Tips About Tipping

[Millard]

If leaving a tip for the hotel cleaning staff, tip on a daily basis rather than in one lump sum when you check out. Reason being, you may have a different cleaner each day. Also, when you check out, a bell boy will review your room for missing items. Leaving a lump sum tip can end up in the bell boy's pocket rather than the intended cleaner. Lastly, place your tip on the pillow so the cleaner knows it's for them.

Question - Is the 10% service charge at restaurants given completely to the wait staff or does the owner keep a portion? If someone personally knows a current or former Thai restaurant employee and can could confirm this , I'd greatly appreciate it!

FYI, I'm not trying to debate whether we should tip or not in Thailand. Nor is this post intended to start arguments about how much a person should tip.

[cognos]

i usually tip 10 to 15 % for food, unless the wife didn't like the service or the food and says no tip..and tip the hotel staff at the end of the stay, sometimes a gift as well, or fruit

[Mossfinn]

Also, when you check out, a bell boy will review your room for missing items.

I used to tip at the end of the stay, until I realised this happens and he may take the tip for himself.

So now I find the maid and give the tip personally, OK this doesn't work if she has a day off, that is unfortunate.

[Stricken]

Tipping is a frangs way of spoiling all Thai's, or to try to get into a cuties pants, we are cutting our own throats with even starting the tipping BS.

When you play golf, you pay a caddie fee along with green fee, which the caddies get (minus taxes) at the end of each month (caddie fee). Then we tip them after the round for their expertise on the course or not, so this should be up to the player to evaluate how much, but they put their hand out to receive a tip and expect at least 200-250 or more, we have spoiled them to the degree that they expect a high tip along with their monthly caddie fee.

Granted I love the caddies and they do (usually) a good job, but they get pissed off when someone tips lower then average, when they were on the cell phone, non attentive during play, or whatever the situation, they just expect a good tip, we have spoiled them and demolished the whole purpose of the word tip, making it an expected wage for them.

[spongeman]

So good it was posted thrice

Why would anyone give a lump sum at the end of a hotel stay? Give Individual payments as the tasks are completed.

[Mossfinn]

So good it was posted thrice

Why would anyone give a lump sum at the end of a hotel stay? Give Individual payments as the tasks are completed.

Have you quoted the wrong part of the thread Spongy?

Anyway, do people tip the maid after every night? If that is the norm, I will re-evaluate the situation, but I think it a little strange, as for other individual accomplishments, I tip on an individual basis.

[mca]

Question - Is the 10% service charge at restaurants given completely to the wait staff or does the owner keep a portion?

It varies. In the hotel trade some establishments give the entire amount shared amongst the staff at the end of the month, some give a fixed amount and pocket the difference and some owners stick the whole lot in their own pocket. There's no real way of knowing but I do know in the majority of international chains of hotels the staff will receive the lot.

[caf]

Tipping is a frangs way of spoiling all Thai's, or to try to get into a cuties pants, we are cutting our own throats with even starting the tipping BS.

When you play golf, you pay a caddie fee along with green fee, which the caddies get (minus taxes) at the end of each month (caddie fee). Then we tip them after the round for their expertise on the course or not, so this should be up to the player to evaluate how much, but they put their hand out to receive a tip and expect at least 200-250 or more, we have spoiled them to the degree that they expect a high tip along with their monthly caddie fee.

Granted I love the caddies and they do (usually) a good job, but they get pissed off when someone tips lower then average, when they were on the cell phone, non attentive during play, or whatever the situation, they just expect a good tip, we have spoiled them and demolished the whole purpose of the word tip, making it an expected wage for them.

"we have spoiled them and demolished the whole purpose of the word tip, making it an expected wage for them. "

exactly and this applies to all tipping here. the thai way in resturants for example is to give a modest tip not a percentage.

though i agree what previous posters have said in that tipping is often for show.

we really have created a rod for our own back.

tip the thai way

[QED]

Agreed^

I started working 6 months ago after living here on holiday for over 3 years. I regularly go out to lunch with my staff and we take it in turns to pay at the local restaurant (well not strictly in turns but they make an effort occasionally). In all that time I have not seen one of my Thai staff leave a tip once, I had always believed that a minimum 20 baht was mandatory, but I now tip the Thai way.

Agree with previous poster about golf caddies also, I recently played with a society and was lambasted for only leaving a 200 baht tip (which I didn't think she deserved anyway). Apparently it is in their society's rules that you must leave a minimum 300 baht tip - <deleted>!