cjsmith | Oh Great LJ Brain Trust, explain to me your custom of tipping

I don't think I'd let someone walk me to my room unless it was a weird layout and not reasonable to explain. Maybe $2 is an insult in this kind of place. I mostly only leave my luggage at sci-fi cons, which aren't in ritzy hotels, so that's my only experience.

I dunno; even working retail, we were told it's nicer to walk somebody to an item they asked about than simply explain where it is. In a posh hotel, I can imagine them showing people to their rooms. No idea if it's a manner of extorting tips, though ('cause, well, if they won't TELL you your room number, you're a bit stuck, eh?). I'd be worried that $5 would be more appropriate than $2 in a Very Expensive Hotel, for whatever services one does tip. But I find tipping awkward at the best of times, so I'm no expert.

Yeah, I guess I'm a total pushover, because when she didn't tell me my room number and just said "follow me" I just followed. Damn what I wouldn't give for having been raised human instead of Nice.

story of my life (:

Oh good. "Come live near me somewhere." ;-)

i wish (:

My mom usually gives $2 to anyone who handles her bags. She's old and it's in Wisconsin, though, so I'm not entirely sure if that's the going rate. And these aren't swanky places.

Given the mass nature of the transportation to the event, I don't really think a tip from every rider would be appropriate. If the driver did something special for you, maybe.

Everyone who touches your bags should get $1 per bag, plus extra if they went the extra mile for you.

Walk you to your room: I'd say $2-$5, depending on how well they did it.

Driver: The driver was probably hired specifically to transfer you from the hotel to the conference center. By itself, that's not worth a tip. However, if he goes the extra mile in some way, the best way to appreciate him is with cash. When I was driving, even BS shuttles, I'd use the PA to give a tourism spiel. I'd generally get a couple bucks each trip.

Expense report: Date/Time/Amount for every dollar. The worst they can do is say no.

On the first one, I'm (for one reason or another) usually at the main check in desk, not a separate bell desk. So if it's a bellman who returns with the bags, I'll tip, but if it's the desk clerk, I don't generally. Not sure what my rationale there is, or if that's even close to proper.

I don't know why, but tipping situations where I have to actually hand the money directly to someone make me feel smarmy. I know it shouldn't, but for some reason, I have a hang up on this.

I'm sure I'll think of other situations shortly. Oh, and what would you do if you didn't have the right denomination(s) of money? I know it never happens in the movies, but humor me: what if?

Take your large bill to the front desk, have them break it into ones and fives, then go back and give your tip.

The guy who brings the mini bottle of champagne and pours it? Eh. I think it would depend, but I'd probably give him $2.

Be sure, please, to leave a couple of dollars/day for housekeeping. So many people forget about housekeeping, and they do *such* a great job most of the time.

My dad never tipped housekeeping.

_the_beast was horrified when he discovered on one trip early in our relationship that I did not. I usually tip a five spot unless there's been some exceptional service, then up as the situation seems to merit.

I've discovered that token small tips in the $1-$5 range do get some appriciative service and lots of smiles, so I figure it's worth it.

Hi - I work the other end. I pay all those expense reports and never get a chance to travel on business. Bummer! :(
Tips are a No Receipt Required Expense. You should keep a Travel Log and note whenever you do a No Receipt expense and what it was for - Tip, Very Short Cab Ride, meal at concession stand. Verify with your people what they Need Receipts for and what they don't. The Rules can very, but usually something under $10-20 doesn't need a receipt. They'd like one, but if you eat one lunch for $8 during the day and couldn't get a receipt, they won't deny the lunch. If you claim two lunches, you better have receipts!
Luckily, I do travel for SF cons and a lot of the tipping rules still apply.
Whenever I travel by cab, I always give $1 above my share.
To handle those small amounts, I always hit the bank before I go and get a bunch of $1. I also carry around a bunch of $1 coins. Great for con party jars, they make a lovely noise and these days they are Gold, but that's another story.
If you start running out of $1, you can go to the front desk and get change for a $20. They usually have them.
But I tend to horde $1 when traveling, giving store clerks $20 even for little purchases.
On the Champagne, if this is in your room and you are being charged for it, then a service fee is usually in Room Service and no tipping is required. If this a gratis thing, then $1.
There are two sets of people in the world. Cheapskates like me who tend to give $1 increments for tips. High Rollers who give in $5 increments. I only give $5 if they help me move bodies, ie really go out of their way for me.
The usual YMMV applies.

