Hotel MannersHow to have excellent Hotel Manners. Travel etiquette on how much to tip, who to tip. A tipping guide for hotels and travel included.  Hotel MannersPilferage i.e. StealingOther decent, honest citizens are faced with the urge to pilfer, to help themselves to hotel monogrammed towels, ash tray, bath robes, even bed linen, as if the hotel expects them to disappear! If tempted, Peggy Post from Emily Post Etiquette suggests to say to ourselves, "This ash tray is hotel property, if I take it home with me it will have to be replaced, and I am no better than a common thief. If you really desire the item, call the hotel reception and make a request to purchase them. There are several hotels who have that option. The only things you can take away with you are the 'disposables' that they offer to you to make your stay more convenient, such as shampoo, soap, sometimes bath slippers. When in doubt, call reception to check. Hotel MannersGeneral If you require assistance with your luggage and have requested the bell men for help, kindly remember to tip him. Most hotels have a check out time at noon. If you are running late, call the reception desk to ask for a bit more time, or ask for the rates to extend for a couple more hours. At hotels, you are living in close proximity with others. If you leave early, be careful not to let the room door "close" by itself, inadvertently causing it to slam. Be considerate to those rooms around you whose residents might be still asleep. Same goes for if you come back late, do not laugh loudly, shout, scream or run along the corridors. Similarly, beware of the volume of the television, radio, your laptop etc. If you are in motel, do not slam car doors as they are often parked right in front of the rooms. Depending on the hotel, dress accordingly. If it is an upscale hotel, do not be seen wearing shower shoes, flip flops, casuals when you check in or eat at the hotel. Sure, hotels everywhere welcome all sorts of guests, but being elegant is about being appropriate and certainly this is one of them where you don't have to be like everyone else. If you are staying in a motel, casual clothes are more acceptable. Hotel MannersTippingLike wait staff at a restaurant, people who work in hotels rely heavily on tips as part of their salary. Consider tips as part of your travel expenses when you make a travel budget. DoormenDoormen are those who usually help with your luggage the minute you step out of your car at the hotel's entrance. A tip of $1-2 is acceptable depending on how much luggage you have. If you are visiting and have no luggage, you are not required to tip even though he opened the door for you. If he grabs a taxi for you, tip him $1-2, $3 if he has to get himself a little wet in the rain. More if you feel bad or generous.
BellmanThis is the person who handles your luggage and brings it up to your room (or down to the reception). If you have an extra service staff show you to your room, you do not need to tip him. For any other special request, say he brings an umbrella up to your room, you should tip him a couple of dollars again.
MaidThe general rule is $2 per night. Give the tip to her in person. Peggy Posts say to leave it in an envelope labelled "Chambermaid", but due to the work done in shifts as well as the possibility that chambermaids do not read your mail. I'd say give it when you see them. Otherwise, just try not to leave the room in an utter mess.
ValetValet services are sometimes added to your bill and if it is so, there is no need to tip. If they deliver it to your room and you are in, give them a $1 for courtesy and more if there is a pile of clothes.
Room ServicePeggy posts say to tip 15-20% of the bill, even though the room service has an additional room service fee. I think this is outdated, and we all know that room service items are marked up very much because of they have already included the cost of service. I think a general $2-5 should be acceptable.
Dining Room StaffThe more elegant the restaurant, the higher percentage of the bill to tip. Generally, in any elegant restaurant, the tip should be about 20% Otherwise, stick to the norm of 15%. In some restaurants, especially in asia, if there is a service charge in your bill, you are not required to leave a tip.
Personal ServicesBeauticians, manicurists and other personal service providers in hotels are tipped on the same basis in shops. Concierge is tipped a minimum of $5 for handling such things as airline tickers or up to $10 if the service is excellent, for instance getting a restaurant book that has been extremely difficult to get. Hotel MannersWhen You Do Not Need To TipIn some countries, it is common practice for hotels to include a service charge (most often found in restaurants and very likely to be from 10-15% of the entire bill), which in that case, you are not required to tip. In some cases, you need not tip, valets, maids, porters etc. Call in advance to check. You might also be interested in:
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