Do you tip at your resort?

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

I always tip the housekeeper. One of the major problems at timeshares I own is keeping good staff. I figure if they get good tips it will be an incentive to stay and that is a winning situation for us timeshare owners.

Some places have mid-week tidy so I leave a tip and a note of thanks on the counter on that morning. Then I do the same when I check-out at the end of our stay. If there is no mid-week tidy provided then of course the only tip is at the end of the week. Daily service is rare where I go but when I get it I still only tip mid-week and end of the week. Except in Mexico where I tipped daily. We usually leave $1 per person per day so about $20 for the week total. There are 3 of us and no children so we are pretty neat & tidy.

For our European friends it is a dilema since tipping is not that common in Europe. But in the USA it is the normal practice so when in Rome yada, yada, yada. We just figure it is part of the overall cost of our vacation.

[dale7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dale7]

We always leave some kind of tip in the middle and the end because I know that most of these workers make a minimal wages and they make my vacation very pleasant and when I leave and I see them I thank them to.

[RayAndrews Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RayAndrews]

We went to an exchange in the Gambia, Africa earlier this year, in addition to the tip $10 which we left at the end of the week, there was a "voluntary" levy on checkout which they called the "pot of Gold" it was $30 per week appx and intended to be shared out amongst all resort staff from security to grounds maintenance.

The staff all gave excellent service, although at the point where someone offers to take an ice cream wrapper from you to throw it in a bin which is only 10 yds away it can all seem a bit too much! Especially when you have spent all day lazing around!

It seemed a better idea to me, though in reality, I would prefer that they were paid an economic wage in the first place and not have to rely on tips.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

I always tip when there is daily service but never tip when there is no service.
Not sure but why would anyone tip when there is no service.

I figure that part of my extensive fees including exchange fee should give me the expectation of a clean room when I arrive and they need to clean the room for the next exchanger when I leave.

That's where I am on it, too. Usually just the two of us, so no mess left.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

In our society, there are positions that are considered tip positions. We are familiar with the more obvious, more noticeable ones . . . waitstaff, concierge, bellhop . . . but some less noticeable ones . . . like housekeeping, are considered tip positions by employers.

They are paid a low wage because of that.

So, the only factor in tipping is not just the level of service provided, although exceptional service warrants larger tips.

Still, tipping is optional. To each their own.

Reminds me of a recent visit by friends of ours to a local timeshare. His brother and his wife joined them. We were there when they arrived, an employee from the resort carrying some of their stuff up to the fourth floor unit.

The guy's standing there, shooting the breeze, being cordial, which is the mode of conduct for one waiting for a tip. (FWIW, that is quite an awkward moment, that waiting for the right thing to be done moment, without coming right out and asking. )

My head is silently screaming, "Tip. Tip. Tip. Tip. Tip."

But it did not happen.

In my position I do a lot of stuff that is over and above, not part of the job description, but the customer does not know that. In tipping, as in life, those who do make up for those who don't.

So yes we do tip for "no" service. I have to think anyone who has worked in an industry where the main portion of their income was tips does tip.

[1950bing Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 1950bing]

I figure they can get theirs from over priced maint. fees ! Have you ever figured how much money is hauled in for the entire resort. Do the math !

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

We tip. How much we tip depends on several factors.

If we have daily service, we tip daily, depending on how many in our party, and how much "service" is needed. Usually no less than $3 per day, and as much as $10 if needed.

We tip if we get a midweek service....if it is just towels and trash pick up, we leave $5. If it is more, we leave $8 to $10.

And if we get no service during the week, we do leave a tip at the end of our week's use....we feel that a service worker who contributes to the enjoyment of our time at the resort deserves to be acknowledged...and as far as we are concerned, the housekeeping department is extremely important. We want to encourage them to keep the units up to high standards, both in appearance and maintenance.

Sorry to say, I just don't agree with the idea of not tipping just because you never see the folks who cleaned your unit. They work hard, they have supervisors who check the quality of their work and they (the cleaners, not the supervisors) are the ones who usually get the least amount of pay. JMHO, but folks who do not tip because they feel that the workers are "paid" to do the job are rationalizing their own bad manners and I wonder how they might feel if the shoe were on the other foot. I mean, we can pay $80 for a dinner out, but we can't leave the housekeeper a few dollars to say thanks for caring to make our stay an enjoyable one? Think about it....a few dollars can mean a bus ticket or a can of soup for someone, why not be kind and thankful to the folks who matter in making our suites comfortable?

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

Never do we tip the maids at our resort!

We are already paying their wages as owners and we only get a mid week touch up cleaning.

Last year we had my daughter up couple days and when she left some friends that retired to Reno area came up. To have the maid service come in and put clean sheets and towels had a $20 charge and that is way to much just for five minutes work.

We only tip at the Dinner House,Bar and Deli.

