Do you tip your mousekeeper?

[2MuchWDFun]

We make up tip envelopes ahead of time. They are decorated with stickers and I write "thanks" on the front. We usually tip $3-5/day (there are 3 of us). I leave the envelope in an obvious location before we leave each day.
Like others have already said--we do not do it for better service, just as a thanks for taking care of our room. If there is ever a problem we take it up with our Mousekeeper directly. If it is still not resolved we'll talk with their manager. Fortunately, we have never have had to do that.

[buzznwoodysmom]

Just wanted to note that I was "raised" to tip as well. DH and I are generous tippers. However, I firmly believe that a tip is something that should be earned not just given because of a low paying job.

We've not had good housekeeping in WDW in years. I've taken it up with both the housekeeper as well as management and not much seems to be done. I know that if I were doing a sloppy job at anything I'd never expect my guests to leave me a tip when they are having to do part of my job for me.

If DH did his job halfway, he'd never expect a raise, he'd expect to be fired! To me its the same thing.

If we have great service, heck even just decent service, then by all means we do tip. However, during our most recent trips nothing about our housekeepers has made me feel compelled to tip them. And I don't expect towel animals or anything extra, just a clean room.

[Buttercup]

Silly question:
If you leave a dollar for the housekeeper every day, how do they know it's for them to take? Like, what if it was just a dollar sitting on the dresser... not meant to be a tip? How do they know it's actually for them?
I know about people making up Mousekeeping envelopes (which I think is awesome!), but let's say you forgot to do that. I've always wondered: is there a standard place you're supposed to put the tip so they know it's for them?

[Gator]

I was never raised that tipping at hotels is normal. In fact, I'd never heard of it until a few years ago when I read about it here on Intercot. I'll tip waitresses, bell services, taxis, and hair stylists - but I had never heard of hotel tipping.

Since then, I've began tipping, though not nearly as much as a lot of poster do. One trip, I'd leave $2/day. Another trip, I'd leave a 5 every 2 or 3 days. I guess I just don't understand the "why" of it all. I figured what I pay Disney or the hotel covers someone coming in to replace towells and vacuum every other day.

[Sylvia]

Silly question:
If you leave a dollar for the housekeeper every day, how do they know it's for them to take? Like, what if it was just a dollar sitting on the dresser... not meant to be a tip? How do they know it's actually for them?
I know about people making up Mousekeeping envelopes (which I think is awesome!), but let's say you forgot to do that. I've always wondered: is there a standard place you're supposed to put the tip so they know it's for them?

I always leave the tip on the sink and put the little "welcome card" (the one that usually has the mousekeeper's name on it) on top of the money.

[BrerGnat]

In the hotel industry, it is a standard understanding that money left on the PILLOW on the bed is for the housekeeper. No note will be necessary if you leave the money here.

My thing with NOT tipping is, how do you know that your service is not going to be "above and beyond" when you leave for the day? How do you know you will have the same housekeeper every day (because you won't)? If you leave in the morning and don't come back until AFTER the room has been serviced, and you didn't leave a tip, and the housekeeper did a STELLER job, wouldn't you feel badly?

[buzznwoodysmom]

My thing with NOT tipping is, how do you know that your service is not going to be "above and beyond" when you leave for the day? How do you know you will have the same housekeeper every day (because you won't)? If you leave in the morning and don't come back until AFTER the room has been serviced, and you didn't leave a tip, and the housekeeper did a STELLER job, wouldn't you feel badly?

Yes I would, which is why we continued to tip for many trips even though we had rotten service. We've had many issues, that would take much too long to get into here, but we've also had just plain old lazy housekeepers. I started to feel worse for "wasting" my money than I did for not leaving a tip INCASE our housekeeper decided to do her job. When I'm doing all the cleaning, or we can't even get clean glasses, or fresh towels, or the trash is left untouched for more than a day or two, or when the floor never gets vacuumed even though it really, really needs it, bathroom floors never touched on a more than week long vacation, or when our beds are left stripped with a stack of fresh sheets on each bed for us to make ourselves when getting back from a late night in the parks with two tired kids, I just can't find it in myself to feel bad for not tipping. There have been many times that our beds weren't even made. The only sign that a housekeeper had even entered the room was the fresh towels, or that the trash was actually taken out.

At first we'd tip for the first few days and then stop tipping half way through the week because of lack of good service. After a few trips we just didn't bother to tip at all. Sorry if that offends some of you, but when we don't feel a tip is being earned then we don't leave one. I've even come to think that maybe on our last trip or two we got bad service because we weren't tipping, but that should never be the case. A room should never be left mostly uncleaned just because the guests didn't tip. However, like I said, our service was bad on our last several trips whether or not we were tipping. Just like you think what if I don't leave a tip and they do an oustanding job, I started to feel like what if I leave more money for someone who won't even do her job right, let along do a great job.

