided among the staff and crew that will serve you. This integrated fee on your bill will technically eliminate the need to tip every crew you encounter personally.
Conclusion
We all want to make a good impression on the people we meet. And while we are consciously aware of what we do, there are just scenarios that may catch you off guard if you have no idea what to do. Besides knowing how much to tip hotel bellboy, housekeeping, and other guest service crew, it may still be a wonder how to tip the staff as discreet as possible.
While some hotels and resorts make tipping a necessary aspect of their guests’ stay, it is important to consider that tipping should come well off your pocket and your heart as an appreciation of the service these people provide to make your stay comfortable as possible. In cases where you are not at a luxury to tip so much, being respectful and courteous towards the servers will also be appreciated.
We all want to make a good impression on the people we meet. And while we are consciously aware of what we do, there are just scenarios that may catch you off guard if you have no idea what to do. Besides knowing how much to tip hotel bellboy, housekeeping, and other guest service crew, it may still be a wonder how to tip the staff as discreet as possible.
While some hotels and resorts make tipping a necessary aspect of their guests’ stay, it is important to consider that tipping should come well off your pocket and your heart as an appreciation of the service these people provide to make your stay comfortable as possible. In cases where you are not at a luxury to tip so much, being respectful and courteous towards the servers will also be appreciated.