How to tip hotel staff on a trip away

Tip housekeeping every day rather than at the end, and small amounts for porters who carry bags. Specific amounts vary by country.

4 minute readUpdated 2026-09-30

Hotel staff who serve you well deserve a tip. The key is to tip the right people the right way, and to do it as they work rather than guessing on the last day whether housekeeping will see it.

Housekeeping: tip daily with a note

Leave housekeeping a tip each day rather than one tip at the end of the stay. Money left on the last day may reach the person who cleaned for four days but not the one who cleans on checkout day, and you do not know whether anyone saw it.

In the US, leave $2-$5 each morning ¹. Put it with a note that says 'Housekeeping - Thank you' so staff know the money is meant for them and not something you left by accident. The note matters. Without it, housekeeping cannot be sure whether you meant to leave the money as a tip or whether you dropped it.

The amount depends on the hotel grade. A budget chain hotel has tight margins and a $2 tip is noticed. A luxury hotel expects more. If you stay for a week and the work is careful, $5 a day sends the message that it matters to you.

Here is the right way to do it. When you wake up, put the note and the cash on the bedside table or the desk. Leave a message on your phone or email saying you left a tip for housekeeping that morning. The person who comes in at midday or before checkout knows where it is and who it is for.

Porters and valets

If someone carries your bags to your room, they have done work you chose not to do yourself. A tip says thank you.

In Britain, tip a hotel porter about £2 for carrying luggage ². In the US, tip a valet $2-$5 when the car comes back ¹. A tip on the spot is clearer than money left later. Hand them the cash with a smile. If you are carrying an unusually heavy suitcase or they made the trip easier, tip the higher amount.

The key difference is timing. A porter works for seconds or minutes, in view of the front desk. You see them do the work. Give the tip as soon as it is done. A valet brings your car when you leave. You have been in the hotel for days, maybe longer. Tips for someone invisible until the moment you need them are harder to forget because you are handling it as you go, not at the end.

Come ready with small notes

The problem with tipping is fumbling for cash when you should be saying thank you. Come to the hotel with small bills or coins already loose, not wadded in your wallet with everything else. In the US, carry $1 and $5 notes separate from the rest; in Britain, keep £1 and £2 coins and notes in a pocket or small pouch.

Leave one €1 or £1 note on the bedside table when you wake up, before housekeeping arrives. Put your wallet away. When you see a porter or valet, the tip is already in your hand. This takes the awkwardness out of the moment. You are not fumbling or calculating. You already know what you are giving them.

In countries where tipping is not the custom, asking the concierge "Is it usual to tip here?" is better than offending with a gesture that reads wrong. A few countries see tips as insulting or as an insult to minimum wage laws. Australia is optional; when travelling, check the country first.

Who else gets tipped

Concierge staff who book reservations or arrange tours have done work above the cost of the room. If they spent twenty minutes on something that mattered to you, a tip signals that. A tip on the spot is better than a promise to tip later. They have already done the work.

Housekeeping that fixes a problem also deserves one. A stain cleaned, a lost item replaced, an urgent repair done between guests: that is extra work. Leave a note with a tip and a message saying what they fixed. Staff remember that kind of recognition.

Restaurant staff at the hotel's dining room follow the same rules as a standalone restaurant. If you are eating with your date, split the tip with them or agree ahead of time who pays. Room service is the same. The person who brings your breakfast to your room has climbed stairs carrying plates. A tip is expected.

When to be generous

Tip more than usual when: the hotel is full and housekeeping is visibly rushed; you ask staff to do something outside their normal scope (a late checkout, an urgent repair, holding a delivery, arranging something at short notice); or you are staying longer than a few nights. A week is work. Two weeks means housekeeping knows your name.

Staff remember generosity. The concierge who knows you tip well will answer your questions more carefully. The porter will remember your name. The person who tips well can ask for favours later. If you need a favour, generosity earlier in the stay buys goodwill.

If something went wrong and someone fixed it, tip more than you would for the same service usually. A flooded bathroom cleaned the same day. A broken item replaced overnight. A late arrival and housekeeping stayed to set up your room. These are not standard. Tipping signals that you know the extra work it took.

I really appreciated how carefully you handled this. Is there anyone else I should tip who helped make it happen?

That question, asked of the front desk or concierge, connects your gratitude to the person who actually did the work. It also shows that you are the kind of person who notices and who tips. The same staff member will be more attentive to you the next time you stay.