Tipping At Hotels

We always tip the housekeeper. Best practice is daily, but end of stay is fine.

We round up at restaurants. A bill of €77.00 becomes €80.00, for example, or we might leave €5.00 is it was exceptional or if we know we'll be back. (We tip better where we are regulars.)

I have never in my life tipped anybody in a hotel.

Tipping everybody and their dog is a peculiarly US practice. In Europe, people are paid wages by their boss. If the service you get is not what you expect, you complain to the manager, and in extreme cases refuse to pay part of the bill.
If a price is given on a price list, that is what you pay, including all taxes and charges. Advertising one price and then expecting the customer to pay more is fraudulent advertising.

I would regard having a job where I am not paid but expected to beg from the customer as third world exploitation.
The only people who work for tips are Buskers (street musicians).

I follow Laurel's advice, but usually tip housekeeping at the end of the stay, although there is the chance that the person who has cleaned your room is not working that day if the hotel is large.

In restaurants, I tip, usually rounding up. Like Laurel, I tip more at the places I go to often, even if it's just once or twice a year.

I have to admit that though I know the opinions voiced by the previous posters are standard for European countries, I still feel uncomfortable not leaving a tip in a restaurant. In a hotel, I normally leave a euro or two each morning, on the pillow so that it's clear that it's for the housekeeper and not just left out accidently. My rationale is that those people do the dirtiest work and, probably, get the lowest pay. I did, once, in Italy, find my coins carefully placed on the nightstand when we returned to our room.

I too will confess to leaving somrting for the housekeeper. Especially for multi day stays. Ideally on a multiple day stay I would like to hand a tip to the housekeeper with a thank you. I have not had a housekeeper say that it was not necessarily. The housekeepers in northern Italy ate usually from some where else and away from their families.

We usually leave a small amount for housekeeping as well, and round up restaurant bills to the nearest euro. We have on occasion left a bit more than that for waitstaff whom have gone above and beyond, and whom we have especially enjoyed.

Most of us staff don't tip in hotels housekeeping and you should not feel that it is expected. You would tip a porter who carries your bags. See also http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/tipping-in-europe.

I, too, tip at restaurants in a town that I will go back to. I have found that I get much better service and extra food, too!
I also tip if I get great service (sorry, was a waitress once).
Don't stay at hotels per se, bed and breakfasts are what I prefer.

Only the guy who carries your luggage to your room.
A couple of euros will do.
Otherwise NIENTE A NESSUNO.

There is never a need to tip for anything in Italy. It's an American custom and is not practiced by Italians. Italians will "round up" their bill when dining, such as leaving 50 for 48 euros bill but they don't ever tip 10-20%. That's purely American and shouldn't be done in Italy.

donna

I would rather tip the housekeeper who is doing a whole lot of work rather than a porter who just puts my suitcase on a cart and brings it to a room. That isn't anything like work, compared to vacuuming, cleaning a tub, toilet, changing sheets, dusting, washing windows, etc.

Housekeeping is extremely grateful for those small tips, let it be 1 euro per day if you like. Leave it on the pillow daily. Housekeepers change rooms each day unless you are in a really small hotel.

Tips are not usually included in a bill unless it expressly says so. The Service Charge goes to the restaurant owner, not the server. Round up if you like, though of course if the service was bad, you needn't leave anything at all. If you don't feel like tipping, you don't have to.