One question you may have when you stay at a hotel is whether or not you should give a tip to the hotel staff – the chambermaid who did your housekeeping, the bellhop who carried your bags, the concierge who hailed your taxi, the waiter who brought up the meal you called for through room service.

The answer to this question is yes. You should tip the hotel staff whenever a service has been provided for you. Hotel staff and personnel all over the world, not just in the UK, consider tips as part of their wages. And their wages can be truly meagre, as they are only paid the minimum salary every month.

Besides, tipping the staff is not just a form of appreciation for a service well-rendered but is also a way of ensuring that you will continue to receive great service throughout your stay at the hotel. That is just the way it is.

The next logical question you may have is: How much should you tip? The general rule is that if you dine at the hotel’s restaurant, engage the services of the resident hairdresser at the hotel, order room service, or get driven about by the hotel’s chauffeur, the tip you should give them should be 10% to 15% of the total bill for their service.

For the porters who helped carry your bags, you should hand them £1 or £2 per bag, or more if your bags are heavy. For the doorman who hailed you a taxi or the valet who parked your car, the appropriate tip is £2 or £3, or more in times of bad weather. For the chambermaid who did your housekeeping, the tip can be £2 to £5 every time your room is cleaned, depending on how messy your room is. For the coat check, it is £1 per coat.

Make sure that you have small bills ready at hand all the time whilst you are at the hotel. It can be quite embarrassing to have only large bills when it is time for you to give a tip for being serviced at the hotel.