[mickeymousedabomb]

On our last trip we stayed at Pop and this was our 1st time tipping mousekeeping. We budgeted $2 per person per day. We put an envelpoe on the pillow labled and many times we returned "home" to find towel animals and the stuffed animal Stitch had gotten into trouble while we were out! It was very cute and we thought our housekeeper did a great job. The only reason we never did before was b/c we hadn't been a part of intercot and learned that little bit of info!

[Dznygrl79]

I leave $5 for everyday I use mousekeeping. I usually have them come every other day. I have never had a problem with Mousekeepers. I leave the money under the welcome card on the table.

[mom2morgan]

We only use Mousekeeping every second day, and we tip $5. Last time it really seemed to make a difference in service - they started doing turn down with chocolates! But I don't expect that - I tip for clean and professional :-)

[kemps@wdw]

Most certainly! And daily. It definitely comes back to you in service.

[Mousemates]

If you leave in the morning and don't come back until AFTER the room has been serviced, and you didn't leave a tip, and the housekeeper did a STELLER job, wouldn't you feel badly?

Nope...I would not feel badly at all..we tip based solely on performance, not potential.

[PETE FROM NYC]

Usually its just DW and myself.
When I was about 100 years younger, I was a weekend bartender, for $20 per night.Tips would triple or better my salary. So I know the value of a tip at either end. That being said, yes we do tip a dollar per person per night, each night, because in most large hotels you rarely get the same person two days straight.
I just cannot see stiffing Wednesdays mousekeeper because Tuesdays did a sub-standard job.

[Fastpasssteve]

I bring a couple notecards with matching envelopes. I write a nice note on the first day saying thanking them for caring for us in the coming week, and that I like to leave half the tip today and half at the end. I have done this 4 times now with WONDERFUL results. Towel animals, perfect cleanliness, full replenishment of towels and shampoos.

Based on what I saw a few times during these weeks, the same team of women worked our hallway.

Hope you have a great trip.

[brivers222]

Nope...I would not feel badly at all..we tip based solely on performance, not potential.

if done more often this way it would negative inflated salaries paid to many!

[McLiberal8]

..which came first : the tip, or the stellar service provided? I know when I was working at a coffee shop, and I received a tip before I made the drink, I would appreciate the generosity of that customer, and more than likely, do all I can to go above and beyond to show my appreciation. It's a mutual understanding and courtesy.

[BrerGnat]

..which came first : the tip, or the stellar service provided? I know when I was working at a coffee shop, and I received a tip before I made the drink, I would appreciate the generosity of that customer, and more than likely, do all I can to go above and beyond to show my appreciation. It's a mutual understanding and courtesy.

That's what I'm saying! If a housekeeper walks into the room, and sees the tip right off the bat, MORE THAN LIKELY that housekeeper will provide better service than if there was no tip. Now, in a perfect world, that's now how it would be, but we are all humans. We appreciate when others appreciate US. A tip shows the housekeeper that you appreciate the job they do, and offer your thanks for taking care of the room. It's a service position. Anyone doing a service FOR YOU (that you could, technically, do yourself) should be tipped. It's a courtesy thing...

Maybe I've gotten lucky, but I've always had outstanding housekeeping at Disney resorts. And, I always leave tips. The ONE time we had poor housekeeping was over 10 years ago when we stayed at CR (with my mom). We were put into a filthy room (like it hadn't been occupied for MONTHS..it had spider webs and everything). One call down to the housekeeping manager fixed it within 2 hours and a top to bottom cleaning of the room. Our service from then on was impeccable.

Interestingly enough, we've also noticed over the years that if we address our housekeeper in SPANISH when we see him/her (after we determine that they speak the language), we are treated like ROYALTY! A simple "hola, como estas?" on the way out works WONDERS! Just a little hint for you all...

[Scar]

Interestingly enough, we've also noticed over the years that if we address our housekeeper in SPANISH when we see him/her (after we determine that they speak the language), we are treated like ROYALTY! A simple "hola, como estas?" on the way out works WONDERS! Just a little hint for you all...

You know, I've never really noticed it before, but I always try to speak Spanish to anyone I meet who speaks it (I'm not fluent but trying.) I've always had good service at WDW until my last trip at Boardwalk. I had very subpar service especially for a delux. Now thinking about it, my Mousekeeper was from a non-Spanish speaking country. Hmmm...

[KylesMom]

In a past life in a galaxy far, far away I was a member of the housekeeping staff on a Michigan resort island. I know how much I appreciated those tips, and I've always tried to pay it forward. Even though we keep our room neat, we ask for extra shampoos, lotions & towels daily - as well as extra pillows, hangers and such. We tip $3 daily ($1 for each of us) unless we've had measurably bad service and our requests are not met.

[mudpuppysmom]

I thought it was against Disney policy for their employees to accept tips? Is this just solely for CM's in the parks? When we stay at SOG we do tip for services we utilize. We've tried to tip in the parks, but the only ones who can accept them are servers at the sit down restaurants. Do the mousekeepers and restaurant servers belong to the same category of employees?