Hotel Tipping Guide — Housekeeping, Bellhops, Concierge & More

7 min read · Updated February 14, 2026

Hotel Tipping Is Different From Restaurant Tipping

At a restaurant, there is one person to tip and one obvious moment to do it. Hotels are more complicated. Over the course of a stay, you might interact with a half-dozen different service workers, each with different tipping expectations. Some you tip once, some daily, and some not at all.

The good news is that hotel tipping amounts are generally small compared to restaurant tips. The bad news is that many travelers skip them entirely — not out of stinginess, but because they genuinely do not know the expectations. This guide fixes that.

Housekeeping: $2-5 Per Night

This is the tip most people forget, and it is arguably the most important one. Hotel housekeepers do physically demanding work — cleaning rooms, changing sheets, scrubbing bathrooms — and they are among the lowest-paid workers in the hospitality industry. Tips make a real difference in their day.

How much: $2-5 per night, depending on the hotel tier.

• Budget or standard hotel: $2-3 per night
• Upscale hotel: $3-5 per night
• Luxury hotel or suite: $5-10 per night, especially if the room is large or you left it particularly messy

How to leave it: Put cash in a clearly visible spot on the nightstand or desk with a note that says "Thank you" or "For housekeeping." Without a note, housekeepers may worry the money was left accidentally and will not take it.

Important: Tip daily, not in a lump sum at checkout. Housekeeping staff rotate, so the person who cleans your room on Monday may not be the same person on Wednesday. Leaving $20 on your last day means only one housekeeper benefits. Leaving $5 each day ensures everyone who cleaned your room gets something.

Bellhops and Porters: $1-2 Per Bag

If someone carries your bags from the lobby to your room, tip $1-2 per bag. If you only have one small bag, a minimum of $2-3 is reasonable — do not hand someone a single dollar for walking you to the 14th floor.

For heavy bags, oversized luggage, or if the bellhop helps you with several trips, tip on the higher end: $2-3 per bag or a flat $5-10.

If you carry your own bags, no tip is needed. You are not obligated to use the bell service.

The Concierge: It Depends on What They Do

The concierge is one of the trickier tipping situations in a hotel because the tip depends entirely on the level of service provided.

When to tip the concierge:

• They scored hard-to-get restaurant reservations: $5-20, depending on the difficulty. A booking at a restaurant that is normally booked out for weeks is worth $10-20.
• They got you theater tickets, event passes, or special experiences: $10-25 or more, proportional to the effort and value.
• They arranged complex travel logistics (private car, multi-stop tours, etc.): $10-20.

When you do not need to tip:

• Simple directions or recommendations. If you ask "Where is a good place to eat nearby?" and they point you somewhere, that is part of their job. No tip needed.
• Handing you a map or calling you a standard taxi. Basic concierge tasks do not require a tip.

A good rule of thumb: if the concierge spent meaningful time or used personal connections to help you, tip. If they answered a quick question, a sincere thank-you is enough.

Valet Parking: $2-5 Each Time

Valet tipping happens at retrieval, not at drop-off (though tipping at both is fine if you want to ensure your car gets good treatment).

• Standard valet: $2-5 when they bring your car back
• Luxury hotel or resort: $5 is more appropriate
• Bad weather, long wait, or special requests: Lean toward $5 or higher

If you are using the valet multiple times per day (say, at a resort), you do not need to tip $5 every single time. A consistent $2-3 per retrieval is fine, with a larger tip on your last day.

Room Service: Check Before You Tip Twice

Room service is the hotel tipping trap that catches the most people. Many hotels add an automatic gratuity of 18-22% to room service orders. It is usually listed on the bill as "service charge" or "gratuity."

Always read the bill. If a service charge is already included, you do not need to add another tip. If there is no service charge, tip 15-20% of the food total, just as you would in a restaurant.

An extra $1-2 in cash handed directly to the delivery person is a nice gesture even when gratuity is included, but it is not expected.

Hotel Restaurant and Bar Staff

If the hotel has an on-site restaurant or bar with its own waitstaff, tip exactly as you would at any standalone restaurant: 15-20% for table service, $1-2 per drink at the bar. The fact that it is inside a hotel changes nothing.

For breakfast buffets at hotels, tipping is murkier. If a server brings you drinks, clears your plates, and attends to your table, tip $2-5 per person or 10-15% of what the buffet would have cost. If you are grabbing food from a self-serve continental breakfast with no table service, no tip is needed.

Door Staff and Shuttle Drivers

• Doorman who hails a cab: $1-2
• Doorman who helps with bags or umbrellas: $1-2
• Hotel shuttle driver: $1-2 per person, or $2-5 if they help with luggage

These are small amounts, but door staff and shuttle drivers notice and appreciate them. Keep a few singles in your pocket during your stay for these moments.

Resort Fees vs. Tips: Know the Difference

Here is something that frustrates many travelers: resort fees are not tips. That $35-50 daily "resort fee" or "amenity fee" tacked onto your bill at many hotels goes to the hotel itself. None of it goes to the housekeeper who cleaned your room or the bellhop who carried your bags.

Resort fees cover things like pool access, Wi-Fi, gym use, and other amenities. They are essentially a way for hotels to advertise lower room rates while charging more at checkout. Do not let the existence of a resort fee make you feel like tipping has already been handled — it has not.

A Practical Hotel Tipping Budget

For a typical three-night hotel stay, here is a rough tipping budget to set aside:

That is not a huge amount in the context of a hotel stay, but it makes a genuine difference to the people serving you.

The Envelope Trick

Here is a practical tip from frequent travelers: at the start of your trip, put your estimated tipping cash into an envelope and keep it in your bag. Having small bills ready means you are never caught off guard when someone helps you with bags, holds a door, or goes out of their way.

It also removes the mental friction of deciding in the moment. You already budgeted for it — just reach in and hand it over.

Calculate Any Tip in Seconds

Unsure what 18% of your room service order comes to? Use our tip calculator to get the exact amount instantly. It works for hotel services, restaurants, taxis and rideshares, and anything else where a percentage tip applies.