Tipping in the U.S. - Quick Guide to Tipping

Tipping in the U.S - A Quick Guide to Tipping Well I’m in San Diego and I found myself at a neighborhood coffee shop… I ordered my coffee, but didn’t put a tip in the jar that was sitting on the counter.

“Cheapskate”, I heard the barista say…

I wanted to turn around and ask him why he expected a tip for making me a coffee. A coffee that wasn’t brought to my table, that didn’t have some fancy decoration in the cream and had to be made twice because for some reason… ordering black coffee is some kind of crime in this little coffee shop. But I didn’t… instead I did what I always do when frustrated with the stupidity of others… I‘m writing about it. But his lack of manners does bring up a good issue, when do you tip, how much and to who? Traditionally and when I say traditionally I mean before the Milliniuals and Gen X and even before the Beatles… tipping was only done for people who worked for tips… usually wait staff and bartenders… this tipping everyone thing is getting out of hand. Well there are those who say you shouldn’t tip anyone, other people use a calculator app that tells them exactly how much to tip someone…. I think both are idiotic. I’m from the old school of tipping… you get what you DESERVE or I’ll give what I can AFFORD. Let’s start with the later of my two tipping methods; tip what YOU can afford. Some would say that its better not to tip than to leave a tip less than the industry standard… I say $*#@! there opinion. And before I go any farther, if you plan on leaving a quarter or a dollar…. I want you to stop reading this and go look in the mirror… what you’re seeing is a 'jackass'. Tipping small is one thing, but leaving a tip of $1 or less is insulting… so don’t. They ONLY exception to this rule is if you are tipping at an eatery and YOUR bill was less than $5. In that circumstance a $1 tip is acceptable for a $5 bill When you travel and are on a tight budget, yet you really want to tip someone because you liked there service or you just feel you have too… do this: Discretely hand them the tip and say,”You deserve more, but I’m on a tight budget.” Service staff understands ‘budgets’ most of them have to scrape by on minimum wage. By giving a tip however small in this way, you are telling them that you recognize the good work they did, you just cant show them with money… most service persons will appreciate that you left them a tip at all in this circumstance. Now the more difficult tipping method of Tipping what they Deserve: Now there is a Calculator App that will tell you exactly what to tip according to service provided… taxis driver, wait staff, housekeeping, etc… throw it away unless you’re made of money. Now a days everyone with a service job thinks they deserve a tip…. not true and in fact it wasn’t until the PC (Political Correctness NOT Personal Computer) Revolution that these finicky service people even got considered for a tip outside of High Priced Hotels or Restaurants. I’m not putting anyone down, I’m just saying that along with Political Correctness came a lot more tipping… Let’s go down the list of service jobs and I’ll tell you what I tip and when. You can come up with your own formula for tipping that works for you Waitress/Waiter: Tipping in this area should be based on politeness, speed of order taking, did they give the correct item to each person, did they offer you something to drink when you were seated. NEVER and I mean NEVER tip based on the Taste of the food or the Speed it took to get to you. These service people are the middle man and have NOTHING to do with food preparation… they get it to you as soon as the cook makes it available. There has been a time or two that I complained to a manager about the food, yet still left a generous tip for the wait staff for being patient and trying to be helpful. Now of course if you see your plate sitting on the warming table while your wait staff is laughing it up in the corner… then tip accordingly. But if they generally tried to make you’re experience pleasant, I’d do the 20% of the bill total Taxi Driver: I only tip my cab driver under two circumstances; first did they take the fastest most direct route to where I’m going? (You should always know where your going and approximate distance before getting into a cab.) Did the driver give me information that I didn’t previously have? Such as if I asked for a good place to eat or a fun place to take the kids…. if the driver was helpful, tip accordingly. When I do tip I usually give 10% of the fare approximately. Housekeeping: When you stay in a motel, hotel, B&B or Inn, housekeeping can often be overlooked. They usually service your room when your out, so you really have no contact with them. Because of this most housekeepers don’t expect a tip… but they should get one for the following things. If your in the room when they arrive and you ask them to service the room… meaning clean towels, change sheets, dump trash… I tip $5. If they just stop by and all you want is a roll of toilet paper or towels… then I don’t tip. Now if your room is being serviced while your gone, this can be tricky… you’ll of course realize that your beds are made etc… so if you have no contact with your housekeeper what do you do???? There one of two solutions… leave a tip with the desk clerk … they’ll know who to give the tip too. Or you can you can do what I do, I leave a handwritten note saying ‘thank you housekeeping’, and a tip with it. In this case I leave $2 for every day that I found my bed made. The reason I tip less in this circumstance, is because there's no guarantee that the correct housekeeper receives the tip.

My method isn't perfect, and maybe to some is not fair compensation. Yet it works for me, and I hope it helps you find what works for you.

Hotels vs Motels - Whats the difference

Not a lot of people truly understand the difference between a hotel and motel. Well I’m here to give you a quick education… and it’s really simple. A hotel has room service and a motel doesn’t.

Yes there’s more to it than that, but room service is the biggest difference. Let me describe both type of lodgings and what you can expect as far as amenities.

HOTEL
A hotel is a lodging geared towards vacationers, celebrities and business professionals. Hotels can range in price from $50 - $1000 a night. This doesn’t include the tourist tax that most major cities charge… yes I said tourist tax… be sure to ask about it whenever you make your reservations or you might find a very unpleasant surprise when you get your credit card statement. More established hotels will advise you about the tourist tax without the need to be asked, but don’t count that.

Hotels are well kept and beautiful, even going as far as extravagant looking. Rooms are most often roomy, even with the lower priced rooms. In room amenities will include the common branded toiletries such as shampoo and soaps, but may go a step further with complimentary slippers and robes.

