Housekeeping tipping during Covid times

[Andrea J.]

If you are in Aruba and due to Covid 19 protocols your housekeeping at your resort is greatly reduced.



A friend was at a high end Disney resort last week for 5 days and the housekeeping services were very limited ....towels were swapped out daily and that was it as far as housekeeping. The towel swap was made in the resort hallway............dirty in a blue bag outside the door and clean left in another color bag outside the door.

She and her husband left 1/2 the amount that they'd normally leave.


Would your tip reflect the reduction in housekeeping services in Aruba?

[WaltVB]

We stay at Marriott timeshares mostly. The housekeeping service is already only once a week. I doubt we would change our tips. When I have travelled this summer I didn't tip as there was no room service at all. If I'm making the bed, swapping towels in the hallway and dumping my own trash I don't see the point.

[Pegmeister]

Oh, I wouldn’t change my tipping policy. Even though they’re not coming into the room, the trash is still being emptied and new towels provided. They’re doing their job so we can enjoy a vacation.

[brady bear]

We are trying to figure what would be a fair tip
We left our trash outside our room
Would call to swap towels every other day.
Even if you leave dirty towels in a bag outside, you must call for replacement
Housekeeper saw the inside my room and comment you make your bed nice, while getting our towels
Bed linen wasn't change during our stay. We are used it being done weekly at home
With that being said we will leave something. Not the normal amount

[Aruba4ever]

Let me start with we don't get our room cleaned daily as I really prefer people not to be in our room and us "having" to be out at a certain time. When we do get our place cleaned we leave a good tip. I can't see me leaving that same amount when I am gathering things up, putting them outside, and not getting clean sheets etc. I am not sure what the difference would be but there would be some. We typically leave 10-15 daily depending on the size of our room and additional money at the end of the week if they did a good job.

[Traceyd14]

We had this conversation when we did a hotel stay for 4 nights earlier in the summer. We decided to leave what we normally would because financially we have not been affected by Covid, and we have the means to do so. Normally we tip daily if we receive service daily, so we just added that up and left it at the end. The staff of these hotels are suffering. Many have had hours cut and tips have been way down. I see it as more of a gift to brighten someone's day than a tip since I am not receiving services.

[Laura in NH]

In a 'normal' year I put the do not disturb sign out every day. I don't need clean towels every day, nor is my garbage full. At my place they do the 'big clean' and sheet change on Thursday. I'll get clean towels and they'll take trash then as well, and I always leave something for them.

This year was no different except I didn't have to put out the sign out since they weren't coming except on Thursday. I left something for them on that day, and it was little more than my usual. When I left on Saturday, I stripped the bed, and bagged all the trash and put new bags in the buckets.

I also put the unopened tuna, baked beans and potato chips in a bag with the rest of my cling wrap and foil. Not sure if they can or would take that stuff, but it was bagged for them, just in case.

I had clean pool towels in the room but needed to use them to sop up the rain flood in the bedroom. I felt bad, but not much choice there....so I left a bit more on that day as well.

[robin]

When we travel we rarely let them come in while we are staying there. We might ask for some extra towels or shampoo if it a longer stay. At the end we leave what we would have tipped each day, so we would not change anything.

[ArubaAce]

My recent trip to Montauk Long Island I stayed for 3 nights and declined house keeping. They did leave towel in a plastic bag by the door. I left a tip because I also left a big mess :>) so just to make up for it I tipped.