Tipping at hotel in Rome

What is customary/expected as far as housekeeper and front door person tips at a Rome hotel? I am counting up Euros in advance of our trip. In the U.S. we don't stay in pricy accommodations so have no idea on this. Thanks!

What is customary/expected as far as housekeeper and front door person tips at a Rome hotel? I am counting up Euros in advance of our trip. In the U.S. we don't stay in pricy accommodations so have no idea on this. Thanks!

In general European's do not tip,but having said this I do tip housekeeping no matter where I travel from 3 to 5 star( or more) here in the US and abroad because I grew up in the hotel business and I know they appreciate it...big time.I generally give 2 to 3 per person everyday,and sometimes I get thank you notes which mean a lot.The bellman should get something for taking you bags to the room if they do and the front door man if he calls you a cab...generally 1 to 2 euro.I am sure you will get all kinds of advice here as tipping anyone gets asked a lot(you can do a search on this board if you want to see if any info suits you. In the end it is all up to the person as to whether to tip or not.

There's a lot of confusion about tipping in Europe (and Europe itself isn't the same, it varies from country to country...) But to be fair, I know tipping do's and don'ts in the US are also very confusing to those not used to our system.

In Italy, so far as I have found, there IS an expectation for a small tip for bellmen, maid service, etc. I generally budget 1 euro per bag, but I don't have heavy or numerous bags. In a 3 or 4 star hotel, I'd leave a euro each day for housekeeping. I put it on my pillow. (A few times I tried leaving it on the nightstand but I'd find that it wouldn't be taken.)

Tipping a full 15-20% in restaurants or to guides is NOT the norm amongst Italians. Those who work on these professions get paid a full wage, unlike their US counterparts. Leaving some small change after a meal, rounding up a euro or two in a taxi, these are all that is considered necessary.

Of course, with all the Americans traveling and insisting on tipping to their own standard, waiters and tour guides in major tourist areas are coming to regard tipping as standard...

I usually leave a euro per night for the maid. In many countries, they get paid extremely low wages, often on a per room basis rather than based on time. In many Italian hotels, I saw that the room cleaning was outsourced to companies independant from the hotel, that apparently got away with paying even lower wages.

My rule of thumb for Europe is 1 Euro per person per room, left each AM, one euro per bag for bell service up to 5 euros, a little more for special services, heavy bags or exceptional service.

I know its not expected, but I also know what they get paid...

Thanks, all. This is very helpful. An add-on query: Do Rome restaurants typically take credit cards?

Thanks, all. This is very helpful. An add-on query: Do Rome restaurants typically take credit cards?

Typically yes. Some of the really small places may not,but you can ask to be sure.

Most of the ones in tourist areas do. Outside there not always, so do make sure to have some cash on you just in case. For example, the one our RIL driver took us to in Florence was cash only (he warned us first - and it was probably the best of the trip)

Thanks, all. This is very helpful. An add-on query: Do Rome restaurants typically take credit cards?

What is customary/expected as far as housekeeper and front door person tips at a Rome hotel? I am counting up Euros in advance of our trip. In the U.S. we don't stay in pricy accommodations so have no idea on this. Thanks!

Even if you don't stay in "pricey" hotels in the US, you should leave a tip for your housekeepers in the US. $1/day is OK.

I always leave a tip for the housekeepers, regardless of where I am. In Europe, I leave 1EU on the bed when I leave for the day. Also know that different housekeepers do your turndown service - I'll leave 1EU on the bed when I go out for the evening.

I will tip the guest attendant (aka Bellman) for bringing my bag to the room and also if I ask them for a luggage pull at the end of my trip.

I also give my Concierge a tip if I use the services. If I make all my dinner reservations/car service through the Concierge, I will tip anywhere from 5-10EU, depending on complexity. I used to not use Concierges; now that I've worked (and still work) at various high-end hotels, I have come to embrace them and use them all the time now in my travels.

I didn't mean to imply we don't tip. We just leave a tip for the housekeeper when we are checking out. And the places we have usually stayed at have only one housekeeper.

I didn't mean to imply we don't tip. We just leave a tip for the housekeeper when we are checking out. And the places we have usually stayed at have only one housekeeper.

