An etiquette expert said that skimping on tips at hair salons, restaurants, and other establishments is normal.
As inflation continues, more and more Americans are no longer providing tips. However, there's one place where U.S. residents should never forget tipping.
Etiquette Expert Says Americans Should Never Skip Tipping Hotels
According to CNBC's latest report, U.S. residents should always give tips to hotel housekeepers. Diane Gottsman, a nationally-recognized etiquette expert who founded the Protocol School in Texas, said that housekeeping is a service Americans should always tip.
"We tend to take housekeepers' work for granted, as we expect our room to be sparkling clean if we're paying to sleep there," explained Gottsman.
Since 2021, the tipping percentage of Americans to hotel housekeepers has been declining. Bankrate's recent survey revealed that in 2021, 28% of Americans were tipping hotel staff. But, in 2023, it dropped to 23%.
How to Properly Tip Housekeepers
To help Americans tip housekeepers, Gottsman explained how they can properly do it every time they stay at hotels.
She said that U.S. residents should allot $3 to $5 per day so that hotel housekeepers can get at least $1. Remember, employees, tending your rooms usually change from time to time.
If you want to make sure that your budget is enough, you can call the hotel's front desk to know how many housekeepers are being assigned to tend your suite during the day.
"As a guest, you're directly benefitting from housekeeping. They're scrubbing the toilet you're using, they're washing the sheets you're sleeping in... It's a gritty, underpaid job," said the etiquette expert.
Viral Tip Jar for Self-Service Buffet
While many housekeepers are not pushy when it comes to tips since they usually don't interact with hotel customers, other establishments are doing the opposite.
Newsweek recently reported that a self-service breakfast buffet went viral because there was a tip jar in the restaurant.
Some people questioned why there's a tip jar if they are serving themselves. If you want to learn more about the viral self-service breakfast buffet tip jar, you can click here.
