In the United States, tipping still makes up a large portion of hospitality staff wages. But the etiquette behind hotel gratuities can be hard to navigate, unlike commonly used rules of thumb in restaurants and bars, where 20 percent of the bill is considered the gold standard.
For hotel tipping, it can be a challenge to know exactly how to express thanks with gratuities. While room service attendants often receive an automatic gratuity as part of the room service bill, other employees may only receive tips occasionally. Then there are the all-inclusive resorts, which cover gratuities as part of your stay (often broken down among other service charges in the resort fees). It often depends on the situation, whether or not you had any special requests for the staff, the services, and how luxurious the hotel is.
One study found that 70 percent of guests don’t tip hotel workers at all. For some, that’s an intentional choice—but for many people, they simply don’t know whom to tip and when.
Emily Van Voorst, director of lodging at Enchantment Resort and Mii amo in Arizona, said that tipping should always be done at the discretion of guests and can depend on the service and hotel experience. Still, it’s a nice gesture to show thanks to those who made your travels smoother.
There may be no hard and fast rules, but we’ve turned to industry and tipping etiquette experts for some guidance on whom to tip, how much, and what to do if you don’t have cash. Read on for a cheat sheet to tipping at hotels in the United States.
Even if housekeeping doesn’t clean your room during your stay, it’s still a good gesture to leave a tip at the end of your trip.
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How much to tip a hotel housekeeper
At a mid-range or business hotel, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) suggests tipping housekeeping $1–$5 per night.
When at a luxury hotel, experts we asked said they’d leave housekeeping anywhere between $2 and $20 per day (the higher rate being for hotels that offer daily cleaning services and nightly turndown service and large or multiple rooms, like a multi-bedroom villa).
If cleaning your hotel room will take housekeeping staff longer than average (about 20 to 30 minutes for a one-bedroom room), leaving a little more than usual is a good idea. Some examples of situations requiring extra cleaning include food spills (maybe your kids accidentally ground cereal into the carpet), extra trash or recycling from an in-room gathering, or a heavily shedding pet.
When it comes to whether to tip daily or as a lump sum at the end of the stay, responses vary depending on the source. AHLA said tips should be left daily, as the person who cleaned your room one day might not be the same person the next. Justin Nels, managing director of Isla Bella Beach Resort, an EOS Hospitality property in Marathon, Florida, said tipping at the end of your stay is fine, adding that it’s not meant to be a task for you to do each day. But if a housekeeper did something special or went above and beyond in a noticeable way mid-stay, he said it’s nice to tip in the moment.
As for where to leave tips and how to present them, Jason Harrison, director of operations at Thompson Washington DC, said, “It’s always nice to hand the tip directly to the team member, but a note left behind in a room with some kind words means a lot and often ends up on the refrigerator at home.”
Pamela Eyring, owner and president of the etiquette-focused Protocol School of Washington, said if you’re going to leave a tip in the hotel room, put it somewhere noticeable. However, she advised against leaving it on the bed or pillow since it could be lost when pulling off the sheets and bedding. Both Harrison and Eyring agreed that it’s perfectly OK to leave an envelope at the front desk and ask that it be distributed to the housekeepers who attended to your room during your stay.
How much to tip a hotel valet
Across the board, industry experts suggested tipping a hotel valet between $1 to $10, adding that more should be given in instances where the valet went out of their way to provide snacks and drinks for the road or offers directions.
If a bellhop helps you with your bag, it’s customary to tip them based on the size and weight of the bag.
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How much to tip a hotel bellhop
Nels said he would “suggest $2 per bag or up to $5 per bag for hotel bellhop, subject to the size and weight of the bag.” He added that if the bellhop goes above and beyond in assisting you to get settled in your room after check-in (such as offering a short tour or bringing ice), you should consider tipping more. If you request bell staff help at checkout, be sure to tip then, too.
How much to tip a hotel concierge
Because what concierges can do for guests varies so much, ranging from booking a hard-to-score restaurant reservation to decorating your room for a romantic anniversary (flowers and more), it’s best to tip based on what the service was, according to AHLA (it also recommends tipping at the end of the trip).
Van Voorst recommends tipping hotel concierges “$10 for booking a spa experience or dinner reservation, and between $20 to $50 for an extensive itinerary that includes booking outside vendors, tours, or activities.”
How much to tip a hotel shuttle driver
“People often think complimentary shuttle drivers shouldn’t get tipped, but if it saves you an Uber, taxi, or Lyft charge to the airport or mall, tip at least $5 per ride—especially if they handle your luggage for you,” Eyring said of shorter trips.
How much to tip massage therapists, trainers, and activity guides
Tipping for spa services and guided activities is easy, Eyring said—it hews closely to what you’d tip a restaurant server at 15 to 20 percent of the cost of the experience.
What not to do: Leaving a tip on the bed could mean it gets lost when pulling off the sheets and bedding.
Photo by Shutterstock
Should you tip even if the room wasn’t cleaned during the stay?
The short answer is yes since housekeeping will still need to clean your room after checkout. It’s likely cleaning protocol has become more rigorous post-COVID, meaning there’s still a lot to be done even if you left the room in good shape. If you typically leave a tip for housekeeping, it’s still a good idea to do so in this situation, though the amount can be lower to reflect a single cleaning versus daily attention.
When should you tip more?
“If you feel the impact of a staff member’s service, leave a little extra,” said Harrison. “Hotel employees speak with hundreds of people some days. A lot of effort goes into even the smallest things that make a hotel stay memorable, like remembering names, bringing extra towels, making the right suggestions, and perceiving guest needs before they ask. If a ‘wow’ moment or experience comes your way, a tip is just as equally a ‘wow’ moment for the team member that assisted you.”
What if you don’t have cash?
While it’s always best to use cash, as the money goes directly to the employee, we’ve all been caught in a situation on our travels where that’s not an immediate option.
Van Voorst noted that most hotels and resorts have an ATM available for guests (or can direct them to a reliable one near the hotel). Some hotels accept tips on credit cards, but if you’re planning to tip that way, be sure to ask at the beginning of your stay whether that’s possible.
It’s important not to leave “food or gifts [in the room] as they could be confused with personal items left by a guest,” Van Voorst said. You could give a gift to someone directly, though it’s not recommended. As Nels said: “I would tip with cash unless you really know the individual. Giving away an unused bottle of wine should not be considered an alternative to cash.”
Another creative way to tip if you don’t have cash in the moment is to leave a glowing review online.
“Most hotels have an incentive program based on name mentions on positive reviews, so dropping a team member’s name on TripAdvisor will get them extra recognition and maybe a little something extra on their paycheck,” Harrison said.
This article originally appeared online in 2022; it was most recently updated on November 29, 2023, to include current information.
