Q: Why should a hard worker at a budget hotel get less of a tip than a housekeeper at a luxury hotel? Don’t they both change sheets, bring fresh soap and towels, and scrub your toilet? If I go to a diner and the server is delightful and charming, do they get less than the snob at “white linens” because the bill is smaller? I say it should be equal all the way. A: Well, restaurant tipping in the U.S. is based on a percentage (usually 18 percent to 20 percent) of your total bill. So actually, it’s perfectly normal to tip less for a $10 diner meal than you would for a $100 dinner in a fancy restaurant. Obviously, you can tip more at the diner, and I’m sure your server would love it if you left a $20 tip for a $10 check, but it’s not expected.
If hotel housekeepers did exactly the same tasks in every single hotel, I’d say they should all get the same tip. But in luxury hotels, they tend to have more things to do — refilling the ice bucket, restocking the mini-bar, making a triple-sheeted bed instead of one with a bedspread, doing turndown service … which is why I recommend tipping a couple of dollars more per day in a luxury hotel than in a budget one.
Q: My 5-month-old typically wakes up from his afternoon nap around 4 p.m. I have to take a flight with him next month that leaves at 4:45 p.m. Should I not let him nap that afternoon in hopes he’ll fall asleep on the flight? Would you rather sit next to a cranky baby who might fall asleep after takeoff, or a baby who’s wide awake and might get bored?
A: I’d much rather sit next to a wide-awake baby who might get bored than a cranky baby who might fall asleep. Why? Because there’s a good chance the cranky baby will not fall asleep on the plane, and if he doesn’t, he’ll become even crankier. So if I were in your shoes, I’d let your son nap if he wants to.
Q: I would never send anything out to be laundered at a hotel (it’s so expensive), but those plastic laundry bags they leave in the closet are awfully convenient for separating dirty clothes from clean clothes in my luggage. It’s cool to take them, right?
A: I think it’s fine. But if you find any kind of fancier bag in the closet — recently I’ve seen lightweight cotton tote bags printed with the hotel’s name — I’d look carefully for a “with our compliments” sticker before assuming you can take it.
