Help me tip better
August 25, 2024 5:45 PM Subscribe
What is tipping etiquette in Las Vegas these days?
I'm going to Las Vegas for a conference next month. I haven't been to Las Vegas in almost a decade, and the economics of many things have changed in that time. I rarely carry cash, so I need to plan for having some cash on me for a few things, which I need some advice about:
- What is the appropriate amount to tip housekeeping staff at the end of my stay, assuming I get housekeeping services each night I'm staying?
- I guess this isn't a "tip" question per se, but with the bewildering array of hotel status programs and loyalty point systems and whatnot, is it still somehow possible to wrangle a better room (higher floor, nicer view maybe) from the desk at check-in, if I have no status/points/loyalty program enrollment whatsoever? Or is that now strictly a "just upgrade at check-in for a fee" thing, like everything else these days, as opposed to a "slip the desk person $20" thing that worked in the 90's and 00's which probably isn't a thing any more?
I'm staying at the MGM Grand, if it matters, and I have no desire to join a loyalty program, since I'm a very infrequent Las Vegas visitor/in-other-cities hotel stayer.
I'm going to Las Vegas for a conference next month. I haven't been to Las Vegas in almost a decade, and the economics of many things have changed in that time. I rarely carry cash, so I need to plan for having some cash on me for a few things, which I need some advice about:
- What is the appropriate amount to tip housekeeping staff at the end of my stay, assuming I get housekeeping services each night I'm staying?
- I guess this isn't a "tip" question per se, but with the bewildering array of hotel status programs and loyalty point systems and whatnot, is it still somehow possible to wrangle a better room (higher floor, nicer view maybe) from the desk at check-in, if I have no status/points/loyalty program enrollment whatsoever? Or is that now strictly a "just upgrade at check-in for a fee" thing, like everything else these days, as opposed to a "slip the desk person $20" thing that worked in the 90's and 00's which probably isn't a thing any more?
I'm staying at the MGM Grand, if it matters, and I have no desire to join a loyalty program, since I'm a very infrequent Las Vegas visitor/in-other-cities hotel stayer.
Best answer: $3/night minimum for housekeeping tip. And do it daily--the same person may not be servicing your room for your whole stay. More if you make a big mess.
posted by praemunire at 7:09 PM on August 25, 2024
posted by praemunire at 7:09 PM on August 25, 2024
> And do it daily
Like, leave it on the counter under a used glass? How does one leave a tip that won't invite suspicion of stealing? I'm honestly naive about this.
posted by porpoise at 8:03 PM on August 25, 2024
Like, leave it on the counter under a used glass? How does one leave a tip that won't invite suspicion of stealing? I'm honestly naive about this.
posted by porpoise at 8:03 PM on August 25, 2024
Best answer: Like, leave it on the counter under a used glass? How does one leave a tip that won't invite suspicion of stealing? I'm honestly naive about this.
I write a note that says For Housekeeping.
posted by mochapickle at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2024 [6 favorites]
I write a note that says For Housekeeping.
posted by mochapickle at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2024 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Housekeeping tip goes on the nightstand — a note is usually a good idea but not strictly necessary. $3 per night is the absolute minimum I'd leave in a US hotel, but $5 per night is more typical, especially in a midrange or business-y place. If there are additional services provided (like turndown) then I'd leave more.
posted by theory at 9:53 PM on August 25, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by theory at 9:53 PM on August 25, 2024 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Vegas might be more loosey-goosey about these things than other places, but unless you're a rewards member you're not likely to get an upgraded room. Spend the 5 minutes to sign up and apply the membership # to your reservation, even if you don't plan to stay in one of their hotels ever again. You'll still have a relatively low chance since you'll have no status, but if you really hope to score an upgrade then it's your best shot, and it can't hurt to ask when you check in. If they say no dice you might as well ask how much additional it would cost to get the type of room you'd like — maybe it'll be a reasonable amount.
posted by theory at 10:10 PM on August 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by theory at 10:10 PM on August 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
Hotel upgrades, sure, ask. You don't have to answer any of the following, it's just to consider:
- If the conference itself is at the MGM Grand and the organizers negotiated a room rate for attendees, did you book your room using that code?
- If so, did you make the reservation using the code before or after the "official" cut-off date?
- Or, did you reserve your room without any conference-related code?
