Hotel Concierges in Italy

I can't afford to stay in posh hotels that have a Concierge, but I've found that front desk staff are always willing to help with restaurant reservations or whatever.

In terms of setting up accommodations in the next town, you can easily do that online. I usually have all my hotels pre-booked, so never have to bother with that.

One person's concierge is another person's front desk clerk.

Yeah, we have most nights booked as far as hotels go, but we've left a few nights open to whimsey - not in heavily touristed areas.

Terri Lynn would know. Maybe she will join this thread.

I have found front desk staff and especially owners to be helpful beyond my expectations, looking up transportation schedules, arranging tours, making restaurant reservations, loaning me their computers if the wifi isn't working. I don't tip because it's often the owner or a family member who helps, but sometimes I come back with some flowers or small gift from the market on my last day.

"One person's concierge is another person's front desk clerk."

Yes and no. I agree with what Ken and Zoe said - the hotels I stay in don't have a separate concierge. The front desk staff indeed do perform some of these functions, and I've never tipped them, and they don't seem to expect to be tipped. With one memorable exception years ago in Bologna who went out of his way to show us what a jerk he was, they were happy to enhance my stay with advice, reservations, etc. They clearly considered it part of their duties; of course, I wasn't asking for things like getting scarce concert tickets or reservations to Michelin-starred restaurants at the last minute on a Saturday night (the kind of stories I associate with the words "tipping the concierge"). As long as they're not busy with other things, I feel free to approach them with requests, and they've always been happy to help (some have spent a bit of time getting me ferry reservations in Turkey, helping me with a Dutch-only ticketing website, looking up specialty stores online, etc).

If you are staying in the level of hotel with a separate concierge, that's a different situation, and maybe they do expect tips (as Norma says, Terri Lynn would know). I've never stayed at such a place in Europe. But regular front desk staff don't expect tips.

If they are indeed hotel owners, then tipping will be an embarassment to them! (I've seen this happen.) Agree with the previous poster who indicated if you're staying in a more "posh" hotel that has a separate consierge desk/personnell, you may tip.

I am also in the camp who have received plenty of help from hotel reception staff with no hint of tip expected and none given. You being a pleasant customer and saying "thank you" will definitely improve their day. If you are asking something that may take more time, then be sensitive to whether they need to serve other guests checking in or out. Many hotels and restuarants can now be reserved online with little Italian language necessary.

Our experience is similar to others. The front desk especially in the smaller hotels can be extremely helpful and have called to make dinner reservations and other recommendations. Never considered tip them. Terri Lynn should be along since Concierges are keeping with her style of travel. Since she tips doormen $50 for hailing a cab she probably recommends at least a hundred for the Concierge. And more if he was helpful.

Well Terry kathryn will weigh in here..not Terri Lynn....I am used to traveling the same as most of the rest of the RS crowd, and I have always found the front desk people (whether a private little hotel or a chain ) to be extremely helpful. I have always simply thanked them and never thought about tipping, as it did not seem expected...

Actually... I fogot that a few years ago I stayed in the Relais Christine in the Latin Quarter for a week (someone else paid) and it was about 600 euros a night and they were extremely helpful as well :)) It was lovely but as you can see the hotel is not what makes my trip since it slipped my mind.

Don't bait Terri Lynn.

Also, I think that if a community like this didn't have a Terri Lynn, it would have to invent one.

Jtraveler... definitely... just to remind us that there is another way to travel:)

I just PM'd Terri Lynn that the Rick Steves' forum 'natives' were looking for her advice :) And, I sent her the link to this question.

If at a high-end hotel of any size, yes, I would tip them if they spent significant time with me. For a quick restaurant recommendation or calling for a taxi, probably not. But, if helping to book reservations in the next town or obtaining hard-to-find tickets for a sight or an event, definitely yes.

So, new acronym is invented: WWTLD? 'What would Terri Lynn do? And, a new blog/web site may be born!!!

(Edit: I didn't answer re: tipping at end of stay or right after assistance. I would do it right after the special assistance, just in case a different person were to be at the desk when departing.)

For smaller B&Bs or hotels where the owner or his/her family is manning the desk, no!

I got your message, Margaret. The hotels we stay in almost always have a concierge and they do expect tips. By concierge, I mean someone whose job title is concierge and not desk clerk. Concierges are great for making restaurant reservations, getting sold out tickets to plays and symphonies, arranging tours, and making recommendations. You should tip a concierge if you make use of his or her services. I never heard of anyone using a concierge and not tipping or having a desk clerk make reservations and not offering a tip. At the end of our stay, we prepare an envelope and put the tip inside then hand it to the concierge, expressing thanks for all he or she did for us. Offering $100 per week you stayed and used their services is appropriate.

If you are in a place that is cheaper and does not have a dedicated concierge desk, you should prepare an envelope with a tip for those staff who did a concierge type job for you. If you don't, well, you can imagine what the whole staff will think of you and say about you.

In an owner or family run place (including a B &B), do not tip the owner or family but offer a nice bottle of wine or something else appropriate (in Italy wine is pretty much appropriate everywhere!).

In a really inexpensive place like a hostel, they would be shocked if someone offered a tip for anything.

Just walk in the shoes of hotel staff- many of whom are low paid- and show them some respect and dignity. In many countries, American visitors are considered gauche and it is nice to treat the staff the way you would want to be treated if you were in their place. No need to invent a Terri Lynn, Jtraveler, there are many different ways of traveling and that is a matter of individual taste.

Wow!! A $100 tip. Thinking I was maybe a cheapo and not kind, since I would probably only tip $100 if a concierge arranged for us to personally meet William and Kate, I Googled for guidelines. Found the following articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/travel/

While this article from Conde Naste is from 2008, and it does not specifically discuss concierges in Italy (it does for some other countries in Europe), it gives some very good tipping guidelines for many locations around the world. Scroll down for Europe...it's near the end.

http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2008-11-11/etiquette-101-tipping-guide

And, maybe the very best advice of all, from our traditional Emily Post:

http://www.emilypost.com/out-and-about/tipping/89-general-tipping-guidelines

Bottomline: Terri Lynn is EXCEPTIONALLY generous in her tipping (which I'm sure delights and surprises those who help her, and also assures a very high level of personal assistance on return visits.)

But, I do remember several years ago, when I handed our trash collector an envelope with $20 in it during the holidays. He told me about a woman on the route who gave him $300, then went on about her high-end lifestyle and then looked me in the eye and said, 'She has more money than sense.' (And, that is not meant in any way, manner, or form as a slam to Terri Lynn's generosity. I'm sure many households were able to more easily pay the rent or buy a nicer bag of groceries due to Terri Lynn's kindness.)

So, my personal philosophy is: be kind and reasonably generous. If you can afford to blow someone's mind with a huge tip, I'm sure they would be grateful. Otherwise, if you follow the guidelines in the links above, you will be seen as appreciative and in line with other kind travelers.

I will bestow the $100 tip to any of you who arrange for me to meet William and Kate :) Aren't they just adorable!!!

At the small, concierge-less hotel in Florence where we have stayed twice in the past 4 years, we have tipped the front desk person(s) on our last night, or on the day of departure, in appreciation for their help with dinner reservations, directions, arranging for laundry pick up and delivery, calling a cab, etc. Typically, we'd give them 10 or 20 Euros each, depending on how much we asked them to do for us. They were always very appreciative - and so were we for their help, which ultimately made our stay more enjoyable. And that is worth something to us.