PHIL

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

We usually tip.....if the unit is clean and the service people are friendly and helpful which they usually are. The amount of tip depends on how much is done and how responsive they are. Most of these people work hard for little money and have nothing to do with the management and high fees.

At the same time....if we see that they have cut corners, are lazy, and the place is not clean then we will not tip.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

...They work hard, they have supervisors who check the quality of their work and they (the cleaners, not the supervisors) are the ones who usually get the least amount of pay. JMHO, but folks who do not tip because they feel that the workers are "paid" to do the job are rationalizing their own bad manners and I wonder how they might feel if the shoe were on the other foot. I mean, we can pay $80 for a dinner out, but we can't leave the housekeeper a few dollars to say thanks for caring to make our stay an enjoyable one? Think about it....a few dollars can mean a bus ticket or a can of soup for someone, why not be kind and thankful to the folks who matter in making our suites comfortable?

Not tipping = bad manners?

I do not agree with this and am a little offended by it. This has nothing to do with manners. This has more to do with the employer not making the employee whole and relying on someone else to do it. Someone that may never see this employee. Seems crooked to me.

People take jobs and accept the terms of employment, including pay. They work hard or not. I do not feel compelled to tip because someone doesn't make much money. no one tipped me when I was making very little - that rationalization does not work for me.

I could certainly have opted to take a position where I would have to rely on tips from people I hardly ever saw but that doesn't seem like a great plan to me. The deck is stacked against such workers. I can't fix the problem. Tippers can't solve the problem.

Employers try to dump the responsibility for paying their workers on the consumer and while I don't agree with it, I do tip wait staff and anyone that handles my bags. Cruiseships are especially terrible with this but I tip according to their standards and more as warranted.

I feel that it's bad employment policy instead of bad manners on the part of the guests.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Depends. I tip at resorts with daily maid service if the service warrants it. Tipping someone you never see makes one wonder if the tip goes where it's supposed to.

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

"Tips for tipping at Timeshares"

Link to an article by Jason Tremblay on "Tips for tipping at Timeshares"

Tips For Tipping At Timeshares

His bottom line:

So with all of those different perspectives, here are the best tips I found overall for leaving tips during your timeshare vacation:

•If you have daily maid service at your timeshare, you probably should consider leaving a tip.
•Tipping is customary in most European timeshares.
•If you ask for special services, be prepared to say “thank you” with a tip.

And here’s the best tip of all: consider leaving a generous tip at the beginning of your timeshare vacation. It’s a great way to inspire people to give you lots of good service and help make your timeshare vacation especially pleasant.


Does anyone check their annual budget how much is for housekeeping salary?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

In my summer job I encounter a variety of vacationers. Some are timesharing, some are renting, some own vacation homes.

Although it is not wise to make generalizations, generally , you are right about timeshare people. They tend to be chinzy. They aren't being selectively chinzy, you know, evaluating whether they received extraordinary service, as some have suggested.

It just does not seem to occur to them to tip. Perhaps clueless is the word I'm searching for.

Ya know what I mean?

This is an interesting thread. I had been led to believe that tipping was rare in timeshares unless some extra service was provided.

[PHILL12 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PHILL12]

In my summer job I encounter a variety of vacationers. Some are timesharing, some are renting, some own vacation homes.

Although it is not wise to make generalizations, generally , you are right about timeshare people. They tend to be chinzy. They aren't being selectively chinzy, you know, evaluating whether they received extraordinary service, as some have suggested.

It just does not seem to occur to them to tip. Perhaps clueless is the word I'm searching for.

Ya know what I mean?

I think it is very offending by you and Katiemack to make statements of bad manners and your remarks too!

Timeshare owners are the one's that spent thousands of dollars to buy just to have couple people insult here.

I don't like as a owner of two units being called clueless or chinzy because we don't tip a person that cleans the room after someone checks out,it is their job and then you get another person come in for 10 minutes and change towels and sheets mid week.

If you ask for full service during week it cost you $20.00!

Our maids get free shuttles to work from bottom of the mountain Lake Tahoe side and Gardenerville,NV side and this saves them money and fighting winter snow and its free,excuse me but this also comes from our maintenance fee's under transportion!

The Ridge also lets the maids take food and drinks left behind at check out and they do very well here to.

Years ago when we went to Mexico they had maid service everyday and for that we would tip because we would see the maid most days. On last day we would tip maid just like cruise ships! On these you have same maid service all week and at our resort you never have same person.

If it wasn't for clueless timeshare owners these people wouldn't have a job!

We tip and very well but its for services rendered like our dinner,bartender or waiters that take care to see we have a decent time at their station.

When on cruises you get top service everyday and we also tip very well!

To have you come on here because you work with people as a summer job and throw insults around about timeshare owners is crap!

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone with my reference to bad manners...please accept my sincere apologies. My words were poorly chosen. In my attempt to explain why we tip, I was equating our habit of tipping the housekeeper as a way of saying "thank you"...rather different from a tip to a server at a restaurant or bar, but that again is my perspective.