I haven't been in those exact situations but I generally tip $1 per bag, $2 per free shuttle ride without bags, 5% for room service where a room service charge is already included, 20% when it's not (like a restaurant), and $5 a day for housekeeping. Most of the time the bellhop that walks me to my room also carries my bags so I do the $1 per bag, but it sounds like the person didn't carry your bags, so maybe you should treat it like a free shuttle ride. :-) It's been a long time but business expense reports used to have an 'incidentals' section.

I hate super-posh hotels.

I also hate super-posh hotels. I don't even like moderately posh hotels much. I hate tipping. I don't want people to carry my bags, don't want daily maid service ('cept for maybe some towels). I'm also often allergic to whatever obnoxious detergent they commonly use to wash hotel sheets, so I'd really rather they not be changed with icky allergy-inducing 'clean' sheets every damned day.

I remember back around 1991 or so I was at the SLC Marriott[*], and I was cramming final preps for a big technical conference presentation I was to give. Someone knocked on my door. I was weirded out that someone was knocking! Found out it was hotel staff, asking if I wanted "Turn Down Service". I'd never heard of that (I'm such plain folk!). I (probably somewhat irritatedly, unfortunately) said "No, thanks", weirded out at being disturbed for such a bizarre thing. Next day I wasn't in my room, so they mysteriously let themselves in, Turned Down my bedsheets, and left a mint on my pillow. Oh, I get a mint! So later in the week, one evening I was in when they came by and disturbed me again for the Turn Down Service, and I said yes. Then felt really stupid and awkward as I watched while they came in and Turned Down the bed and left the mint. Eeeeew. But the mint was yummy, at least! Prolly tons of people are familiar with Turn Down Service, but I'd never seen/heard of it, and it freaked me out! Still does.

I tip when I have to, nearly always find it annoying, confusing, and embarrassing. Ugh.

[*] My favorite bit in the SLC Marriott was a restaurant in their *lobby* called "L'abeille" (The Bee). I thought it was odd, saw no reason to name a restaurant after bees. It hit me one day while I was there, that the name could be a French/English pun. Still makes me smile.

My first experience of really posh hotel antics, I was 14 and in London with my parents on vacation.

First, I sat down at the restaurant table and the waiter put a napkin on my lap. I was mortified because I thought he was chastising me for not having done it myself!

Then I went back to my room, and someone had come into my room, searched through my luggage, extracted my pajamas, and left them folded on the bed. There was probably a mint, too, but I don't remember it because I was so mortified that someone had searched my luggage.

I remember, way back in my high school days, several friends and I decided to splurge and go out to a posh restaurant. We sat down, and the waiter came over and put napkins in our laps. We were SO OFFENDED! We also thought he was criticizing us, and furthermore doing so in a very rude manner. We were angry and upset all through that dinner, and I think we left a poor tip. Many years later I found out that some posh waiters do that. Eeeew. I sorta feel retroactively emarrassed, but sorta not -- I still think it's a creepy thing to do.

Wow, if someone pawed through my luggage, I'd be PISSED OFF! That's horrifying.

Sometimes, well perhaps even 'often', I'll put up the 'do not disturb' door hanger the moment I arrive, and leave it up 'til I leave. Leave me alone, don't Turn Down my bed, don't MOVE MY STUFF, don't even come into my private room. I can reuse a damned towel and sleep on a few-days-old washed sheets. Ugh.

But I had no idea anyone would actually open MY suitcase to 'help'. Thank you for the warning! Maybe I'll get even more zealous about that 'do not disturb' door hanger....

Some 'poshness' is so damned creepy!!!

Yep, I put up the do not disturb sign, too. However, a lot of hotels these days have a policy that housekeeping must at least look into the room at least once a day. (Maybe they have to make sure you're making bombs or meth in there.)

I've stayed at US hotels with turn-down service subsequent to this event and they've never searched my luggage, so maybe it is just an English thing.

I guess I would have made a lousy member of the gentry.

