Tipping：2. To tip or not to tip the chamber maid? That is the question!!

My first trip abroad was with my university we took a three week package tour. There was a girl who stayed in a single room because her friend had canceled the tour. I think her trouble happened in Flankfurt. One morning, she forgot to leave a tip for housekeeping. That day, when she came back to her room after sightseeing, she saw her room had not been cleaned. However, the next morning, she left double the usual amount of tip. On that day, her room changed dramatically to be cleaner than usual. My friend and I were very surprised and said, "Wow! Really? We should not forget to leave a tip." Since then, I I have been bound by the belief that I must leave a tip for bed making, "Never forget to leave a tip under the pillow when I get up in the morning.!"
I sometimes even leave a tip near my pillow before going to bed!!
About ten years ago, when I travelled to St. Ives, I stayed at a B&B. The B&B had only double rooms, but it wasn't the peak tourist season, so they provided me a double room for a single room rate. The first morning, I left a tip under my pillow as usual. The second morning, when I took away my pillow to leave a tip, I found out that the first day's tip was there. "Oh, didn't she notice that a tip had been left?" Moreover, I felt sorry because I stayed in a double room for a single room fee, so I left a tip for two days. However, the third morning, I found out that my tip was still there. Umm...I began to thingk a little, "What shoudl I do?", then finally, I left triple tip for three days under my pillow. After that, I checked out.
Five or six years ago, when I visited St. Ives again with my friend who was living in the UK studying English, we stayed in Penzance because we couldn't book a B&B in St. Ives. On the first morning, when I was putting my tip under my pillow, she said, "A tip for bed making isn't necessary at a B&B." "Are you sure?", I was not convinced. Before that, I never forgot to leave a tip. Moreover, it was the only time my tip wasn't received ; the exception was my first trip in St. Ives. However, my friend said positively, "Yes, I'm sure.", so I finally didn't leave my tip. When we came back to the B&B at night, I saw the towel which I had used the night before was still there. My friend said, "At a B&B, they don't change guest's towels every day, but At the B&B which I had stayed, they usually changed my towel daily. Actually, the day was the second time.Therefore, I thought that they didn't change our towel because we didn't leave a tip.
Recently, I sometimes see a sign which says, "When you want to change your towels, please put them on the floor or into the bath tub.", with a phrase of "Think of eco." I heard that English people didn't take a bath every day before, so they may continue to use the same towel for one week. However, I change my towel every day at home, so I felt uncomfortable because I had to use the same towel for a few days.
Therefore, after the trip to St. Ives, I never forgot to leave a tip for bed making, whether I stayed at B&Bs or at hotels.
However, my English teacher, John P. said that English people never leave a tip for bed making. "I think only Japanese pay a tip for bed making." Really? In my case, I'm not happy if I receive fifty pence(about one hundred yen)^＊ for bed making. Probably, I don't clean a room carefully even if somebody gives me a tip. As John said, a tip may not be necessary. On the other hand, for the employees of hotels, a tip may be valuable because if many guests give them a tip, the total amount would be worthwhile. I don't know.
However, if almost of all Japanese leave a tip for bed making everywhere in England, the emploees probably expect Japanese people to tip. In such a case, if I don't leave a tip, they will think, "She is stingy!" and as a result, I can't receive a good service. That means, I should pay a tip for bed making because I'm Japanese! I'm at a loss!

^＊ According to a guidebook even this year, fifity pence is enough for a bed-making tip. However, John P. said that fifty pence wasn't enought at all. In his opinion, you shouldn't pay a tip every day, but you should pay at least one or two pounds when leaving a tip.

(2004.9.18)

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