Tip housekeeping?

I leave €3 every day in the middle of the bed, regardless of what country, so the person who cleaned that day gets the money.

For all the people who i expect to post here explaining why you should not leave any tip at all (this has been a topic here for the 20 yrs i’ve been on this forum), i would like each of them to work for 40 hrs cleaning bathrooms and changing sheets on beds all day long, then see what they think. I don’t care if they earn “a living wage”, they deserve a tip.

Bravo Susan for leaving 3CHF everyday for housekeeping...

Just you know average hotel housekeeping makes 47232CHF a year and 23CHF an hour in Swiss, so "tip" is included in the hotel rate.. and this is one reason why hotel rate is one of the most expensive in Europe..

tip is an American custom.. if you want to extend it to Swiss, that's admirable..

For most of us.. I don't think it is necessary..

BTW, Swiss has such a great honor system, the housekeeper probably would leave the money aside, thinking somebody dropped it....

I’m with Susan on this one.

I have long hair that sheds all over the place. Anyone who has to clean that up deserves a little extra. I don’t get my room cleaned everyday though. Usually only every 3 days.

One of the locals chimed in preciously on tipping and said that it’s usually not Swiss citizens that have these jobs, but citizens from other countries on short term visas, working for minimum wages.

I leave the tip in a small envelope with “Thank-you!!” and a smiley face and leave it on the bed.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BL5WBGJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

About half the time I will get a nice note back thanking me for the tip. Here’s the one I got a couple weeks ago from my Wengen hotel (Hotel Schönegg):

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4D2LDo8gKuzuBeoh7

One of the locals chimed in preciously on tipping and said that it’s
usually not Swiss citizens that have these jobs, but citizens from
other countries on short term visas, working for minimum wages.

Switzerland actually doesn't have a minimum wage. Its all very free market really. Which is one reason why wages are so high. And even though, yes, a lot of the staff are foreigners, just in for a season, you still need to pay them the going market rate. Staff is hard enough to come by already.

Please leave a tip. It doesn't break the bank to show appreciation for their back breaking work.

I had read that 1-2 Swiss francs per day was appropriate, and left it on a counter but they didn’t take it. So Carrie’s envelopes seem like a good idea.

This post is more interesting and far reaching than it appears.

On this forum many people here chastise their fellow Americans for not following customs and rules of countries in Europe. Even RS has mentioned how to "become a temporary local" in the way we should dress, tone down the volume of our voices, how we should hold a knife and fork, so on and so forth.

However, when it comes to tipping, many Americans believe the American way is the right way for the world and no matter how many native people of a country or people who have lived in other countries speak about the country's tipping practices, some Americans demand we break this tipping practice of the country we are in and just do what we want and justify it.

Had we followed all the tipping practices in the countries we visited, we wouldn't now be reading about servers asking for tips from Americans in restaurants across Europe where tipping is not the norm.

While I know people feel a sense of guilt about housekeepers, servers, bartenders, etc. not making a living, how do you know their circumstances and the salary they make on the job. Of course, who would say no to someone handing them a few dollars or Euros, but aren't we suppose to follow ALL the cultural practices of the country we are visiting.

If not, let's not complain about four loud Americans playing cards on a train, Americans demanding doggy bags, Americans demanding their steaks in Florence be cooked medium well or watching Americans wading in a fountain.

The answer to the OP's question can only be answered by the Swiss people. Should the OP tip or not, what do the Swiss practice?

In Switzerland, it is customary to tip at restaurants. 10%. That is what I follow, not what I would tip in the US.

From the Swiss tourism site. It does not mention housekeeping.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/planning/about-switzerland/general-facts/money-and-shopping/tipping/

Frank linked to this site previously which does state tipping is expected for hotel staff in Switzerland.

http://www.whototip.net/tipping-in-switzerland

Well I certainly got a lot of feedback. I was aware of the tipping expectations at restaurants but not hotels. Thanks to all who helped.

Yet another reason to always have some cash on hand. However, I was amused to see in a recent hotel stay that there was a name and a QR code on a card in the room saying here's a way you can tip without cash.

I followed the same guidelines as Carrie, which I understood to be appropriate for Switzerland. And definitely not the level of tipping customary at home.

I am Australian, so we very rarely tip, and certainly not housekeeping staff.

I do tip correctly though on the two occasions I have visited the US, although I found it difficult and uncomfortable and probably made a few mistakes.

I am interested in this because there is a similar thread on another forum about tipping housekeeping staff, and in restaurants.

That forum is run by Swiss people and the consensus was that no-one would tip hotel staff and tips for waiters etc. were only for service above and beyond, and even then just a small amount.

That is pretty well how we do it in Australia, in fact how I've seen it done all around the world, of course with the exception of the US. The only other place I always tip housekeeping staff is in Thailand and Malaysia, but there the service is incredible and they really do earn a pittance.

Also of course tipping in Asia is extremely affordable, a trip to Switzerland is almost breaking the bank without adding anything unnecessary to it.

Well I certainly got a lot of feedback.

You’ll find that you often get more than you asked for here. :-)

Have a great trip!!

I specifically asked the owner of the hotel where I was staying in Grindelwald in December. The servers in the restaurant were acting offended when I didn't add a tip to the electronic payment system. The owner adamantly affirmed that you do NOT tip in Swiss hotels and restaurants. For precisely that reason. It creates an uncomfortable system where they expect tips from Americans, and those following the custom are shunned.
There was a tip jar on the counter, though, and those darn tip prompts from the software companies. Still this owner of a very touristy hotel in a very touristy town, said I was correct. No tip.

PLEASE follow the customs of the country. This was taught to me 40 years ago on my first trip to Switzerland. It is their country. Do it their way.

I was given different advice on tipping customs by the Swiss guide for our small hiking group 20 years ago. We stayed in small mountain inns for multiple days, with half board. Our guide left an envelope with cash “for the team”, which included housekeeping and waitstaff. I have followed this practice ever since, when we spend multiple days on half-board at a small mountain inn. I hand it to the manager at check-out, and it has always been received graciously. Last September I noticed a “tip jar” by the register—-this was a hotel in the Dolomites (OK, not Switzerland), where we were definitely the only Americans. Other guests seemed to be mostly German, from their speech.