As someone who travels anywhere from two to four times a month, I have a fairly streamlined trip preparation process: Create a packing list, gather my TSA-approved toiletries, and schedule a trip to the bank or ATM to grab cash for tips and gratuities.
I like to have smaller bills on hand ($1s and $5s) for tipping bellmen, valets, and hotel housekeeping, particularly if the service is exceptional. While many travelers may be familiar with tipping those who help with their bags or cars, I’ve found that not everyone understands the etiquette behind leaving something additional for those cleaning hotel rooms.
The guide below on how much to tip housekeeping will cover everything you should know about the practice.
How much should you tip per day?
Whether or not you tip is at your discretion, but most travel experts recommend tipping hotel housekeeping anywhere between $1 and $5 per day. The exact amount will vary based on a number of factors, outlined below.
Factors to consider when deciding how much to tip.
Several factors impact how much to tip housekeeping, including:
- The number of occupants
- Room type
- Hotel category or star rating
- Special requests (like extra towels, pillows, or water bottles)
- The overall condition of your room
If you’re traveling with kids or pets, consider leaving more, as the housekeepers will likely have to do a bit more cleaning to ensure your room is left spotless each day.
That same rule applies if you’ve booked a larger suite or a room with a kitchenette, if you left your room in a mess (maybe you got sick or you didn’t pick up after yourself), or if you asked the housekeeping team for any extras, like more soap or extra towels.
You may want to tip more if the team goes above and beyond with their services – straightening all of your toiletries products, providing a few surprise-and-delight moments (like a tiny jewelry bag by your accessories or a bookmark on top of your current read), or organizing the phone and computer chargers you left in a tangle by your bed.
Lydia Mansel, travel writer
When and how often should you tip?
It’s best to tip every day to make sure the proper person receives the cash. Housekeeper schedules and room assignments frequently change, so you may not have the same person cleaning your room each day.
Good-to-know tipping etiquette
- Bring cash with you. Some hotels have rules about what housekeepers can and cannot accept from guests, but cash is usually a safe bet. Avoid leaving food, alcohol, or small gifts.
- Use local currency. You may have a handful of US dollars on you while at a hotel in Italy, but they’re useless to the housekeeping team. Instead, load up on small bills or coins used in the destination.
- Leave the tip in a visible place. Most experts suggest leaving it somewhere like the dresser or the bathroom sink. Do not leave it next to your purse or wallet, as this may be confusing to the team. You can also leave the tip in an envelope, noting that it’s for housekeeping. That way, there’s no confusion over whether or not the cash is a tip.
Should you tip if you’re not happy with the housekeeping service?
If you aren’t happy with any aspect of your hotel stay, whether it’s the housekeeping services or something else, it’s best to say something right away. This allows the leadership team to make the proper adjustments. If you’ve alerted the staff of the issue and things still haven’t changed, you can reduce your tip amount (or forgo leaving a tip completely).
Tipping housekeeping etiquette around the world
FAQ
Typically, you would leave a daily tip, as the housekeepers seeing to your room will likely change each day. However, if you forget to leave a daily tip and want to leave a lump sum at the end of your stay, you’re more than welcome to. Either leave it in the room or with the concierge. Just let the concierge know which room you stayed in, so they can distribute the cash to the correct team members.
In most cases, there is no mandatory service charge for housekeeping services at hotels. The cost of housekeeping is usually included in your nightly rate, so any gratuities those making your bed and refreshing your bathroom linens will receive come directly from you in the form of cash. Keep that in mind as you decide how much you want to tip the staff.
Yes, $5 is a great daily tip for hotel housekeeping, but it’s a little too low if that’s the total you’re leaving for an entire week of excellent service.
Yes, $20 is a decent tip for hotel housekeeping, but again, it’s all relative. If you’re a guest of a hotel for more than a week, you brought pets, and your kids were pretty messy, you’d definitely want to increase the final tip amount.
But if you’re a low-key solo traveler and the overall housekeeping lift is pretty low, $20 is the perfect amount to leave after a weeklong stay.
It depends on where you are in the world. If you’re staying at a hotel in the US, tips are much appreciated. Housekeepers have a tough job – keeping your bathroom pristine, vacuuming the carpets, removing the stains from the room service meal you ate in bed – and tipping is the ultimate way to show your gratitude for their effort.
If you left a huge mess and didn’t leave a tip… that would definitely be considered rude.
