Leaving a tip for the cleaner on holiday

We have always left a decent tip for the cleaner's at hotels they make all the difference to your stay,you can dash out for the day knowing your room will be spotless and tidy when you come back.
Once when in Turkey quite a few years ago we took a radio/alarm clock with us as we had booked early morning excursions it only cost about £6/7 here at Argos and the maid was taken with it so much we gave it to her when we left,you would have thought she had won the lottery,she had nothing like it at home as she lived in a village up in the mountains and had come to the hotel to work for the holiday season.
When we go out to Majorca at the end of the month we will leave a combined tip from the three rooms we will be occupying.

I have never left a tip for a cleaner in a hotel and this is the first time I have heard of anyone doing so. I am horrified to think that I might have been thoughtless and ungenerous but I had no idea that this was standard practice.

When you consider the (possible) risible local wage rate especially compared to the cost of a holiday , I think people can. Whether they do or not is the question. Do we think to show our appreciation of the little things that make a holiday a pleasure? Hotel domestic staff are rarely seen but if they do not do their job well, people can be quick to complain often in no uncertain terms.

It is nice to leave a tip if you can.

Holidaying in France, some years ago, a group of us were staying in a gite.

We had a habit of buying unusual drinks to try at aperitif time. Not wanting to take any of our duty free allowance up we left what remained for the concierge, who inspected the property before we left.

She gave us an excellent inspection and our deposit back! Which, of course we spent on our duty free! x

I can moly speak as from my experience in Egypt, Grandjura.
Because my OH had a ear infection while we were there we left about £100 worth of drink that we had bought at the local 'tourist drink shop'
The staff were falling over each other when I told them we were leaving it and that they could take it.

We always give a tip because of the hardworking souls who make our holiday extra special.

Must say we have so often felt so ashamed how people behave with staff in Hôtels we've been to abroad- and have absolutely no sensitivity whatsoever that the food they mock or put their nose up at- would be realy luxury for the staff's families. And the absolute disgusting amount of waste left by people helping themselves to tons of food at evening buffets- piling food so high then eating just a fraction- when the staff and local people are so poor.

katyk that hotel owner might have been insulted by the way he was treated by someone on a previous occasion? Perhaps by being given a paltry amount.

One of the worst experiences I have ever had 're treatment of staff was in a golf club in South Africa - posh restaurant - and a group of men at one of the tables who had been exclaiming all night about how cheap the sea food feasts were (when converted to GBP) - when it came to paying the chap's card was declined and when the elderly Indian waiter returned to the table and informed him, this man proceeded to throw every card in his wallet - and there were many - at the waiter shouting "Try this one this one" whilst the latter just stood there utterly dignified whilst the cards fell at his feet. I've never forgiven myself for not saying something. Bit off topic I know.

Yes, of course you are right rosered and I am sitting here feeling suitably guilty.
Will review our policy.

Yes, here in the UK as well, no cleaners are all that well paid after all.

Do you all leave tips for the chambermaids in this country too?
For some reason we don't, only in foreign parts. I have never thought about it before.

SOME Egyptians Petra- others would be upset and shocked to be left alcohol- not all Muslims are secret alcohol drinkers!

We were so lucky to go on safari to Kenya and Tanzania about 10 years back, followed by a week on Zanzibar. The women cleaners worked so hard, and their men sad outside the compound smoking all day, waiting for their wives to come out so they could take the wages off them. Used to make me feel so angry. So I always made sure I gave them the money directly and told them it was for them, not the men... but whether they managed to hide it and keep it, I'll never know.

Was totally confused there....thought you meant a tip as in mess!!

The Egyptions love it when you leave alcohol in the room.

Yes, we always tip the cleaner, if there are two of them, then five euros each.

We always tip in countries where it is customary. However, we were holidaying in Corfu one year (our first trip to the Greek Islands). We asked advice re tipping beforehand and were told that it was customary to tip. On the first night in our hotel we ordered drinks from the bar and my DH paid and gave the man who served us a tip (a reasonable amount). The man said to DH 'What is this?' DH said 'That's for you'. The man was furious. He replied 'This is my hotel, I own it, do you think I need a few coins from you?' DH was mortified. He was very dubious about tipping again, but he does anyway. Just a bad experience.

Nice idea stansgran!

I find that in Burma and Laos the cheap specs from poundsavers type shops are very welcome especially with older people in rural areas.i love ethnic embroideries and comments were made by some old women that they used to have so much better sight and used to find it much easier. as I use cheap specs for threading needles I have taken them as gifts.

I have always left money, except in Gambia, where we gave toiletries, pens and notebooks for the children, and also gave a T shirt which the sunbed attendant had admired.

We always leave a good tip- try to keep it proportionate to local prices- for instance leave more in France or italy than in Morrocco or Egypt- but even so, £1 seems almost like an insult (still, better than nought, but..) for instance. And as J52 says, depending on location bits of clothing, flip-flops or sandals, etc- can be really appreciated too. So are any toiletries, eg rest of shampoo or shower-gel bottle. When we used to run ski trips, etc- we always asked the staff (who are on very low pay, a bit like Au Pairs) if they wanted us to leave bottles of shampoo and shower-gel, etc, and they always said YES PLEASE.

We often rent a self-catered villa (as we will do when we go to Sicily later this month)- but also leave a tip for those cleaners- tend to leave more is we meet the cleaners during the stay and they try to be welcoming and friendly. Different of course if it is self-clean at the end.

I agree with you jeannie. £1 tip for a whole week's work is miserly in the extreme. It seems it is often the people who can most afford it who part with as little of their money as possible.

Yes I leave about £10 occasionally more if something extra has been done. Holidaying in Africa the guides have asked us to leave any clothes, shoes and toiletries, too so we do. In Gambia once I had taken a box of Weetabix for DH (cant travel without them) but he didn't eat them so they were unopened. I came back one day and the maid was still in the room and she asked me what they were- I asked her if she would like to take them which she did with a big smile. The next day she told me her baby loved them. We knew before we went there would be a visit to the local school (the same in Kenya) and we had packed some Biros and paper for them as recommended in the guide books.

We are never faced with this decision as we cannot afford hotel holidays! But we have lots of fun on our self-catering choices.

We also leave our coins, depends where we are, but usually gather them up after each day out as they are often fill up my purse and are heavy to carry.

If we have had particular service we do tip that particular person. In some countries, we from 1st world countries are extremely well off, so even a modest tip is a consideral boost to incomes.

After touring around Morrocco my DH put his old trainers in the hotel room bin. Every day they were removed and tidied in the room. It was only after seeing a market stall selling old trainers, did we realise that his trainers would be a valuable item, not to be thrown away.

He then carefully wrapped them in a plastic bag and placed them at the bottom of the bin. This made it clear that they were no longer wanted. They were taken away! Probably to live another day.

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