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Tips on Tipping


Category: Stay

Deeply integrated into our daily life, tipping happens when we go out for meal, when travel out, and even when have your hair dressed.
Even though tipping is such a frequent trifle, we still find it hard to deal with. Some may go mad with questions like whether we should tip, when to tip, or how much to tip.

Why to tip
For most of the service workers, a large part of their income depends on tips. Therefore, unless the service is a total failure which deserves no reward, like terrible service, a long wait or awful food, we should always give tips without hesitation.

If you give tips before the service is offered, the attendant may consider you generous and be willing to provide you better service.

If you are a frequenter, you should also be generous with tips. On one hand, it guarantees the high quality of service; on the other, it expresses your thankfulness and satisfaction to the staff.

Plus, if you bring the attendants a lot of trouble, or get extra service from them, you should also tip.

Please remember, it's always a better choice for you to give tips rather than paying lip service.

How much to tip
Generally speaking, 10%-12% of your expense is considered adequate for a tip. But some people think 20% is an appropriate choice. In fact, you can give tips depending on the service- 20% for exceptional service, 15% for good service, 10% for average service, and 1%-5% or even nothing for poor service. And a tip of 15%-18% is an international standard.

Tip in restaurant
For baristas, tipping is not required, but you are suggested to give coins as tips.

For bartenders, if you are satisfied with the service, give them 1 dollar per drink or 15%-20% of your total expense.

For waiters, usually, 20% is given for exceptional service, 15% for average service, 10% or less for poor service. If you think the service is extremely terrible, you also can tip nothing. In some little restaurants where tipping is not taken so serious, a 10% tip for waiter is the ideal number.

In some restaurants, service is provided by the owner himself. In this case, tipping is not necessary.

For takeout, no tip is required unless you get some special service or help.

Tip at hotel
Hotel is another place you will encounter tipping problems. Most hotels automatically charge tips from the customers' bills. Even so, tipping is still very necessary when you are enjoying your stay at the hotel.

If you reach the hotel by taxi or limo, a 10%-15% tip for the driver is satisfactory. You can give more if the driver helps you carry your luggage, or your trip brings him troubles.

If you arrive at the hotel by your own car, 1 or 2 dollars should be given to the valet parking attendant.

For the bellman, 1 dollar per bag is appropriate. You need to tip again after he shows you to your room, and helps you check in or check out. If you give the bellman 5 dollars as a tip as soon as you arrive, you will get special attention and exceptional kindness.

For the doorman who hails taxi for you, a tip of 1 dollar is adequate.

For the concierge, tipping is not required, but of course, if you ask for service out of his regular work, such as restaurant reservation and theater booking, you should tip him 5 to 10 dollars respectively at time of the service or at the end your trip. If you want special attention from the concierge, you'd better tip 20 dollars, and give him at the beginning.

For room service, minimum tip is 5 dollars or 15% of the pre-tax bill. In some hotels, this is included in the room service charge, so no more tips are needed, or you can give 5% for special treatment. And you need tip 1 dollar or 2 dollars for some extra care for your coat or bags.

Finally, don't forget the hotel maids who clean and neaten your room when you are out. Usually 1 or 2 dollars per night is considered to be standard. Just leave it in the room at the time they are working.

Tip in transportation
Transportation is essential to your trip. So it is also important to know how to tip drivers and porters.

At the airport or railway station, tip standard is 1 dollar per bag for the porters. If your luggage is exceptionally heavy, you need to tip more.

For drivers, usually 1 to 2 dollars is for the bus driver, 2 to 5 dollars or 10% of the bill for the cab driver, 10%-15% for the limo driver as well as the chauffeur.

For the driver of auto dealership shuttle, it's okay for you to tip nothing. Of course, you have to add your tip if you need extra service, such as carrying luggage or driving faster.

If you travel by ship, you should also give tips to the cruise staff. Under ordinary circumstances, a dining room waiter should be tipped 3.5 dollars per day; the dining room busboy, 2 dollars; the dining room maitre, 0.35 dollars and the dining room head waiter, 0.15 dollars. The room steward can receive 3.50 dollars per day generally. These tips are only given to the staff all together at the end of your trip.

Tipping rules vary from place to place and there's no absolute standard. So, please check before you travel to that city or country.

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