The only time someone has walked me to my room was after they put all the luggage on one of those hotel carts. And, since the luggage was enough to fill a cart in the first place, I think a tip's in order. I usually give 5 bucks then.
I figure those guys are really working for tips. And, if you were in NYC, it would be suspected so why not offer the same courtesy in Tulsa, OK or wherever. *shrug*
If I don't have the correct denominiation, I will either neglect to tip, like if it's a bellman just getting a cab or like I did last Friday when I was in a conference room and they hauled away my monster case...ask how late they're working and if I can find them at bell desk for additional dollars. However, those good intentions were for naught b/c I didn't see the bellman again. :(

in NYC it would be "expected" LOL, not suspected.

I work for Big Huge Corporation, where they handle a lot of expense reports and have it down to a science. (Among other things, they don't even want to see any receipt for less than $75. If I submit it and my boss approves it, that's good enough for them. If I lied, they can always come back and fire me later...) Mind you, every company has its own rules. In most cases, companies are cool with minor expenses without receipts. (After all, if an employee wants lunch to be a $3 hot dog on the street, they don't want the employee to say "Nah, better get a $15 sit-down meal I can pay with a credit card, it'll be easier to expense.")

Anyway, tips are a standard thing. If the tip is associated with an item, it goes down on that item--e.g. if I order a meal in a restaurant, I put down one line for the whole meal, I don't put the tip on a separate line. Similarly with cabs and such. If it's a standalone tip (like for the bellhop), I put each tip on its own line, though it probably depends on just how you submit your expenses. (e.g. Depending on the tool, you might be able to put down one line per day for "misc. tips", and add supporting info to that line saying just what the tips are.)

Regardless of where you work, you're dealing with people who handle a lot of expense reports, and they know what looks normal. Trust me, they won't bat an eye to see random tip dollars scattered through your trip. It's all legit. Just keep track of which dollars you spent where.

(As for running out of small bills--if you're anywhere near the front desk, just say "Hold on a second while I break a twenty", and trust me, they'll be fine with that. ;-) But I did learn to keep a few small bills handy just in case.)

The hideous corporate expense reporting application I am forced to use has a Tips category. That must mean that Tips is an acceptable Sarbanes-Oxley reportable expense. Just report it as tips for all those necessary services you use when traveling.

I try to stock up on small bills before I leave on long trips, but don't always remember to. In general, I tip bell staff, valet parkers, and shuttle drivers unless I have appropriate denominations. Keep in mind that much of their compensation is from the tips they receive. The "butler" and guide are probably paid well enough that the tips do not make a significant difference in their incomes.

I'd tip the shuttle driver for sure if he were independent, like a taxi. For a minimum distance like that, $1 if I'm part of a crowd or 10% if I'm alone if that's more than $1. If the shuttle is part of the hotel or conference service, in some cases I wouldn't tip him just as I wouldn't tip at the registration desk. It kinda varies by situation.

If I don't have the right denomination, I'd overtip a little (maybe by 5% or so) on the spot for *really excellent* service, or just add it to when I pay the bill (or get change later and leave it for "name" at the front desk) for average service.

How about the guy who brings you your mini-bottle of champagne and pours you a glass?
*blink* no, whatever for? if it's part of a meal, your server is expected to divvy up hir tip with the cook, busboy, wine steward, et al. Hence tipping 20% or more at very fancy restaurants - there are more people who share in your Dining Experience and expect to share in the tip. ... oh, and I don't tip the attendant in an airplane; but then I haven't bothered to get into first class for 7 or 8 years now.

oh as an example. i tip anywhere from $2 to $5 for the wheelchair pusher at a small airport such as RIC, depending on how much of a crowd there is and how heavy my carry-on bags are ... up to $10 for the wheelchair pusher at ORD - it takes at least 30 minutes to get from the ticket counters to the terminals, and they aren't dawdling at all.

Ooo, good point. I haven't needed wheelchair pushers enough yet to get into the swing of it -- I really ought to have some small bills on hand for them. My carry-on goes on my lap so that's not an issue, but you're right that those folks don't dawdle.

oh - expense reports. my assignments are usually for more than 45 days so I'm on a per diem for food including tips: i verify the hotel and airplane cost (and rental car if any) as billed to my corp card; report any taxi/shuttle/parking cost as a single number per day including tip, and log my per diem for each day based on how many hours billed to the client that day. no receipts for items under US$25.

Oh Great LJ Brain Trust, explain to me your custom of tipping

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doh

Having just gone through this...

Expensing tips

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