Tipping - should I and how much??

When I stay at a B&B I agree to pay the owner for her and/or his bedroom for the night and the breakfast, and all the other extras - this is the price I agreed to pay when I make the reservation.

As I leave in the morning I pay the agreed amount, say goodbye and leave, to go on to the next place.

I see no reason to pay beyond the agreed amount - just as when I check out of a hotel room I pay the agreed amount. No need to give the owner "a little more".

You certainly don’t need to tip B and B owners. They wouldn’t expect it and would probably think you were mad if you offered a tip! It’s their own business and they set the room rates.

Tips should be given in cafes and restaurants if you are eating - add 10% if this hasn’t already been added to your bill. Tip taxi drivers by rounding up to the nearest pound or so and tip hotel staff that have carried your bags to your room. Don’t tip in a pub if buying drinks.

B&B's are small establishments (no more than three letting rooms) and generally run by couples who divide the work between them and consequently do not employ any staff.

Guest Houses are larger (three to seven letting rooms) and are quite likely to employ someone to help out during peak season.

In my experience as a former B&B proprietor I rarely received a cash tip from guests. Sometimes a hostess gift was left, but these were in no way expected although they were nice to receive. They usually took the form of tea towels, paper napkins, fridge magnets or other items easily packed and light to carry.

When my B&B days were done I helped out some friends with their guest house and again the same thing happened. They paid me for my work and I did not expect a share of tips if any came their way.

No one will be offended if you do not leave a cash tip in a B&B or Guest House. However I understand that cultural differences being what they are, you may feel as though you should leave a tip. If this is the case, then maybe bring some small gifts with you as a token of your appreciation for your hosts, or ask if the establishment has a charity tin which you may contribute to. My friends who ran the guest house had one such for the RSPB.

You will find many, many threads on tipping if you visit the Trip Advisor forums and some go on for pages and pages. It can be a contentious issue :-)

I completely agree with the advice already given. I own a B&B and certainly do not expect a tip. Some guests leave small gifts from their own country (e.g. a tiny pair of china clogs was left by guests from Amsterdam, and some lovely guests from Alaska gave us a small basket decorated made by a First Nation tribe) and while these are a delight and help to keep those guests in our memory we absolutely do not expect anything.

Restaurants and cafes if the service and food have been good then I'd leave 10%. Tipping is not necessary in pubs.

It would seem posting a good review has more value in the internet age than a tip.

Thank you all for your advice!! It has been helpful!! I like the idea of a small gift but want it to be something that can be used and not something to just "Clutter Up" their places. I was also going to leave a Thank You Card for our hosts, if that would be acceptable. Different country, different traditions!!

Thanks again!!
Kathy

But what if the service is lousy? What do you do ?

We never leave a tip at a B&B. We will leave housekeeping a small tip (no more than £1 or €1 per person per day) at hotels if we’re there more than a few days, and, if it’s the same person cleaning the room every day.

Hi jaimeelsabio!!

Thanks for your comment!! I was beginning to wonder about hotels too! My friend and I will be staying in a couple of hotels as well as B&B's. We will be staying @ 2 nights at most of the hotels. I appreciate the feedback!!!

Kathy

Hi Jazz+Travels,

As for bad o lousy service...that's when a candid review on the internet comes into play!!

Kathy

Not to be too critical, but comments about "If I do not tip, then how do I assure good service?" or, "what if I get bad service?" do not make much sense.

You receive what service you do, tipping at the end has no bearing on what service you receive, and unless you are a frequent guest, is pointless for future service. Further, for the purpose of "punishment" for bad service, withholding a tip from someone who is not expecting one is also pointless, even if they do expect a tip, those people are likely to just blame you as a "bad tipper", not that they did something wrong, so tipping in general is a terrible form of evaluation with no other input.

As others have mentioned, no tip is expected, so don't. A small gift may seem like a nice idea, perhaps it is, but you have to ask, is some trinket or knickknack really something you would appreciate? (If everybody brought something, they would have a closet full of stuff) I can imagine that something like a special Tea for breakfast, a pastry or dessert maybe a bottle of wine, something consumable, would work...but very subject to personal tastes, so hit or miss.

All this leaves maybe the simplest gratitude...polite conversation, offers to provide or do something, a heartfelt thanks for great service and an offer to share your experience with other travelers. In the event of a bad experience, it also means the guts to share your disappointment in person.

