My life often involves a great deal of travel. In that travel, I have stayed in magnificent first class hotels and in places that make the word “dump” seem classy.
For the most part, those of us who travel for business stay in pretty predictable places. We can all collectively close our eyes and imagine those rooms as I write this. Those of us who are into travel-related hotel stuff, know the quilt should not to be touched by the human hand, the television remote, doorknobs and telephone will be microscopically filthy and that one should never look under the beds, behind the dresser and always pray that someone, in recent memory, has thoroughly cleaned the bathroom surfaces.
It is no secret that hotel rates have skyrocketed and that there are now all kinds of extra fees (gym, the pool, internet access, phone service, etc.) and a variety taxes that have been thrown in just to keep us guessing as to what the final bill might look like.
In an article written by Harriet Baskas (September 28, 2014) for CNBC entitled: “Are mandatory tips the next new hotel fee?” we learn that:
“Marriott Hotel’s new campaign to provide an in-room envelopes encouraging guests to tip housekeepers may open the door to the next wave of hotel fees: Mandatory gratuities for services.”
For those of you who feel I am being unfair to Marriott, Ms. Baskas points out that:
“The Atlantis Paradise Island resort complex in the Bahamas notifies guests they will be required to pay a mandatory ‘gratuity and utility service fee’ of $20.70 to $65.95 per person, per day depending on the type of unit. And at the Fairmont Southampton and Hamilton in Bermuda, nightly fees including gratuities of $10.20 per person are added to most rates to comply with a collective bargaining agreement.”
Oh, it’s going to come soon enough.
An Ethical Contract
The people who clean the rooms have it tough; there is no doubt about that. It is hard work and to be honest, some of the rooms (I’ve heard stories) are left in conditions that make us wonder if the occupants have actually ever lived indoors.
Most of the people I know voluntarily leave tips for the housecleaning staff. The staff is paid modestly, and the tips help them.
However sometimes I walk into a room where there are no towels or toiletries, the bathroom is filthy, the floors have not been vacuumed and the room smells. Should I ask the hotel for a rebate?
I have a problem with the fact that I might be required to tip on a mandatory basis. I am an adult and I am a generous person and if I am happy I will tip and if I am dissatisfied, I won’t. Why would a hotel take that discretion away from me?
Adjoining that question looms a larger question. If hotel rates keep rising and they are charging us for any and every additional service, why aren’t they paying their people a fair wage? Why is it up to me to pay their worker a salary? A tip for good service at my discretion I can understand; a mandatory tip regardless of service makes no sense.
We have become a “tipper nation,” and I believe there is a huge ethical disconnect. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to tipping for exceptional service, but in numerous venues across the country we are encountering the tip jar. If I pay $2.00 for a small cup of coffee why am I tipping on top of that? Is it because the huge mega-billion dollar company underpays and undervalues its employees?
If a hotel charges $250 a night for a small room with virtually no amenities, why am I going to be forced into a mandatory tip?
Words to the Wise
The landscape is changing. More and more workers are working off-site. Trade shows are combining and attendance is down at many of those shows as well. I would fully expect that someday, quite soon, there will be completely virtual and interactive trade shows.
There are services that rent homes, condominiums and apartments totally avoiding hotel stays. More and more workers are co-working and who knows how that will ultimately change the lodging scene? Will more hotels be built to look like the Japanese “capsule” hotels where there is a tiny bathroom and a twin sized bed?
While resort hotels are lovely, it is the business traveler, the road warrior if you will, who is the bread and butter. At some point, the landscape could potentially shift. Will you demand a gratuity from me then, or will I simply opt to teleconference?
Think wisely of your next move.