Do You Tip Your Hotel Maid?
Do you tip your hotel maid?
“I have never tipped the maid,’’ said Jill Fox, 36, a Wellesley mom. “But I wouldn’t know where to put it.’’
Marriott is solving that problem by placing envelopes in 160,000 rooms in the U.S. and Canada this week, reports the Associated Press.
Between 750 and 1,000 hotels will participate from Marriott brands such as the Residence Inn, Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton, and more. It’s part of a new initiative called “The Envelope Please,’’ created by Maria Shriver and A Woman’s Nation in support of hotel attendants.
Boston.com took word of the tipping envelopes to the streets to see what people in the city think about the idea.
Fox said she thinks it’s a great idea and will definitely use the envelope to tip.
Here is what the envelopes will look like.
The new tipping envelope Marriott will use in 160,000 hotel rooms across the U.S. and Canada.
They say: “Our caring room attendants enjoyed making your stay warm and comfortable. Please feel free to leave a gratuity to express your appreciate for their efforts.’’ There is box below the text where the attendant’s name is entered.
Sarah Hosseini, 25, a marketing professional from Easton, knows what it’s like to clean hotel rooms.
“They work really hard and deserve the tips,’’ she said.
Hosseini, who has never worked for Marriott, said she remembers what it’s like to scrub on her hands and knees and breathe cleaning chemicals. She has worked in hotels that did and did not offer tip envelopes and said the envelopes make a difference.
“It helped a lot,’’ she said about her tip amounts.
Darci Acomb, 52, a realtor from West Bolylston, said the envelope makes her “more apt to tip.’’
But not everyone likes the idea.
“I don’t think I love it,’’ said Lynda Blouin, 52. “I don’t need a prompt.’’
Blouin, who was visiting Boston from Vermont this week, said she always tips.
Her brother, Jim Blouin, 56, agreed with his sister that he doesn’t need an envelope to remind him. But he’s not against the idea. Blouin is now retired, but used to travel often for work and tipped $2 per night.
Wondering how much you should tip? The standard is $1 to $5 a night, Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson told the Associated Press. But author Barbara Ehrenreich thinks we shouldn’t have to tip at all.
“It is not Marriott’s responsibility to remind customers to tip; it’s their responsibility to pay their workers enough, so that tips aren’t necessary,’’ she told the Associated Press. Ehrenreich worked as a hotel maid for her 2001 book “Nickel and Dimed,’’ which details her experiences in low-wage jobs.
Hotel housekeepers are paid minimum wage or more, depending on the market, according to Sorenson.
“A lot of people don’t tip because you are getting a service you didn’t see, so often times people don’t think of it,’’ said Gustavo Payan, 37, a manager from Cambridge, who not only tips, but has left positive notes for his hotel attendants.
Nadine Legendre, 58, a teacher from France, said she’s happy to use the tip envelope — if she’s happy with the service.
“I think it’s a good idea,’’ said Jihad Jamhour, 33, a server from New Orleans. “I work for tips. So I know how it is to go overboard for people and see it appreciated or not appreciated.’’
Lucy Slosser, a spokesperson for Marriott in Boston, said folks staying at full-service Marriott hotels in Boston are already used to seeing tip envelopes because it’s been a part of the guest experience for five years. With this new program, the envelopes here are simply getting a facelift.
“We’re very excited about this broader Marriott initiative and partnership because it shines a light on these associates who are absolutely critical to our success, but who often work behind the scenes,’’ said Slosser.
Do you tip your hotel maid? Will a tip envelope make a difference in your decision?
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