Most of the hotels in Rome, even the small ones, have a few maids,and they switch around.We seldom get the same maid twice that is why some including me have said we leeave a tip on the pillow when we go for the day. Sometimes,at least in Paris, I alsi leave any metro tickets I have left that they can use as most commute into the city to work.

Leaving leftover transit tickets is a great idea!!

Thanks for the advice. It never would have occurred to me to leave tips daily. Now I know.

I didn't mean to imply we don't tip. We just leave a tip for the housekeeper when we are checking out. And the places we have usually stayed at have only one housekeeper.

Sorry - I think I misread your original post. I didn't mean to imply you personally didn't tip; just that everyone should tip the housekeeping staff at any hotel anywhere (unless local custom/hotel rule prohibits it). Yes, I even leave a tip at the Super 8 ;)

If you do leave something at the end of a stay, don't leave it in the room. Take it to the front desk. Put your room number and dates of stay on it. That way, the HK department will be able to find which staff serviced your room and dole out the money. But, I think the daily tipping is the best way to be sure that you get the money to those who actually did your room.

Americans might need to keep in mind that your custom of tipping the housekeeper does not exist in many parts of the world. If you choose to do it that is your choice but do not think it is the norm.

We own a holiday apartment at an island in Australia. They have had a different procedure for American guests on check-in. Local guests arrive at their room to find their bags in the foyer already so there is no opportunity to tip. Americans, apparently, like to have someone show them the features of the apartment so it is organised that the bags will travel at the same time as the guests. Often the guests will give a generous tip so I imagine the staff love visiting Americans.

In this country housekeepers are paid similar amounts to aged care workers, chid care workers, supermarket staff etc etc who do not get tips.

My husband is Italian so I know that tipping there is even less the norm than here in oz.

Americans might need to keep in mind that your custom of tipping the housekeeper does not exist in many parts of the world. If you choose to do it that is your choice but do not think it is the norm.

We own a holiday apartment at an island in Australia. They have had a different procedure for American guests on check-in. Local guests arrive at their room to find their bags in the foyer already so there is no opportunity to tip. Americans, apparently, like to have someone show them the features of the apartment so it is organised that the bags will travel at the same time as the guests. Often the guests will give a generous tip so I imagine the staff love visiting Americans.

In this country housekeepers are paid similar amounts to aged care workers, chid care workers, supermarket staff etc etc who do not get tips.

My husband is Italian so I know that tipping there is even less the norm than here in oz.

Keep in mind that this discussion is about Italy and not Australia. Pay in the service sector in many European countries is very low. If you pay attention to the uniforms that the maids in many hotels in Italy wear, you will see that it says something along the lines of "... strategic outsourcing".

Same thing applies to Germany, BTW. Many hotels get around the minimum wage by paying the maids per room rather than per hour, often times assuming unrealistically low time allowance paer room.

Your cabin steward on the cruise ship might actually get more than the maid at a European hotel, who has to pay her bills in a high cost European country.

Americans might need to keep in mind that your custom of tipping the housekeeper does not exist in many parts of the world. If you choose to do it that is your choice but do not think it is the norm.

We own a holiday apartment at an island in Australia. They have had a different procedure for American guests on check-in. Local guests arrive at their room to find their bags in the foyer already so there is no opportunity to tip. Americans, apparently, like to have someone show them the features of the apartment so it is organised that the bags will travel at the same time as the guests. Often the guests will give a generous tip so I imagine the staff love visiting Americans.

In this country housekeepers are paid similar amounts to aged care workers, chid care workers, supermarket staff etc etc who do not get tips.

My husband is Italian so I know that tipping there is even less the norm than here in oz.

While I understand that tipping, as Americans know it, doesn't translate elsewhere, I have been told by Italians (with no vested interest) that it is the proper thing to do to leave small tips for good service to your maid, for a porter, etc. Clearly the whole 15-20% tipping for some service sectors is American and relates to our peculiar system of wages vs. incentives for some. But that's not what we're talking about here.

And now that I think of it, I was told clearly -- by a UK-based travel agency on a tour in the Med, on which I was one of only two Americans -- that it is the accepted practice. Can't see how "American" a habit it is, then....:confused:

My apologies for pitching in with some possibly irrelevant info on Australia. But as my husband is Italian we have travelled with many Italians in Italy and observed their tipping habits. If anything, they seem to tip less than Aussies and very much less than Americans.