I ran across an article the other day about Marriott and Maria Shriver launching a campaign to educate people on the customary etiquette of tipping hotel maids. Marriott will now be placing an envelope in each room, with the attendees name so that patrons can leave a tip.
There are obviously two sides to this tipping coin {pun intended}. First, the tipping pro’s: Housekeeping is a pretty gritty job, and totally goes unnoticed, since the whole allure of staying in a hotel is that when you leave, people quickly come in and make your bed, change the towels, clean the bathroom, etc. When you return, like magic, your room is refreshed and clean. The article made a pretty good point in that most people usually tip the bell-hop and the shuttle driver, but don’t tip the maid because, well, they are not standing right there in front of us. Cleaning hotel rooms would be a horrible job {in my opinion}, so I am sure receiving a tip for time and service is totally welcomed by staff.
On the flipside, it is really irritating that while the hotel workers pay minimum wage {and more in larger markets}, they pass the obligation of making the staff’s wage a living wage through supplemental tips onto the consumer. The room is already quite expensive, and to add additional dollars here and there can really add up to a potentially already tight budget. There is the idea/mentality that the hotel should pay the workers a decent livable wage in the first place so that tipping is not necessary.
Rather than even give my own opinion on the matter, I want to know how all of you feel. Do you feel obligated to tip the hotel maid? Did you even know it was customary to tip?
~Mavis
***Interesting sidenote: If you do plan on tipping, the article offered a standard guideline of $1-$5 per night of stay, depending on the cost of the hotel room.
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My Favorite Slow Cooker Cookbook – 