Just to come back on the point about poor service. Of course leaving a review is always helpful, but if things are not how you'd like them to be, then personally I'd always appreciate the opportunity to put things right, which is tricky after someone has checked out.

Hi all,

To me (in my opinion) the threads to this topic seem to bring out some negativity. I'm not sure why. I only meant to ask about tipping because I like to thank people for their kindness and their work, which they did (will) put forth. It was (will be) a token of thanks. We tip here in the South and is like second nature almost to do so. I asked because I did not know if tipping was done or not in Scotland as there have been many differing opinions on the net. I just did not want to offend any potential new friends we may meet and make on our trip in June!!

Thanks for the input!
Kathy

Hi Skyegirl!
To be honest, if I encounter a problem at a location where I am staying, I usually address it with the management/front desk. I think it is better to address the problem when it happens rather than later. I find that it usually works out and it is beneficial to both parties!! No need to wait and stress or brood over something that could possibly be corrected in a few minutes. I never expect everything to be or go perfect all the time. It is simply not possible. Sometimes those imperfections can make a trip more interesting in a good way!!!

Thanks for your comments!!!
Kathy

I'm sorry you see negativity... I don't, I've been around this Helpline and now Forum for a bit and usually people just tell it like it is - and that's what I see here on your question.

If you want to thank people for their natural human kindness a word of thanks and a kind smile and happiness goes long way to help people feel valued.

Thanks Nigel!

Maybe Negativity was a poor choice of word!! I agree a simple word of Thanks goes a long way. Maybe heartfelt words will be better than tips!!

Kathy

Nicely put, Kathy

And thanks for filling your profile and location. It helps so much to build a mental image of a fellow writer here on the Forums.

It's too bad those Moravian cookies are so darn fragile... (one of my favorite North Carolina products). But then again, I'd probably eat them all myself, long before I needed to give them away.

Hi! ACRAVEN,

I live a half mile from Mrs. hanes Moravian Cookie factory!!! They have the BEST COOKIES!!! They also ship all over the world!! You have given me an idea.........:)))))

Kathy

Thanks Nigel!!

I live in a very central part of my state! I am @ 3-4 hours away from the beach or mountains from where I live. It's a cool place to be!! Plus we have really great BBQ!!!!!

Kathy

I know those cookies all too well and have even bought them on-site.

hmmm BBQ. Too bad THAT doesn't ship well.... although I do remember LBJ (well before your time, you youngsters) having some delivered to the White House

Hi Nigel,
Well they do sometimes call NC the BBQ Capital. We have a 1 day BBQ Festival and there are usually @100,000 who come to it. We LOVE our Lexington Style BBQ!!!!!

Kathy

Hi, Kathy,

Adding my two cents (or tuppence) as I frequently do -

The only time I've left a gift for a B&B owner was on Skye, when the owner offered to do our wash, as the laundrette in Broadford was closed (Not that the machines ever worked, anyway - one year we did the wash, only to find out that the dryers were broken. We had to take a bag of sopping wet wash to Portree to use the dryers there.). Anyway, this very nice lady did our laundry for us, at no charge.

As we were coming back across Skye from Harris, we decided to bring her a small token of our appreciation. A couple of boxes of Cadbury's Roses filled the bill. We bought them at the Co-op in Broadford; if we'd bought them in Portree or Stornoway, we would definitely have finished them ourselves before we got back to Broadford! :)

As far as leaving a tip for housekeeping in a hotel, I usually leave a pound or two if I'm staying more than one night, but not on the last night, as I won't be coming back.

As far as restaurants go, a 10% tip seems to be the general consensus here. I know that tipping in a pub is not generally done, but especially if you're going to be in the pub for a while, it wouldn't be amiss to give your bartender/publican a pound or so, or tell him or her to keep the change if you have a small amount coming back. For reference, see the patrons at the Queen Vic on EastEnders.

As far as taxis go, I know that most guidebooks say to just round up to the next pound, but give me a break! These men and women are working hard for their money - think about how much you'd enjoy driving all day in Glasgow or Edinburgh. Round up, then add a pound or two. Just think of it as contributing to the Scottish economy.

Happy travels, and happy tipping!

Mike (Auchterless)

Thanks Mike!!!

As always, your comments are appreciated!!!

Kathy