Tipping for other services

Unless you are staying in a five star hotel that adds a service charge to your room rate, you should always tip a bell hop. One generally doesn't tip a guide conducting a walking/museum tour. But if you're doing a bus tour, a tip is customary.

Tipping the housekeeping staff is a wonderful thing to do.

I am going to disagree about tipping tour guides as it is common practice to tip them. It doesn't have to be much, but a couple of euro is always welcome. They have a pretty difficult job when you think about it. If they have entertained you, did a professional job, went out of their way, why would you not tip them?

It's your money you can obviously tip anyone you want to. I've just never seen anyone else tip those type of guides in Europe. If it's the custom I would happily tip, but inappropriate tips can also be insulting to some.

I think it is nice to tip the hotel maid. I tip daily,, so who ever does the room that day gets the tip, rather then leaving a sum on last day for whoever may be on shift that day! I leave one euro per person in room.

I have never stayed in a hotel in Europe that had a bell hop,, many do not.

I have never tipped a free musuem guide,, I assume they are employees of the museum, so paid a reasonable wage. I would tip a guide on a paid tour,, but how much depends on quality of tour.. probably about 5 euros for average day tour.I think the difference is on a paid tour,, the guides income likely does figure they are getting tipped, but museum tours are usually pretty superficial,, you can wander off and leave at any point,, they are often just tours to aquaint you with the layout of musuem. I have only done two day bus tours, ( Brugges and Loire Valley) and I think I tipped 5 in each case. I took a RS Family tour once, tips are included, but the bus driver sells drinks on board, and at the end when we settle up,, well I rounded up( this was a 14 day tour,, so obviously more then 5 euros) to give him a bit extra as he was helpful in many ways.

How do you tip daily in your hotel room?

I guess you could put money on the pillow with a note.

But anytime I go out for a short romp and leave a room with money on the nightstand, if the maids happen to come and freshen it up while I'm gone, the money is always still there.

I would hope the maid staff pools their tips, as that would be the only fair way to do it.

I typically tip according to how much a mess I leave the room at the END of my stay. Since until I'm ready to walk away from a room, I tend to like to keep it tidy to suite my own tastes.

I've gotten used to it, but I don't really need my bed made for me each day, like some spoiled, mollycoddled, Mama's boy.

Thank goodness just about everywhere on the planet has caught up with the ethos of not washing every towel, every day, if at all possible.

Well Bill, I always leave the euros on a piece of paper on the pillow or on the bedside talbe. I always write on the paper,, in the language of where I am .. "For you , thank you"( Pour Madame, Merci) .. or equivalent ,, this always works.

I do not think maids pool their tips,, why would they?? In the small hotels I stay there is often only one or two maids on,, and I do notice different ones on different days. So what,, you think they save all the tips for the week then figure out who worked which shifts,, then divide it up.,. no way..

In most hotels in Europe there are notices explaining that if one wants clean towels to place the soiled ones in the tub or floor,, if you rehang them they assume you will reuse. This is fine with me,, except,, how many of us have had to mop up wet floors after enjoying the lovely 1/2 shower doors that many places have!!

As a former hotel manager, I can tell you that housekeepers do not pool their tips. They also work different shifts, different days, etc. so a small daily tip is better than a big tip at the end of your stay.

Museum tour guides are different, so no I probably would not tip them. A 4 hour bike or walking tour, or small personal tours, like Battlebus tours, yes, these people deserve a tip. Guess I should have differentiated between those in my first post.

Okay ladies...

Small daily tip it shall be in the future.

Either that or stay away from all but the tiniest of B&B's.

RS guidebk has some good guidelines for tipping. However it should be commensurate with the service given. $1 euro to open a hotel or car door is beyond me.