(NEXSTAR) — Does it feel like you’re being asked to tip for almost everything lately? You aren’t alone — there’s even a term for it now: tip creeping.
While you may be finding yourself in a corner more often, faced with a digital screen asking for tips as high as 30%, what about the places you aren’t explicitly asked to tip, like a hotel?
We don’t mean the hotel bar or restaurant (experts pretty widely agree you should be tipping at those). We’re referring to leaving tips for housekeeping, passing a couple of bucks to the person who helps with your luggage, and even tipping the front desk associate.
Many on Reddit said that if they opt out of housekeeping or tidy up after themselves, they don’t leave a tip. Others said they tip if they can afford it, citing the usual low pay housekeepers receive — the median hourly wage for maids and housekeepers is under $32,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute recommend $2 to $5 per day (with a note marking the money for housekeeping). Tom Waithe, the vice president of operations for Kimpton Hotels, told The Points Guy you could tip less if you’re barely in the room or tip more if the room “looks like a hurricane hit it.”
But what about other hotel staff?
It might come down to who you interact with. If there is a doorman who helps with your luggage, for example, the experts at Emily Post recommend a tip of $1 to $4. If the doorman hails you a cab, add on $1 or $2, and if they go “beyond the call of duty,” consider $1 to $4 more.
Should a bellhop help you with your luggage, experts recommend $2 for the first bag, then $1 for any additional bags.
A 2014 guide from the American Hotel and Lodging Association suggests as much as $5 per bag, especially if your luggage is heavy. If you order room service and the hotel doesn’t add gratuity automatically, the AHLA suggests tipping 15-20%.
If you ask the hotel staff for a special request, like an extra blanket, the AHLA recommends tipping $2 for one item and then $1 for any more. If you use a valet, consider a tip of $2 to $5 each time they bring your car around.
If you haven’t been keeping track, this tipping could work out to anywhere from a few bucks to upwards of $50 or $60 (depending on how long you stay and what services you use). That doesn’t include other services your hotel may offer, such as spas, concierge or the aforementioned bar or restaurant. And many of these services don’t have a digital kiosk for you to swipe your card — so that means carrying cash, which is far less common these days.
Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman recommends factoring in gratuity when budgeting for your trip and bringing along “ones and fives” in order to leave a tip.
You don’t have to follow these suggestions completely. As Gottsman told CNBC, “You’re not going to protocol hell if you’re a dollar off.”
