The last time you stayed in a hotel, did you leave a tip for the maid? Marriott brand hotels have started leaving tip envelopes for guests in order to encourage tipping for room attendants. In a partnership with Maria Shriver, founder of A Woman's Nation, Marriott is trying to supplement wages in a job primarily worked by women. While most hotel employees are traditionally been tipped for their services, maids are often left out of this alternative income source.
The discrepancy between tipping one type of hotel employee versus another seems to follow the level of personal connection a guest establishes with the staff. Many people tip desk clerks, doormen, and employees who carry bags. The interaction fosters a personal connection with the customer, making a tip more likely. In the case of maids, hotel guests rarely see them and therefore forget or do not know it is customary to tip the maids.
The median salary of a hotel maid is $19,780 according to the Bureau of Labor Requirements, which equates to $9.51 an hour. This is a slightly higher than minimum wage in most states. Leaving a few dollars behind to help boost that small number is customary to some, ignored by others, and unknown to others still.
The major question hotel guests should ask themselves when considering a tip is this: Who should be responsible for paying the housekeepers? Should this extra pay be coming from your pocket, or is this tipping initiative a corporate ploy to to get you to supplement the meager wage of the maids? Is it a weak attempt to improve worker morale and employee retention? Marriott employees have gone on strike before. Could this effort be a countermeasure to prevent a future strike? This initiative helps in advancing the cause of low wages for women, but does the burden belong on consumers? Maybe Marriott should just give the housekeeping staff a raise.
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