A curious dilemma

Mr_Wang

When I eat out at a restaurant and the service charge is included I don't tip. When it isn't, I tip.

I am currently sat in an apartment in Mexico and checking out in a few hours. The apartment cost about £300 for 7 days, but upon booking it cost less than that. Upon checking in, I had to pay an additional £8 per day cleaning fee which bothered me because I believe that if you must pay a fee as part of the room, then it should be included in the initial cost.

I always tidy the apartment before we leave and so the cleaners must take 5 minutes to change the sheets on the beds and then be off.

Question is this, on the dining room table is an envelope which says 'Por favor tips' now, anywhere else and I'd leave a couple of dollars per day, so would probably slip a twenty in and leave.
I will still leave $20, because for some moral reason I feel a little bad about not leaving anything.

What would others do/have done in this situation?

InsideInsurance

In the UK most restaurants say that the service charge go to the service staff and so there is good reason not to pay more unless you had exceptional service etc.

Cleaners probably make under $8 per day not per room and so that money is almost certainly virtually all going to the company and not the cleaner. I would therefore tip the cleaner directly. Similarly to waiting staff, give it to the ones who've served me rather than into the companies coffers.

rustyboy21

The cleaning fee will go to the owner, not the cleaners IMO, so I would still leave a tip for the cleaners. It will take more than a quick 5 minutes and change the bed, would you be happy if they did just that and you were the next occupant? I certainly wouldn't be.


I am like you and clean a place before I leave, but that is for my sake, not theirs. I want to double check I have not left anything and don't want anyone to see how 'scruffy' I am ( In my own head) and judge me, so we clean around, strip the beds, wash everything and put them away, give the bathroom a quick once over, the loos etc, before we go.


Your moral dilemma is that you are in a very poor country and the cleaning staff, most likely will be dependant on that tip, to feed their families. If you can afford to go to Mexico for a weeks holidays and have enjoyed the place, I would at least leave $10 for each day you have been there, it is only gonna cost you about £3.50 anyway ! lol

lea2012

I agree that you should leave a tip that will go directly to the cleaner. As you say you would have done this anyway, and even though it won't have taken them long to clean your room it's still polite almost to leave a tip.

I do agree with you on the cleaning charges though, they should have been advised or included at the time of booking and based on the fact that they weren't then I would perhaps contest them and ask for them to be removed?

I would then worry that they would feel that the cleaner hadn't done his or her job properly though and would worry about the repercussions of that but that's opening up a whole other can of worms and worries for me!

pollypenny

I would leave a tip, to ensure it goes directly to the cleaner.

However, I wouldn't do anything other than leave the place tidy.

NiftyDigits

rustyboy21 wrote: »

The cleaning fee will go to the owner, not the cleaners IMO, so I would still leave a tip for the cleaners. It will take more than a quick 5 minutes and change the bed, would you be happy if they did just that and you were the next occupant? I certainly wouldn't be.


I am like you and clean a place before I leave, but that is for my sake, not theirs. I want to double check I have not left anything and don't want anyone to see how 'scruffy' I am ( In my own head) and judge me, so we clean around, strip the beds, wash everything and put them away, give the bathroom a quick once over, the loos etc, before we go.


Your moral dilemma is that you are in a very poor country and the cleaning staff, most likely will be dependant on that tip, to feed their families. If you can afford to go to Mexico for a weeks holidays and have enjoyed the place, I would at least leave $10 for each day you have been there, it is only gonna cost you about £3.50 anyway ! lol

You need to work on your maths.
US$10 per room as a tip? They'll be making a pretty penny if they clean even just ten rooms per day.

Poor country?

Biggles

Are you serious? Cleaning is normally included in the rental charge and I've never - ever - left a tip for the cleaners, not least because I've normally never even seen them; it's all done after we've left, and it's done for the apartment owner to rent the place to the new tenants, it's not done for us.

Nifty is right, they'll be rich cleaners by your maths.

PompeyPete

Has the apartment been cleaned daily?
If yes, then a tip is due.
If no, then I wouldn't leave a cent.
The cleaner might even be the owner.
All extras should be clear at the time of booking.

Doshwaster

I will always tip in a bar or restaurant when it is the local custom to do so, but I will admit that I have never tipped for room cleaning. Maybe because there's no personal interaction.

Yinster

I usually leave a tip for housekeeping but would do it daily rather than at the end in case it was different housekeepers during the time I was there. So everyone gets a tip rather than just one housekeeper at the end of the stay.

[Deleted User]

Mr_Wang wrote: »

When I eat out at a restaurant and the service charge is included I don't tip. When it isn't, I tip.

I am currently sat in an apartment in Mexico and checking out in a few hours. The apartment cost about £300 for 7 days, but upon booking it cost less than that. Upon checking in, I had to pay an additional £8 per day cleaning fee which bothered me because I believe that if you must pay a fee as part of the room, then it should be included in the initial cost.

I always tidy the apartment before we leave and so the cleaners must take 5 minutes to change the sheets on the beds and then be off.

Question is this, on the dining room table is an envelope which says 'Por favor tips' now, anywhere else and I'd leave a couple of dollars per day, so would probably slip a twenty in and leave.
I will still leave $20, because for some moral reason I feel a little bad about not leaving anything.

What would others do/have done in this situation?

My philosophy on all matters tipping is very simple - anyone who asks for a tip never gets one.