More Americans might be skimping on tips at restaurants and hair salons amid persistent inflation. But there's one important place they're often forgetting to pay gratuity altogether amid the "tipflation" debate, according to one etiquette expert: hotels.
Hotel housekeepers are often stiffed on gratuities — but it's a service you should "always tip on," Diane Gottsman, founder of The Protocol School in Texas and a nationally-recognized etiquette expert, tells CNBC Make It.
"We tend to take housekeepers' work for granted, as we expect our room to be sparkling clean if we're paying to sleep there," Gottsman explains. Since most housekeeping is done when the guest isn't around, "they're out of sight and, therefore, out of mind," she adds.
The percentage of Americans who always tip hotel housekeepers is steadily declining, down to 23% this year from 28% in 2021, according to a recent Bankrate survey of more than 2,000 adults. Comparatively, 65% of Americans said they tip servers at sit-down restaurants.
You might run through various excuses for not tipping the housekeeper as you're checking out of a hotel — perhaps you're in a rush, or aren't carrying cash — but Gottsman says you should aim to leave a minimum of $3-$5 per day, or, if you have a bigger crew, $1 per person per day before checking out.
If you're not sure how many housekeepers are assigned to your room, Gottsman suggests asking someone at the hotel's front desk.
She recommends leaving tips daily, as housekeepers frequently change shifts.
"As a guest, you're directly benefitting from housekeeping," says Gottman. "They're scrubbing the toilet you're using, they're washing the sheets you're sleeping in …. It's a gritty, underpaid job."
Plus, like many service workers, some hotel housekeepers might rely on gratuities to help make ends meet, Gottsman points out. The average hourly wage for housekeepers in the U.S. is $14.40, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The American Hotel Association recommends tipping $1-$5 per night and leaving the tip in an envelope or with a note, so it's clear the money is for housekeeping.
The longer your stay, or the more expensive your hotel is, the bigger your tip should be. "Hotel housekeepers are some of the most gracious, hardworking people you're going to come across," says Gottsman. "They're struggling with inflation just like everyone else …. That $3 tip goes a long way."
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