Room Service Tipping?

[Quirk]

I never order room service, so maybe this is a stupid question, but is the service charge SEPARATE from the tip? A friend of mine was in town and ordered breakfast pastries and an OJ, for which they charged $19.00, plus a service/house charge of $6.14, and $4.95 in taxes. So that's $30.00 for maybe $10.00 worth of food. Ok... then they have another space for a tip?

 

[Violinist]

Originally Posted by Quirk

I never order room service, so maybe this is a stupid question, but is the service charge SEPARATE from the tip?

A friend of mine was in town and ordered breakfast pastries and an OJ, for which they charged $19.00, plus a service/house charge of $6.14, and $4.95 in taxes.

So that's $30.00 for maybe $10.00 worth of food. Ok... then they have another space for a tip?

Where I just stayed, 20% was included automatically. However, once the guy helped me move a table in my room so I tipped extra.

 

[Quirk]

Originally Posted by Violinist

Where I just stayed, 20% was included automatically. However, once the guy helped me move a table in my room so I tipped extra.
Sure, that makes sense, but here they're expecting an extra tip on top of a 32% service charge, which seems a bit much to me.

 

[victory]

I don't usually tip room service. If they didn't include a service charge in the price, I would but I don't think I've come across that yet.

Perhaps the receipt is just a standard slip from the restaurant? Where they have a subtotal, a blank for tip and then a blank for the total?

 

[ts4them]

Well, it's up to you. The tax is the tax, the service charge is the service charge, so don't combine them and consider it a 32% service charge, it's 20%. That said, because it's considered and worded as a "service charge", the waiter isn't going to be getting all of it, the hotel is getting a portion of the "tip"- it's kinda shady.

 

[Violinist]

Originally Posted by Quirk

Sure, that makes sense, but here they're expecting an extra tip on top of a 32% service charge, which seems a bit much to me.

O **** that... that's completely out of line. Don't give a penny.

 

[victory]

Originally Posted by ts4them

Well, it's up to you. The tax is the tax, the service charge is the service charge, so don't combine them and consider it a 32% service charge, it's 20%. That said, because it's considered and worded as a "service charge", the waiter isn't going to be getting all of it, the hotel is getting a portion of the "tip"- it's kinda shady.
Well, I believe the $19.00 was the cost of food and the service charge was $6.14. That makes it more than 30% for the service charge alone. Then there's an extra $4.95 in taxes. If you combined the service charge and tax, it would be almost 60% when combined.

 

[Matt]

ok i dont really live in a tipping culture, so not well versed on the etiquette, but personally I do not tip anywhere that charges me a service charge - even if there is a menial amount of change there, I will take it.

I kinda resent service charges on general principle, so if a place charges me one, I certainly do not go above n beyond to tip extra.

In the event that I receive superturbochargedwickedawesomepollock service, then I will occasionall wander over and let the boss know that 'that one is really good' - especially in a place where I know the management....but I am still unlikely to tip more.

I have always wanted to refuse a service charge when I have had bad service, never done it though....anyone tried? what did they say?

 

[Stazy]

There is no need to tip in that situation. In similar situations, I usually strike out the space given for an additional tip.

 

[Isaac Mickle]

I often strike out the line on the credit card-type bill for the extra tip. Then I'll give the person who delivered the food, if there was a big "service charge," a dollar per head served. If it's lunch for two, e.g., two dollars. This is much the way I tip the pizza guy (dollar per pizza, sometimes more for bad weather) or the baggage guy (dollar per bag).

I've worked for tips and I can say a small tip is much much better than no tip at all.

Also, the old saying, penny-wise and pound-foolish, applies in this case. If you are already shelling out $25 for two bagels, two OJs, and a pot of coffee, it's somewhat hypocritical to not give the boy two dollars for wheeling it up to your room. That would eat at me.

So I would suggest, do not order room service if you can not afford to enjoy it properly. And me, I could not enjoy the meal properly if I was full of the anxiety or the self-defensive contempt that so often describes the feeling you get when you chisel the waiter.

 

[Matt]

i dont think anyone has suggested 'chisel[ing] the waiter' - the point is the hotel is helping itself to the waiter's tip...and determining how much that service is worth to its customers - which i kinda resent.

This service charge should - in theory - go to the dude that serves you...and at 30-odd-percent in this case, they skimming more than a bit for themselves.

 

[ts4them]

I agree with Isaac- if I was already spending an outrageous amount on the food, I would just give an extra 2 dollars but that's just me. I don't think it's stiffing the waiter if you don't because they're getting a portion of the service charge. What's really outrageous is that there's a "delivery charge" on top of the "service charge" (usually between $2 and $4 per head) which goes to the hotel, not the waiter. It should be outlined on the menu (in small print of course) so check it out. Room service operates at a loss so they try to cut their losses at your expense.

 

[Quirk]

Never mind.

 

[N. McKay]

Originally Posted by ts4them

Room service operates at a loss so they try to cut their losses at your expense.

I'm surprised to hear that. My very limited experience in the hotel industry is that we made more on food and beverage sales than we did on rooms.

 

[victory]

On a related note, what would one think of resort fees? These days, it isn't uncommon to have to pay an extra $30 fee per night and it's often supposed to include gratuities for housekeeping. If this is the case, should we be expected to tip the maids?