Tips

[robert brown]

What do you consider a nice gratuity for doing the normal services for a guest staying three or four nights; i.e. a handful of lunch and dinner reservatons (one or two desireable ones included); phoning several shops to ask questions; giving directions a couple of times of day, phoning for a cab four or five times, and giving a half a dozen miscellaneous suggestions for eating, shopping, drinking, sightseeing,etc.?

[fresh_a]

Good question, Robert, I was waiting for this one to come up!

My answer is that there is no "right" amount.

I once had a client come to the desk and ask for "Le Figaro", which was promptly given to him.

He handed me 500 FF , and said, "Buy yourself a coffee". For him, this amount was surely nothing, and very welcome, however this is a rarity.

Any tip is appreciated. And just a "thank you" is nice as well, although it is very gratifying to receive a healthy tip for a job well done. I have received tips ranging from 20 centimes (sad,but true!) to many hundreds of dollars...

We, at the desk, also share everything as a team...

[marcus]

Perhaps you may be willing to be a bit more specific here. Understanding that there is great variability, what is the average tip for these services, is it $20, $50, or $100. Also, do guests typically tip when a service is rendered, or in total when they checkout?

[fresh_a]

For restaurant reservations, depending on the complexity of the task, 5,10,or 20 Euros is quite customary..when the tip is given is up to the discretion of the client.