Should you tip your hotel housekeeper? Absolutely, 100% yes! You want to show your gratitude, respect, and travel savvy. A daily tip should be  about the amount you would spend on a trip to Starbucks, $3.00 to $5.00 per day. It is a small gesture that shows you appreciate the men and women that keep your room crisp, clean, and pristine. In the photo is a note I wrote and left with the tip, while traveling last week.

Following are a few more helpful tips to consider.

• Tip at least three to five dollars a day. It’s important to tip on a daily basis, so the person who serviced your room receives the gift of appreciation.
• Leave a note of thanks with your tip. I have been told by Hotel Heads of Staff that the notes of thanks are a rarity and often kept by housekeepers as a cherished reminder that they are not invisible and are appreciated. If you don’t have time to write a note, at least draw a smiley face.
• Enclose the tip inside an envelope with a note or inside a piece of paper and write “housekeeper” on the outside. Place the tip on a pillow or by the sink in the bathroom.
• Leave a note for housekeeping stating it is not necessary to change the bed linens daily, just making the bed will suffice. This is a Trifecta of kindness, as it takes less time and energy to make a bed as opposed to changing everything, it saves the environment, and also saves the hotel money.
• Keep bath towels in one place, not strewn all about. Hang them up and reuse them. Kindly share with housekeeping that there is no need for new towels every day. Again, this saves time, energy, and money.
• Leave a “do not disturb” sign on your door if you intend to sleep late or need to work in a quiet atmosphere. The goal of the hotel and housekeeping is for your stay to be relaxing and memorable.
• Keep things neat so when housekeeping is cleaning your room they don’t have to do a trapeze/tight rope act while attempting to get their work done.
• Combine trash into one can so that the waste basket only needs to be emptied once. The housekeeping staff has many rooms to clean in an eight hour shift and these gestures make their time and efforts easier.
• If you use the coffee maker, take an extra minute to discard the grounds and rinse the pot.
• Lastly, when checking out, mention to the front desk how nice your room looked. A verbal compliment goes a long way. If you have time, jot a note about the neatness of your room and how wonderful your housekeeper was. Drop the note at the front desk for the manager. It will take you 30 seconds to write, but will live in the heart of the person you praised for years to come.

Wishing you much happiness and success!

Patricia Rossi, America’s Business Etiquette Coach