Saturday, April 17, 2004

TIPPING ETIQUETTE FOR SUMMER TRAVELERS

Summer is the perfect time to get away and enjoy sun, sand, and sea. A vacation experience can be enhanced by receiving good service at a hotel, restaurant or airport. A tip, or gratuity, is an amount of money given voluntarily as a token of appreciation for good service. The word ?tip? is also an acronym for ?To Insure Promptness? or ?To Insure Prompt Service.?

According to the 2003 Domestic Travel Market Report, 55% of overnight trips in the U.S. are spent at hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts. The tips you give while traveling on vacation can make the difference between good service and great service. Tipping in the U.S. is not mandatory, yet it is expected. If you do not tip, you stand the chance of angering your restaurant server or jeopardizing the safe arrival of your luggage. Here are some guidelines to help you navigate your way through the maze of vacation tipping procedures.

Tipping at the Airport

Skycaps: $1 - $1.50 per bag. Tip more if the bag is bigger or heavier.

Taxi drivers: 10?15% of the bill.

Tipping at the Hotel

Doorman: $1-$2 per bag for taking your bags out of the car and putting them onto the bell cart. $1-$2 for hailing a taxicab on the street.

Bellman: $1-$2 per bag depending on size and weight. $1-$2 for every package or delivery to your room.

Concierge: $5-$10 for special services or favors like securing hard-to-get theater tickets or reservations to a popular restaurant.

Housekeeper: $1-$2 per night. If you ask your housekeeper to perform any type of special service, such as bringing extra towels or toothpaste and toothbrush, tip an additional $1-$2. On the last day of your stay, place the money in an envelope, label it ?Housekeeping? and put it in a place where it can easily be seen.

Room service attendant: 15-18% of the bill before taxes. If the service charge is included in the bill, extra gratuity is optional.

Tipping for Valet Services

If you elect to use a hotel, restaurant, or shopping mall?s valet service, tip $2-$3 each time the valet attendant retrieves your car. Overnight parking charges may be additional.

Tipping at a Restaurant

If you check your coat, hat or umbrella, tip $1 per item.

Tip the Maitre d? between $10-$100 depending on the occasion, the restaurant, and the level of service you wish to receive. Remember to give the tip before you sit down at your table.

Wait Staff: 15-18% of the bill before taxes, 18-20% for large parties of six or more or when dining in a five star restaurant.

Wine Sommelier: 15% of the wine bill.

Restroom Attendant: $.50 - $1 for handing you a towel or if you use any products or cosmetics displayed on the sink.

Jacqueline Whitmore is the founder and director of The Protocol School of Palm Beach Inc., and is the wireless etiquette spokesperson for Sprint. She offers seminars in business etiquette, international protocol and techno-etiquette. For more information, call (561) 586-9026 or e-mail her at info@etiquetteexpert.com. To receive Whitmore?s free, online newsletter, The Protocol Post, visit her web site at http://www.etiquetteexpert.com