Tipping Housekeepers: Is Your Staff Tip-Worthy?

In hotel rooms, it has become quite common to find a note of some kind saying, “This room has been cleaned by ‘insert name here.’” Doing this gives a mysterious housekeeper a name and draws attention to the cleanliness within the room. This might also prompt travelers to leave gratuity for a job well done.

That was the case for one of my coworkers, who just returned from a weeklong trip where he tipped his housekeeper at the end. His mentioning this to me prompted a greater discussion. Should people tip your staff? If so, where and when should they leave it? Should your staff take it? And better yet, do they deserve it?

For answers to some of these questions, we tapped into our social media followers. Many respondents suggested tipping hotel housekeepers every day for a job well done, as the staff may change from day to day. There was also a consensus that a note should accompany any money, indicating it is a tip and encouraging attendants to take it.

But what was most interesting during the discussion was the question over who in our industry deserved tips. Granted, many travelers consider hotels their home away from home. It’s a personal space and they appreciate the attention, and sometimes discretion of the housekeeper. But what about the cleaning staff in a hospital doing the same thing, plus keeping you from contracting further illness, or the school custodian keeping your kids healthy? Don’t they deserve the same level of gratuity? Yet, patients and building occupants aren’t prompted to recognize them.

In my opinion, tipping should be based on the experience and the service rendered. But, if that service happens behind the scenes, it’s easy to overlook. Hotels have done a great job in identifying housekeeping personnel and similar tactics could work in other facilities. A simple note wishing guests a pleasant stay or a healthy recovery reminds occupants that cleaners are people providing an important service and should be recognized as such.