Here's how much – and whom – you should be tipping at American hotels (2024)

FAQs

Here's how much – and whom – you should be tipping at American hotels? ›

What is a normal tip to leave in a hotel room in the US if any? Tipping is never expected but always appreciated. Personally, I leave $5 per night if it's a standard hotel, and $10-20 per night if it's a classy hotel. The people who keep the rooms work hard and don't make much, and they always appreciate it.

A general rule of thumb is $3 to $5 per night for budget and midrange hotels, and up to $10 a night for luxury hotels and resorts (or more if the service is really high end).

According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), guests should tip housekeeping anywhere between $1 to $5 per night for a mid-range or business hotel. For luxury hotels where the staff offers daily cleaning services and nightly turndown services, guests should leave a little more.

Tipping your valet is good practice because they work hard, often in grueling weather conditions, to provide this service. Experts recommend tipping between $2 and $5 per trip, or $10 for excellent service. You may not be expected to tip valets at certain venues – like hospitals – or for private events.

Some guests leave a lump-sum tip on the last day of their stay, but a better practice is doling out incremental tips daily, as hotel housekeepers might have different day-to-day room assignments. A daily tip more closely ensures your gratitude goes to the specific worker who services the room each day.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (ALHA) recommends tipping hotel housekeeping $1-5 per night. If you're going to tip, ideally: Leave it nightly, since someone different could be cleaning your room every day.

As for a tip, you don't need to break out your wallet for directions to a nearby coffee shop, says Gottsman. But consider a small gratuity, from $5 to $20, if a front desk person or concierge is able to secure you hard-to-get tickets, reservations or special services.

You do not have to tip every time you take out your car. Are you coming and going several times a day? It's unnecessary to tip with each interaction. But, at minimum, it's customary to tip when you check in and out of the hotel.

Brooke Bergen, a former front desk associate at a five-star hotel, advises tipping anyone in a non-managerial role, “including waiters, valet, bellhops, bar and restaurant staff, front desk staff, concierge, and housekeeping.”

How much to tip a hotel shuttle driver? ›

Your Hotel Shuttle Driver

Even though it's a "courtesy" shuttle, "courtesy" can go both ways. But, how do you know much to tip the hotel shuttle driver? Offer your driver one or two dollars per bag or person.

How much do you tip at a hotel? Senning recommends tipping bellhops $1 to $2 per bag, like baggage handlers. He suggests similar amounts for staff who deliver items upon request, like extra towels. For housekeepers, he suggests leaving $1 to $2 per guest, per day that housekeeping is provided, which may not be daily.

How much money to leave. The standard amount for housekeeping is $1 to $5 per day, according to a tipping guide from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. But with the ongoing pandemic, Unite Here suggested leaving at least $5.

We usually tip between $5 and $10 and try to base the tip on how much time the person spends with us and how much assistance he or she provides. The attendant helps us speed through security and sometimes spends in excess of 30 minutes with us.

It is not necessary to tip front desk staff unless the hotel does not have a concierge or bellman/bell staff and the front desk people do those jobs - handing our maps, making reservations (for restaurants, shows, athletic events) but you are better off doing these things yourself if at all possible.

It often depends on the situation, whether or not you had any special requests for the staff, the services, and how luxurious the hotel is. One study found that 70 percent of guests don't tip hotel workers at all. For some, that's an intentional choice—but for many people, they simply don't know whom to tip and when.

Industry insider: common consensus says 15-20% is considered a normal tip, but honestly any amount less than 20% is considered a bad tip.