Hotel staff tips are shrinking
People are tipping hotel staff less often and in smaller amounts than ever before, says a new survey. And it adds that the demanding guests of the 1990s are not just less generous but are much harder to please than their predecessors.
Excluding service charges, which are sometimes added automatically, tipping appears to be dying out, according to research from hotel consortium Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).
The trend may be reinforced because some hotels themselves are against tipping. Of the 60 hotels in the survey, 25% said tipping is discouraged and a further 35% actively promote the fact that a service charge is included.
Estimates suggest that the value of tips has fallen to less than 5% of a bill. The survey also shows that only two-thirds of guests leave any tip at all.
The report says that the main reason given for discouraging tipping is to raise the esteem and reduce the perceived servility of staff.
"Generally, there has been increased recognition that working in a hotel is a proper job, not one where everyone scrapes and bows," said Katrin Holtkott, SLH marketing manager. "Salaries are starting to reflect that."
- See News Analysis, page 16
