How much to tip hotel staff??

cmbutterfly45

I'm trying to do up my final budgets will have 130-140 guests at €40 per head
How much should I be putting aside for tipping service staff?

Sam Kade

Nothing, they are paid to do their job

TheBody

We got the hotel wedding coordinator a bouquet of flowers. She was all we had face to face dealings with and did a great job. That was all we got for the hotel staff.

annoyedgal

Our hotel adds a five per cent discretionary service charge to bill. We will happily pay this if we are one hundred per cent happy with all aspects of the reception. Am glad it's optional though as won't pay it if not happy with service. It may be included in your prices anyway so check and see before you tip anything!

cmbutterfly45

Nope I know there is no service charge already added, really unsure what to do as I didn't expect replies of nothing I just assumed everyone tipped for a big event as I worked as waiting staff a few yrs ago and we always got tipped

annoyedgal

Also spent years in the service industry which has given me a strong habit of tipping excellent service. I know that's not everyone's way though and that's fine.

solerina

It never occurred to us to tip (until now actually)...in fairness it wouldn't have been easy anyway as they served the meal and then most of them disappeared, 2/3 of the older lads were about clearing glasses etc for the rest of the night.. I didn't think of it but if I had I think I would have assumed the hotel covers in in the coat of the wedding.

SNAKEDOC

I think tipping is the most rediculous thing ever. Fair enough in america where waitresses and waitors get paid next to nothing but in the bar trade and working in hotels from experience they make a fair wage anyway why tip. Would you tip a painter for painting your house if you have already paid him answer no. You have paid for your wedding which includes waitor service so why do you need yo pay extra. My wife on the other hand would gladly hand over at least a fiver after a meal now imagine the waitor he probably serves upward of twenty tables or more a night so maybe 120 euro a night on tips if everyone is like my wife thats more than i get per day wages. No one tips where i work. How come waiting staff are special and get tips. I believe they get paid a fair wage tips are never needed in this country.

donegal_man

I tip if the service warrants it, generally around 10% or so. I point blank refuse to pay a 'service charge' as based on painful experience from my student days working in a well known hotel it was regarded as part of the takings and the staff never got a sniff of it.

SNAKEDOC

Its accepted as the norm that you tip or a service charge is taken automatically. We are taking after the americans too much. Even tipping where tipping is seemingly warrented is wrong in my book. Pay for a service get a service to hell with having to pay extra for that service. You dont tip a bus driver or the mc donalds staff or the tesco checkout lady. Attention Irish people you are not americans. In america waitressing is such a low paying job people tip to pay them simple as that for staff here they already get a fair wage

mikemac1

OP if want to tip the staff then give cash directly.

If you put the money behind reception then management add it to the takings and staff will never see it.

It's not realy necessary to tip the hotel staff, they are all getting paid

Always tip the alter boys at weddings though, they dont get paid!!

littlelulu

Worked in hotels too. Each person is assigned a table to look after. We only got tipped by the guests at our table if we did a good job.

I have seen managers run into offices to "count" the tips. I have also seen staff look for managers because a table had handed over that persons tip to the manager and the money was nowhere to be seen.

Its too messy in my opinion. I was always satisfied with just a thank you and excellent job etc.

If you tip the banqueting staff, then the bar staff are left out even though they were in the room working too.

cmbutterfly45

Thanks for all of the replies I'm feeling confident now that no tips are needed, and I agree with those saying about the management taking tips I've witnessed that too !!

Gatica

We had service charge or 5% waived as part of our contract and instead worded as "at your discretion".
After the wedding we wanted to tip the staff that attended us that night and we tipped them 6%. We requested that the money be passed onto the bar and waiting staff that was on that night, of course that'll depend on the honesty of the managers then. In any case, my conscience is clear.

I agree that expected tipping as part of the wedding or the service charges are a bit crazy to be expected here considering how much you're already paying a hotel to host your wedding. You'd never go out for a meal and pay that amount pp for the relative quality of wedding food, so I presume all these overheads are costed into the pph that one pays.
I just think it's nice if you can afford to reward the "front-line" people that take care of you on the day and give you exceptional service. We found our waiting staff all to be very nice and jolly and other guests remarked on their friendliness, so why not?

helimachoptor

There was no tip for our wedding bar for one of the bar men.

We got married in a family run hotel, which had (1 week before the wedding) been taken over by receivers.

We got married on the Friday, BBQ on the Sat and on both nights one of the bar men stayed up til about 5am, then allowed us to order a final bulk order before locking up, he even made us toasties!

I think we gave him €250 iirc

Moonbeam

we did not tip the staff when we paid the bill but they were heavily tipped in the bar by us and our guests.

Senna

Speaking as a wedding coordinator, I don't expect a tip but a thank you card a few months later is always nice to get, again not expected, just a nice though.