Hotel Tipping Guide

Housekeepers deserve tips for the simple reason that they clean up after you, make your bed, scrub your bathroom, and occasionally discover things in hotel rooms that should require hazard pay.

Standard amount: $2-5 per night, left daily rather than as one lump sum at checkout.

Why daily? Different housekeepers may clean your room throughout your stay. A single tip at the end might not reach everyone who serviced your room. Leave cash in a visible spot, on the desk or nightstand, with a note that says "housekeeping" or "thank you" so it's clear this isn't money you forgot.

Adjust up if: You have kids who treat hotel rooms like personal disaster zones, you requested extra services, you're staying at a luxury property, or you opted out of daily housekeeping but want to tip at checkout anyway.

Adjust down if: You're barely in the room, you're a business traveler who doesn't create much mess, or you're staying at a budget property where $2 per night makes more sense than $5.

Bellhops carry your luggage, provide room orientation, sometimes deliver ice or extra towels, and occasionally share insider knowledge about the hotel. They're tipped per bag, which means the math scales with how much stuff you brought.

Standard amount: $2 per bag, or $1-2 for lighter bags and $4-5 for heavier or oversized luggage.

If you're traveling with a family and have six bags, that's $12-15. If the bellhop also gives you a room tour, explains hotel amenities, or brings up items later in your stay, consider tipping more.

At luxury properties: Bump to $4-7 per bag. The service expectation is higher, and the staff typically provides more detailed assistance beyond just transporting luggage.

At Disney or similar resorts: If you're hauling considerable family luggage, $5 per bag reflects the volume and weight involved. For lighter loads, $2-3 per bag works.

Bag storage: If you check out but store bags with the bellhop until departure, tip when you retrieve them, not when you drop them off. Use the same per-bag guidelines.

Hand the tip directly after service. The traditional method involves a discreet handshake with cash palmed, though honestly just handing it over with a "thank you" works fine. Nobody's judging your spy-thriller handshake technique.

If you carry your own bags: Don't ask to borrow the bellhop's cart to avoid tipping. The bellhop and cart are a package deal. Either use the bellhop's service or carry your bags yourself with your own arms.

Concierges range from helpful to miracle workers depending on the property and your requests, therefore the tip depends on what they accomplish.

Simple requests: $5-10 for straightforward tasks like restaurant recommendations, directions, or booking standard reservations.

Moderate assistance: $10-20 for securing reservations at popular restaurants, arranging transportation, or providing detailed local guidance.

Complex or last-minute requests: $20-50+ for getting hard-to-obtain theater tickets, arranging special experiences, solving problems that required connections and effort, or executing requests that shouldn't have been possible.

When you don't tip: If you just asked a quick question or picked up a map, no tip is required. Save tips for services that took time and effort.

Some travelers tip at the end of their stay for cumulative concierge assistance. Others tip per request. Both work. If the concierge truly went above and beyond, such as securing impossible reservations, solved a crisis, made your trip dramatically better, tip generously. The value is the networks and relationships they leveraged on your behalf.

Valet parking typically includes a service fee, but tips remain standard because valets are handling your car in all weather conditions and sometimes dealing with difficult parking situations. Some hotels charge $30-50 daily valet fees. The fee goes to the hotel. The tip goes to the valet. These are separate transactions.

Standard amount: $5-10 when they return your car, not when they park it.

Tip more if: When weather is terrible (rain, snow, extreme heat), they’ve provided extra services like giving you directions, or you're driving a vehicle that's challenging to park.

Multiple retrievals: Tip each time they bring your car back. If you're using valet service daily throughout a week-long stay, that adds up. Budget accordingly or consider self-parking if available.

Before tipping room service, examine the bill. Many hotels include an automatic gratuity of 15-20%, plus a delivery fee, plus a service charge. If gratuity is already included, you're done. No additional tip required.

If gratuity isn't included: Tip 15-20% of the bill, similar to restaurant service.

Even with automatic gratuity: Some travelers add a few extra dollars if service was exceptional or the attendant had to navigate difficult logistics (bad weather, complex order, late-night delivery).

Cash is ideal for room service tips because it goes directly to the delivery person rather than being processed through hotel accounting. If you're charging everything to your room, you can add a tip to the bill, but handing cash directly is more reliable.

Not every hotel has a doorman, but luxury properties often do. They hail cabs, help with luggage, provide umbrellas in rain, and generally make arrivals and departures smoother.

For hailing a taxi: $1-4 depending on effort and weather conditions.

For helping with luggage: $1-2 per bag if they're assisting with loading or unloading.

For just opening the door: No tip required. That's their job, and hotels pay them to do it.

Hotel spa treatments follow salon tipping conventions because the service is similar, you're paying for someone's skilled time and attention.

Standard amount: 15-20% of the service cost, same as you'd tip a hairstylist.

Leave the tip when you settle the bill, or hand cash directly to your therapist if you prefer. Some spas pool tips, others distribute them directly. Either way, 15-20% is appropriate.

You don't need to tip for every interaction with hotel staff. Here's when tipping isn't expected:

• Front desk check-in: Unless they went far beyond standard service to solve a problem, no tip required.
• Quick questions or directions: Asking the concierge a simple question doesn't require payment.
• Amenities that are included: If the hotel provides free coffee, newspapers, or shuttle service as a standard benefit, no tip for just using them.
• Maintenance or IT support: If someone comes to fix your TV or adjust your air conditioning, no tip expected.

International travel: Tipping customs vary dramatically by country. Europe doesn't tip hotel staff the same way America does. Japan considers tipping insulting. Research your destination's norms before traveling.

All-inclusive resorts: Many include gratuities in the package price. Check your resort's policy. Some still appreciate tips for exceptional service, others have strict no-tipping policies to avoid inequality among staff.

When bills include "service charges": If your hotel bill shows resort fees, service charges, or facility fees, those go to the hotel, not the staff. Still tip directly.

Carry small bills: Hotel tipping requires cash in $1, $5, $10, and $20 denominations. ATMs don't dispense singles. Get change at the front desk before you need it, or stop by a bank before your trip.

Use envelopes for housekeeping: Makes it clear the cash is intentional. Many hotels now provide these, but you can bring your own.

Tip immediately after service: Don't promise to "tip later." You'll forget, get distracted, or check out without following through. Tip as you go.

Don't make a production of it: Hand over tips discreetly with a simple "thank you." No need for elaborate presentations or apologies about the amount.

If you're staying at a budget hotel and genuinely cannot afford to tip every staff member, prioritize housekeeping. They work the hardest for the least recognition. A few dollars per night matters significantly to workers earning $34,000 annually.

Tipping is customary, and workers depend on it, but you're not required to use every service a hotel offers. Choose the services you need, tip appropriately for those, and skip the rest.

Editor's Note: Tipping guidelines reflect 2025 U.S. standards and may vary internationally. Research local customs for travel outside North America.