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View Full Version : Tipping at the Resort (and around)?



CarlieB
07-24-2003, 04:39 PM
Tipping doesn't really happen very much in NZ, so I'd really appreciate some advice on what is an acceptable amount to tip in the DLR and Anaheim area. How much should I be tipping the hotel staff (maids and bellhops)? And how much do we need to tip at restaurants (last time we tipped around 15% - is that too little?) Anu other advice much appreciated too.
Thanks:)

julia
07-24-2003, 05:09 PM
Hi,

The usual tipping amount is close to 15%, but I suggest tipping according to the service. After all, tipping means To Insure Prompt Service. If you don't feel that you've received good service, take that into consideration when you decide on your tip for each person.

Have a great day!

CarlieB
07-24-2003, 05:12 PM
I suggest tipping according to the service.

Thanks:) I will bear that in mind. As we are unused to tipping in our own country, it sometimes feels that it is just expected that tips will be forthcoming, and you can sometimes be made to feel quite bad if you don't tip (we almost always do tip - it would have to be pretty bad service for us not to). I'm certainly not against tipping, but I want to get it right:)

101 in the hippo pool
07-25-2003, 10:48 AM
Hello there,

I worked at Disneyland for 5 years and now in hotels for the past 8 starting as a bartender on up to Hotel Manager which I am now.

Housekeeping should be tipped 1 dollar for every night you stay, if you are a messy person I would leave a little extra, these people work harder than you can ever imagine and are often overlooked.

Bellpersons should be tipped .50 cents to 1 dollar per bag.

Doormen can be tipped a buck for calling you a cab or loading/unloading your stuff from the car.

Waitstaff- 10% for poor service, 15% for just right and 20% for superior.

Bartenders--a buck a drink, never order 5 complicated shots to do with buddies then leave the bartender a buck, that's tacky.

Front Desk Staff-no tip neccesary unless they go out of their way to do something special.

Concierge- tip if they do something special like deliver something to the room or handwalk your clothes to a cleaner.

Spa staff-15% to the person who does the majority of your treatment.

I may be forgetting people, allow me to sum up some stuff, I know this post is already pretty long :)

In NZ and England and various other countries, the tip is not expected but the wages are higher. In the US these people are oftentimes working a minimum wage and trying to raise a family off the manners of others. You should tip when someone helps you, if you can not afford to tip, then you can not afford the service that they have provided in the first place.

I disagree with the poster who said don't tip if you don't care for the service, if you are at a point where you feel you shouldn't tip, contact the manager and explain your frustration. You will probably have your meal comped or discounted. If the matter is not resolved at that point, then you may elect not to tip.

Sorry this is so long but as a long time member of the customer service industry you can understand my involvement with this issue :)

hbquikcomjamesl
07-25-2003, 01:45 PM
In restaurants, I generally consider 15 per cent, or $1.30, whichever is greater, to be an absolute minimum unless I've been given reason to complain to a manager. I usually leave closer to 20 per cent (and in cases involving an extreme special order, as much as 50 per cent) and I ALWAYS base my tip on the un-discounted, after-tax amount of the check.

I'm unfortunately notorious for neglecting to tip hotel housekeeping staff. Usually, it's a matter of not having an adequate supply of small bills, or being in too big of a hurry in the morning; I'm trying to improve. At the same time, if a hotel offers me the opportunity to decline unnecessary changes of sheets, towels, soap, &c., I always elect to decline whatever I don't actually need.

As to doormen and bellhops, I have no shame in saying that I feel no obligation to tip for services I didn't ask for, don't want, don't need, and would be happier doing without, particularly when I'm not given the choice of declining those services. And if I check into a hotel room, and find that the only suitable drawer for my underwear and socks hasn't been cleared of the previous guest's debris, and I leave said drawer open, with a note and a tip, and find that the tip is gone, but the debris is not, (this happened to me at the Chicago W Hotel), I would feel no obligation to leave another tip there, and feel perfectly justified in complaining to management. (And I will never stay in another W Hotel, or any other Starwood property, under any circumstances, for as long as I live. If I ever again stay someplace with a one-letter name, it will be the "Y" before it's ever the "W"!)

disneymeimei
07-25-2003, 05:53 PM
This is a confession of poor tipping...
Let me first state that I am usually a very generous tipper. My grandmother was the absolute best waitress in the world and I have the utmost regard for wait staff, service employees, etc.
Here is my story. In telling it I hope no one else will be guilty of my shame (hanging my head)

Our family of six had a wonderful lunch at the BB in DL a couple of years ago. Service was great. Food wonderful. No problems except that it was so very dark. I signed my cc slip, including the tip. Received a very strange look from our server and went on our merry way. It wasn't until we were home, 400 miles, several days later that I realized why he gave me such a strange look...I accidently tipped him $1.60 instead of $16.00!! My heart stopped. Since that time I will take a pen light and verify what I fill out before signing.
My apologies to the server, whoever he may have been...

Walts Buddy
07-25-2003, 10:20 PM
I, too, have worked in the restaurant/service industry. I will definately tip a server if merited. I will also reduce the tip if the service is sub-standard. I won't be coerced into an automatic tip because it's expected before I even sit down. If the server is friendly, attentive and efficient they will be compensated. If the service provided is spotty, basic and given with a perfunctory attitude then I don't feel obliged to give an automatic, predetermined percentage. It is the server who determines the the level of the tip by way of his/her service.
P.S. If the bus staff is providing the majority of the service, I normally tip them directly and reduce the amount I tip the server.

CarlieB
07-27-2003, 01:00 PM
Cool, thanks for all the helpful responses:)


Bartenders--a buck a drink, never order 5 complicated shots to do with buddies then leave the bartender a buck, that's tacky.

This may sound silly, but when do you tip the bartender? At the same time as you pay for your drinks? When you leave (like in a restaurant?) I live in fear of making an idiot of myself when tipping...:p