During your stay at a hotel, a concierge is responsible for accommodating you and making your stay as comfortable and trouble-free as possible. Some may equate a concierge’s job with a desk job, but on most occasions, they are required to deliver trickier and more difficult tasks. You may wonder, during your stay of a week or two, how much should you tip and other elaborate details when tipping a concierge?
Most travelers will give between $5 and $10 cash tips for a simple task, and between $20 and $40 cash tips for a difficult task. The two most important factors in how much you tip a concierge will be based on the difficulty of delivering the task and your satisfaction after it is finished.
A summarized table below will serve as your guide when tipping a concierge. This is based on backed up research and testimonials of travelers posted online.
| Type of Request | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | $5.00 | $10.00 |
| Difficult | $20.00 | $40.00 |
It can be confusing to decide which tasks are easy and which are difficult, as every worker is subjective to their own knowledge and skills. The bottom line is, you are asking a concierge for a request that is not something you can accomplish all by yourself. In this article, we will discuss more about the circumstances and right timing when tipping a concierge.
In American culture, most of them believed that even when you receive poor service, it would still be a righteous gesture to give a tip at least 5% below the standard rule of tipping. For a concierge, tipping is highly expected and practiced that it is almost a non-negotiable practice.
Here are few tasks that a concierge can successfully deliver in day to day basis that are given tips:
In most cities, especially in New York, most restaurants adhere to a “reservation-only” policy. Your last minute reservation won’t be complete without the wit and negotiation skills of a concierge. They are also patient enough to offer alternative solutions in case your plans don’t go your way. Even getting tickets to a concert or popular show is something they can successfully achieve.
First time travelers often get lost and have so many questions. For example, when a traveler does not speak the same language as the locals, a concierge will be delighted to communicate on their behalf. Even at the hotel, they are also responsible for showing you the right directions and assisting your concerns.
From booking your trip to rescheduling your flight, a concierge will make it all possible for you. If there are changes in your schedule, they will happily help you adjust and come up with solutions like contacting the Airline, booking a cab so you won’t be late in your flight or meeting, making sure all your baggage is complete, etc.
Most of the time, they do not only help you but also your friends’ and family’s needs. In terms of emergency, in case a child who’s with you gets lost in the hotel, a concierge will contact the hotel management to alert all employees about an emergency. They are expected to resolve situations as quickly as possible.
These few factors are only the most common laborious and admin tasks that a concierge can do for you. Their default to action makes them efficient and worth giving any form of gratuity.
Awkward situations arise when there is an unpredicted gesture. When you are staying in a hotel for a short or long vacation, there will be circumstances when you will be offered or in need of service. The most methodical way to give your tip to a concierge is right after the service is done. It is reasonable as you decide for yourself if the service is even satisfactory. If you wait to give a lump sum tip at the end of your stay, make sure to remember each of the workers who came to help and how they were of service to providing relief and solutions. Giving a tip before the service is done will somehow end up making you undervalue or overvalue their service. The right time to tip is not too early or too late if you can keep track of your requests.
There are various ways to tip hotel workers, like a concierge, but like any other industry, cash is still king! There is nothing easier than handing over a few bucks when you enter a hotel or after you receive great service. This way, concierges will remember you and pay close attention to you when they come your way. The second is to use an app. Most hotels have started to introduce mobile tipping. Whichever way is easier and more comfortable for you, make sure to ask a concierge first and inform them about the tip.
You may think of going out of your way to show gratuity to a concierge. In an instance when a concierge may have done something very personal or an almost impossible job well done, you may consider following these few gestures that you can do for them that are high-flying:
A short email about how you received an unforgettable service will make the management recognize a concierge’s hard work. We acknowledge that people who go above and beyond deserve recognition or even promotion!
Any useful gift that they can use will be appreciated. It could be a bottle of wine or coffee beans, depending on what you think is more of a thoughtful gift. It would be best to consult the concierge before buying anything for them to avoid getting then something that is out of their interest.
A note is more intimidating and sincere. For someone who is working in that industry for a long time or even someone who just started, a note will definitely motivate them to provide an excellent service not only for your next stay but also to their next customers.
The job of a concierge requires a lot of flexibility and adaptability skills. There are numerous requests that they get on a daily basis, and it is important for them to provide satisfactory service to every customer and in every interaction. It is recommended that travelers calculate the right amount of tip for a concierge and also calculate when it is the right time to hand in your tip. Nobody wants to receive or give a perfunctory tip. Ultimately, it is also important to keep track of all the requests you've forwarded and resolved because that is when you are also able to track who provided you with the service.