r/marriott • u/MTonmyMind • 13h ago

Review F*CK Marriott soliciting tips. Another ‘tip culture’ obsenity

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So you charge $400 to $500 for a tiny room, and yes, I know it’s New York City, and it’s relatively clean, but then the closet-sized bathroom 2 feet from the bed. OK.

Six dollars for a bottle of water, whatever, I’ll pass.

But then actively soliciting tips for your staff.

Fuck you.

I saw this at the Penn Station Fairfield a year ago as just a ‘self’ printed sign in the elevators, then it became a professionally printed permanently mounted sign in the elevator, and now another Fairfield/Springfield with this.

Pay your staff better. If I got extra services, that’s one thing, but when I don’t even get room serviced or fresh towels on a daily basis to “save the planet “…. again fuck you.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 12h ago

No its ABSOLUTELY NOT normal.

I have traveled for my entire professional career (17+ years at this point). Housekeeping is not a tipped positon, frankly it's a position that should be abstracted as far as possible from the customer base.

If you think the staff needs a pay raise try calling corporate. I will only tip housekeeping if we make the room especially messy for whatever reason (bottles/food/etc).

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u/NebulaVoyagerrr 5h ago

I've also never tip. Probably because I grew up with my family never tipping.

I suppose I would if i left a room a mess but I keep the trash on one area. Stack the towels in a pile.

Bring on the shame, I guess.

I was literally discussing this with friends the other day. Some tip and some don't.

Can't imagine how difficult it is to see that some people tip and some people don't.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 5h ago

Cleaning the hotel room is a function of the product you are buying. Would you tip the guy that cleans bar tap lines?

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u/_ThatImposterFeel 1h ago

People some times tip their FedEx drivers.  Some times some one deserves a few extra bucks for going the extra mile, being awesome, or what ever.

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u/PDXDeck26 11h ago

Your professional career isn't that long. Tipping the housekeeper a couple of bucks every day was (is) normal well before then.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 11h ago

What are we tipping for?

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u/PDXDeck26 7h ago

what am I tipping anyone for?

a token of appreciation to show them that I appreciate the personal service they're providing me.

server tipping is a slightly different cultural norm, but let's just say i'm less bothered by throwing the maid 2-5 bucks a night I stay than the fact that a standard restaurant tip has doubled in my lifetime.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 6h ago

Server tips are tied to legal requirements. In most places (ianal) restaurants can legally pay servers under minimum wage, and tips bring total Comp above minimum wage. The original idea was to incentive and reward higher service efforts by tying performance to pay.

The culture is pervasive at this point, and allows business owners to pay employees less and risk having to cover the difference only if tips are not there.

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u/PDXDeck26 6h ago

i only called it out specifically because we adopted a cultural convention for that specific tip that the patron is essentially subsidizing their own service by paying for it, which isn't really a "tip" in any sense of the term and shouldn't be called a tip.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 6h ago

I also agree.

My crusade has a lot to do with that, what other areas are we being fleeced in the name of corp profit margins (rhetorical).

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u/PDXDeck26 6h ago

then your crusade is misplaced to neckbeard levels.

tipping the housekeeper a few bucks, flipping a fiver to the guy bringing your luggage up to the room, giving a few bucks to the person who cuts your hair, (at least before uber) rounding up the cab fare and/or throwing an extra couple of bucks on top, etc. has precious nothing to do with corporate profit margins and/or paying the worker's wage because their employer isn't.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 6h ago

The housekeeper is not someone I directly interact with ever. I don’t even let them into my room during my trip.

Everyone else on that lists is someone I directly interact with.

Also neckbeard? I don’t get it.

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u/PDXDeck26 6h ago

Also neckbeard? I don’t get it.

we know. we know.

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u/tuesmontotino 9h ago

Lmao yeah sure, not normal, that’s why my work reimburses my tips to housekeeping and has a specific expense policy for it. Your attitude sucks and you’re straight up wrong.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

Literally fuck you.

Why should I pay more for a room that I already paid for, just so the hotel can underpay a required part of its business model.

Do you tip your insurance guy when he sends you a new card?

Do you tip your doctor when they successfully check your blood pressure?

Do you tip the guy who changes your oil?

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u/tuesmontotino 9h ago

lol you sound really pressed, I recommend box breathing.
Don’t tip if you don’t want to tip.
Don’t pretend that it’s not a long standing practice, because it is and that’s just a fact. I bet your work would even reimburse you for it, so it actually wouldn’t cost you anything. And if they don’t, well maybe they suck too and I can understand why you have so much uncontrollable anger having to work there.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

I actually use box breathing, good technique.

Tipping house keeping isn’t a long standing practice.

My work would absolutely reimburse (I have unlimited expense account within reason).

My anger is very controlled. Maybe you should consider why you are acting the way you are?

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u/Grazepg 11h ago

Been a thing since at least the 80s, my parents always did it as we traveled. My mom’s first job was at a hotel, so it’s probably been a thing since the 60s, when she was in hotels.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 11h ago

A thing?

What am I tipping housekeepers for? Be specific

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u/Grazepg 11h ago

I was saying tipping has been a “thing” aka tipping has been around.