For most of us our first experience with a hotel is by staying at a casino hotel. Here are a few things you can expect at most hotels no matter the price you pay..

Concierge: is a person who specializes in taking care of your needs, whether it’s arranging transportation, booking shows, reservations, finding special interest shops… there really is no limit to what a good concierge can arrange for you. These gems of the hotel industry are often overlooked by most and utilized only by the savvy few who frequent hotels. But don’t be intimidated by that, these men and women have there fingers on the heartbeat of there specific location. In most cases there is no charge for the use of a concierge, (though you will of course have to pay for the services they arrange for you) they are considered an amenity of a hotel.. and strive to make your stay enjoyable.

Incidentals: Have you ever seen that word on a hotel add and never knew what it meant? Basically it’s a credit account… and why hotels require a credit card. Anything you buy and charge to the room, are called incidentals…. meals, room service, hotel souvenir shop, tickets to shows, mini bar, PPV movies, damage to the room, the list goes on. This room account is secured by your credit card so that when you check out, all your charges get paid for.

Safe: it’s becoming more and more common for hotel rooms to be equipped with a safe. Those that don’t have an in room safe, may have a safe a the front desk. This is a nice amenities to have if traveling with valuables….. which you shouldn’t be doing anyways….

Room service: 95% of hotels offer room service of some kind, allowing you to call down to the kitchen and have meals served in your room, laundry service, even special requests can often be accommodated. These services are either paid for on the phone at time of ordering, with a credit card or charged to the room, which is why almost all hotels require a major credit card or bank debit card at the time of check in.

Minibars: in higher priced hotels you will find a mini bar, basically a little fridge stocked with the essentials need for snacking late at night. If you are on a budget, don’t even look in it… they do count everything inside and you will be charged for everything eaten… and though you will at the time be thinking to yourself, “we only live once”...... you will regret it when you see how much a soda cost from that fridge. I’ve seen entire vacations ruined by a mini bar…. I warned you.

Activities: most hotels have a heated pool, but could also have a day spa, massage services, local tours, etc

Shows: if your staying at a resort hotel, casino hotel or hotel in a high tourist area, you will likely get some sort of free show or entertainment venue included in your stay. These shows could include, dinner shows, tickets to a nearby show or a themed show like offered by Circus Circus.

Location: hotels often have great locations in city centers and vacation hotspots. Which means getting to them could cost you a bit more than you might expect. Many hotels offer free shuttle service to and from airports, check before booking a room. Taxis are expensive and can easily cost $50 each way depending on traffic.

MOTEL
Motels are a little different, these lower cost lodgings are geared more to budget minded vacationer and the random traveler looking for a quick easy stop off the highway after a long day of driving.

These budget lodgings can range in price to $30 - $300 a night depending on location. The higher priced ones are found in high tourist locations. Motels also charge a tourist tax….ugh

In room amenities are the common branded soaps and shampoos, occasionally an in room coffee maker, empty mini fridge, microwave, and some of the better motels offer a continental breakfast each morning. A word a about continental breakfast, these are usually a buffet style meal served in the main lobby or dining area. They usually consist of coffee, soda, baked goods, and very rarely ham and eggs. Oddly enough the price you pay for the room will not determine whether a continental breakfast is served…. I’ve stayed in $200 motels that served nothing, and have stayed in $40 motels that offered the full continental spread…. just depends on the motel so be sure to ask if they serve continental breakfast and what is served when you book or check in.

Motels run the gambit of cleanliness, and i have found that there seems to be no real consistency, even in major motel chains. Some motels are clean, others are dirty, and even others are just so filthy that I’ve demanded my money back and checked out within 10 minutes of walking in my room.

Incidentals: most motels have no incidentals, you pay for your stay and that’s it…. if your at a good motel, housekeeping will come by daily to exchange your towels and give more soaps, every few days they’ll change the bed linens. A lot of motels have PPV shows available, but besides that… nothing really gets charged to your room. Because of this many motels still accept cash or credit at time of check in. However, if paying for your room with cash, the majority of motels will require a cash deposit. This deposit is returned to you at time of check out after they send a housekeeper to you room to check for damage or unnecessary messyness. Deposits are usually $40 -$100

Activities: If you get a pool, your lucky.. if it’s heated, you’ve hit the jackpot.

Location: motels are notorious for being havens for drugs, prostitutes and a host of other unsavory activities. But is that all blown out of proportion, in my experience yes. True that motels are often found in the more ‘interesting’ parts of town, often close to freeways or major throughways. I see it like this, you want to see the tourist attractions, have ultra comfort or be pampered by hotel staff, then pay the high price of a hotel. But if you want to see what a city is really all about, then stay in a motel.

I’ve heard stories of motels being burglarized while your gone, it does happen, but if you research the area and motel before booking it, you should be ok.

Let’s be real, hotels sound so much better, and in any ways they are… if you have money to burn or plan on spending a lot of time in your room during a vacation. For me, most hotels are a waste, the point of a vacation for me is to get out and explore… so where I come back to at 1am in the morning doesn’t really matter… I’m to tired to care. So find a relatively clean motel and save the extra money for other fun things to do during your vacation.

One other piece of advise, if going to a gambling city, splurge for the hotel room in the casino your gambling in. So reasons for this, if you win big, the hotel will often upgrade your room for free even offering additional complimentary nights depending on how much you won. That’s because they want you to stay as long as possible giving the, a chance to get that money back.

The second reason, if you win anything, even a small amount of money…. chances are someone saw it. There are bad people out there, and they will rob you after you leave the casino to go back to your motel. Your much safer getting a room in the casino your gambling in and going back up to your room with your winnings.