Your reason for being in town might be part of the upgrade conversation. If applicable, you could offer to swap your early-bird room assignment to accommodate a late-booking conference attendee (who wants to be on the same floor as colleagues/desires a shorter distance to the conference itself/etc.), ask to be charged that lower rate for the room you booked without using the attendee code (past the cutoff, it's "at the hotel's discretion"), or request to be in a nicer room, as you're paying more for lodging than other conference attendees.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:07 PM on August 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
- If the conference itself is at the MGM Grand and the organizers negotiated a room rate for attendees, did you book your room using that code?
- If so, did you make the reservation using the code before or after the "official" cut-off date?
- Or, did you reserve your room without any conference-related code?
Your reason for being in town might be part of the upgrade conversation. If applicable, you could offer to swap your early-bird room assignment to accommodate a late-booking conference attendee (who wants to be on the same floor as colleagues/desires a shorter distance to the conference itself/etc.), ask to be charged that lower rate for the room you booked without using the attendee code (past the cutoff, it's "at the hotel's discretion"), or request to be in a nicer room, as you're paying more for lodging than other conference attendees.
posted by Iris Gambol at 11:07 PM on August 25, 2024 [1 favorite]
I was taught that housekeeping tips had to go on the pillow. (Source: my family managed a motel.) Money on a nightstand or desk might be just where you happened to leave it, so the housekeepers weren't allowed to take it. (In the absence of a note.) I definitely second that you should do it every day, though it's annoying to get small bills in the modern world.
Amount-wise, I usually leave somewhere around 2% of the nightly room rate, but no less than $2. I always tip, because my mother told me that the housekeepers at the motel valued it not just for the money, which they definitely needed, but also because it let them know that someone saw and appreciated their work in a pretty thankless job.
posted by LadyOscar at 12:46 AM on August 26, 2024 [2 favorites]
Amount-wise, I usually leave somewhere around 2% of the nightly room rate, but no less than $2. I always tip, because my mother told me that the housekeepers at the motel valued it not just for the money, which they definitely needed, but also because it let them know that someone saw and appreciated their work in a pretty thankless job.
posted by LadyOscar at 12:46 AM on August 26, 2024 [2 favorites]
I leave the tip on the bathroom counter with a note that says "Thank you!"
posted by shiny blue object at 4:23 AM on August 26, 2024
posted by shiny blue object at 4:23 AM on August 26, 2024
$3 per night is the absolute minimum I'd leave in a US hotel, but $5 per night is more typical, especially in a midrange or business-y place.
I want to address the "is more typical" statement. What's typical is not to leave a tip for housekeeping at all - as in, only about 30% of visitors do so. This is no longer a common practice, if it even ever was.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:51 AM on August 26, 2024 [6 favorites]
I want to address the "is more typical" statement. What's typical is not to leave a tip for housekeeping at all - as in, only about 30% of visitors do so. This is no longer a common practice, if it even ever was.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:51 AM on August 26, 2024 [6 favorites]
Best answer: As a frequent conference attendee my only note is to get the MGM Grand app. That way you can use their remote check in service to use your phone as a key and avoid any check in lines.
Side note my go to stay used to be the MGM grand for its proximity to the airport and the monorail.
I now prefer the Park MGM across the street as it’s a no-smoking casino and some great casual food places.
posted by bitdamaged at 7:10 AM on August 26, 2024
Side note my go to stay used to be the MGM grand for its proximity to the airport and the monorail.
I now prefer the Park MGM across the street as it’s a no-smoking casino and some great casual food places.
posted by bitdamaged at 7:10 AM on August 26, 2024
Best answer: Usually the room will have some form of small notepad somewhere. Tear off a piece of paper, fold it in half, write "For housekeeping" on it, slip the bills inside, and put it on the desk or dresser.
If it's not one's custom, it should be. The people cleaning your room do hard physical labor to provide a personal service for an insultingly small amount of money.
posted by praemunire at 7:41 AM on August 26, 2024
If it's not one's custom, it should be. The people cleaning your room do hard physical labor to provide a personal service for an insultingly small amount of money.
posted by praemunire at 7:41 AM on August 26, 2024
Response by poster: There's absolutely no way I'm not tipping, those folks do indeed work themselves incredibly hard for way too little money. I just needed to know how much was appropriate.
And thanks for the advice on how to make it obvious that the money I leave is a tip, as well; I was wondering that too.
posted by pdb at 2:11 PM on August 26, 2024 [1 favorite]
And thanks for the advice on how to make it obvious that the money I leave is a tip, as well; I was wondering that too.
posted by pdb at 2:11 PM on August 26, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by Rash at 6:56 PM on August 25, 2024 [1 favorite]