We didn’t travel a lot when I was a kid, but when we did stay in a hotel, my parents always left a tip for the housekeeping staff. I thought everyone did that – until I grew up and realized many people don’t. I used to do a lot of business travel and I remember being floored that some of my colleagues had never even thought of leaving money behind for the people who cleaned their rooms.
This makes no sense to me. You’d tip the bellman for simply rolling your luggage into an elevator and to your room. You’d tip the valet for quickly parking your car between two white lines. You’d tip the bartender for merely pouring a glass of wine. So, why on earth wouldn’t you tip the women who clean your toilet and make your bed?
We all know how good it feels to be thanked for a job well done. Well, most hotel housekeepers don’t even get a thank you. While you’re away – maybe having a nice breakfast meeting or taking a dip in the pool – she straightens up your room, cleans your sink, fluffs your pillows, gives you fresh towels, and empties your garbage. And when you leave the room for good, she has to clean your shower and scrub your toilet. Yuck. I don’t even want to scrub my own toilet.
So, at the end of every trip, let’s all leave a tip. Whaddya think?