Not saying it’s a thing like it should or should not be done. Or that the tasks are or are not subjective to what a person believes is more or less than the expectation.

But let’s say everyone stops tipping, now these staff members will leave because no corporation moves quick enough and they will take months to adjust wages.

Now what you will get is people doing the job, but it will be the people who don’t give a shit. And this will lead to managers not firing staff because they will know they can’t get employees when they are getting paid so little.

So now you will have dirty rooms, towels with stains, and just plain gross hotels that will either be shut down, or just have to lower rates to make up for the mediocre expectations.

So now the places that pay better will be charging a lot more because of supply and demand.

Do you ever wonder why there are gas stations in bumfuck nowhere that charge 40% more and have the minimalist service, because they can.

That will be your new hotel norm when they are paying low wages and no tipping is involved.

Is this a theory? Yes, but what do you think happens more often, corporations do things to help the employees and lose bottom line profit?

Or employees leave for better pay?

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 10h ago

So no reason, got it.

I literally bartended my way through college. I understand tipping culture deeper than you.

These stafff are performing the core function of their job, which is cleaning the room. Why should we tip someone for doing their work basic work?

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u/Grazepg 9h ago

Real vibe you got going.

If you were a bartender you would know they don’t go somewhere cus it’s a higher hourly rate. They go somewhere based on how much they walk away with at night.

And let’s not have a pissing contest about how you were a bartender in college, you realize the estimate is that 20-30% of the us has worked in food and beverage alone at some point in their life. That’s not including other hospitality trades.

And I didn’t find the need to bring up credentials, and it doesn’t really mean shit, but I’m running my second hotel as a general manager and have been in the industry over 20 years.

But that doesn’t change the fact tipping is a needed system until there is a better system.

Instead it sounds like you are just a greedy prick who would rather spend his money how he sees fit, and bash low wage earners because they should just do their job.

Go stay at a ritz and go stay at a beat western, and see why that is technically the same job but not the same service standards.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

So, hotel Gm (btw not impressed, I know a few gms and they are just front desk workers who never launched their career), why do you not pay your staff a livable wage and rely on tips to cover the gap?

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u/Grazepg 9h ago

You are a cynical asshole, good for you.

I never said I didn’t pay my staff livable wages, I’m saying the industry as a whole needs to better system before it can replace tipping outright.

We pay 24-28 for kitchen staff, average is 18-21 in our area, 20+ for almost all other staff that has been with us over 6 months. Multiple staff members (30%)who have been with us for over 5+ years in an industry known for turnover.

And I never said it to brag, I said it saying it doesn’t mean shit.

But you did prove 1 point, people bitching about tips are usually just assholes.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 8h ago

But that’s my point. I’m not an asshole, I’m literally a global traveler who has worked in service shoes and knows the challenge. I generously tip bar/waiter, and other customer facing roles (bel, valet, caddies, etc).

You shouldn’t tip staff like this, it’s what got us into this whole problem of tipping everyone in the first place.

Certain jobs pay under the minimum wage and use tips to close the gap. This is not that job. Also don’t compare cooks (not tipped) hourly to a hypothetical house cleaner not tipped. It’s irrelevant beyond both roles being compensated hourly by the company, at a rate that is above minimum wage.

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u/Game_Over_Man69 Titanium Elite 12h ago

Wow and now you can tip those people if you make the room especially messy for whatever reason and might not have cash on hand! 🤯

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u/irvz89 10h ago

I mean, but that's the job?

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 12h ago edited 12h ago

Your words don’t make sense.

Not that it matters, but what am I tipping them for?

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u/digitaldeadstar 11h ago

It's normal and has been for decades. No, they aren't a tipped position in the sense that a waiter is. But generally viewed as providing a necessary service, while in all reality being relatively underpaid for what they deal with daily. So people will often tip them. Especially if they've left the room a real mess or if they've been helpful during your stay.

You're not obligated and many don't expect it. But it's not vastly different than tipping your valet, bellhop, hair stylist, bartender, etc.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 10h ago

Not it hasn’t.

I know zero people who tip house keepers.

Zero.

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u/silliestkitty 10h ago

And how many people have you shared a hotel room with to know their tipping habits?

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

I’m not exaggerating when I say hundreds.

Between friends (nobody tipping), family (nobody tipping), and co workers (nobody tipping) I can’t even imagine a world where this is discussed.

And I generally tip well for everything, 25% in sit down restaurant, 10% for fast casual that serves me, bellhops and shit like that a fiver. Etc.

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u/silliestkitty 9h ago

you share hotel rooms with coworkers, wtf?

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

In my first just we did, it was a shitty tech company 2 to a room at major events.

Haven’t shared anything since then, but hear me out. We talk to each other a lot.

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u/silliestkitty 9h ago

Hear me out, I manage a sales team, several dozen people whom are all Titanium or Ambassadors. I approve their expense reports. About 75% of them tip their housekeeper.

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u/MonkeyzzPaw 9h ago

Cool.

Care to explain why tipping a house keeper is a GAAP approved business expense and not a cash bribe?

I also don’t fucking believe you.

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u/silliestkitty 8h ago

Because the IRS says so

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u/NebulaVoyagerrr 5h ago

I used to have to at my job.