Tipping etiquette...what do you think?

The service fee is supposed to be so that all the staff gets rewarded and not just the wait staff and bartenders. I believe Rob posted on an older thread on this topic that this is a gov't regulation and they have to document this for tax purposes. I still tip the wait and bar staff just as I would here in the states, in cash and in hand. As for housekeeping we make sure to meet our housekeepers and learn their names and schedules. We tip them $5US per day per bed and extra at the end of our stay. Those we have known from year to year also get personalized gifts.

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Originally Posted by KitchenBeeotch

This might sound like a stupid question, but how do you tip the maids? We left money with a thank you note on the nightstand after the 1st day and the maids never took it the whole week. We went ahead & left it there when we checked out though. Should we hand it to them personally? A lot of times we miss them if we are out and about.

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Same as Flip, we leave it on the pillow and it's always taken. They usually won't take cash from anywhere else, although if you left a note, you would think they would.

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Originally Posted by georgelenard

If you are not basing your tips on quality of service you only do harm to the whole industry in Negril. There are people that should get tips for their service and some that should not but if everyone based their tipping on service you would find the industry gets better. Do you ever go and offer the kitchen staff a tip?

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I agree with this 100%, and practice it every day. It takes some really bad service for me to go below 10%, but great service gets 30% from me (depending on the total paid).

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Originally Posted by captaind

Last visit I bonus tipped Alvin and Randy with a 3' cedar tree seedling each (Seastar barmen)

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I like this a lot. Our last trip I tried finding a small orange tree to take to the owner of the guesthouse we rented in TB, but couldn't find one anywhere.

I hate being responsible for making sure bar/restaurant/hotel staff is compensated properly. I'd rather pay more up front and not be bothered with tipping, and then give money to those who really impact my limited vacation time.

That being said, if I get a bare minimum of service in JA I tend to tip 15%. If I get great service and build rapport with the staff, I tip better.

If I get ignored, or treated poorly, or get left waiting, I show my displeasure through tipping (or not) and remember not to go back.

we tipped 20 %...and for the housekeeping I had made separate envelopes before leaving for vacation..each with the day on it and a note on the outside of the envelope thanking them... that was $8 a day....Anything else we had, we gave away..like bug spray, dish soap, dishrags, o/c meds, and my white shorts, (LOL!).

At Seastar I left money for the maids each day. The first day, I put the money on a paper towel and wrote 'for the houskeeper'. Before she took it; she asked if it was for her.

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Originally Posted by Big_frank

At Seastar I left money for the maids each day. The first day, I put the money on a paper towel and wrote 'for the houskeeper'. Before she took it; she asked if it was for her.

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Unfortunately, its possible that she asked if it was for her because she was never taught to read.

We tip generously - and get excellent service OR we tip generously because we get excellent service:)

No Chris she read the word 'housekeeper' and wasn't sure if that meant the 'maid'.