All inclusive Resort Stay, how do you tip staff?

[lasimmon]

Tip the room cleaner $10-20 the first day and then the last day pending how good they do.

I sometimes tip the bartenders, but the last few times I have went it seems to be a different person every time or I go to a different bar. If its a place with waiters then I'll tip them.

[Buster]

Are there all inclusives that do not require additional accounting? That is - I pay more, and then don't have to tip?

[killramos]

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Are there all inclusives that do not require additional accounting? That is - I pay more, and then don't have to tip?

That’s how Sandals works, you can even have a butler follow you around the whole time if you are into that.

Easily the best all inclusive I have been to. They also don’t let you bring kids.

[ExtraSlow]

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Are there all inclusives that do not require additional accounting? That is - I pay more, and then don't have to tip?

It's possible to stay a week at an all-inclusive and not tip anyone anything and nothing bad happens.

[lasimmon]

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Are there all inclusives that do not require additional accounting? That is - I pay more, and then don't have to tip?

Tipping is not required. And to be honest the difference in service between tipping and not is very little.

[D'z Nutz]

I call BS to all those people who say they tip big and notice a big difference in service. What is your comparison? Did you do a trip to the same resort where you didn't tip? Or did you get a hand job every time you flashed a 5?

[Mitsu3000gt]

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That’s how Sandals works, you can even have a butler follow you around the whole time if you are into that.

Easily the best all inclusive I have been to. They also don’t let you bring kids.

You are expected to tip the Sandals butlers at the end of your trip when you checkout, they are handled differently than the rest of the staff. It's one of the most desired jobs at the resort because they look after several rooms at a time and the tips are much bigger. $20-50 USD/day is what is expected. They give you a cell phone and you can call them for anything, and they will periodically call you to see if you need anything.

Sandals is the best "chain" resort though IMO, at least compared to all the others I have been to.

[88CRX]

Tipped $1-$2 usd per drink order.

But sometimes we were in the pool and didn't have money on us so no tip... and other times we gave them a $5 if were getting belligerent and wanted more then a drink or two or if we really wanted the booze to flow.

I agree the level of service between tipping and not tipping isn't much. They do their rounds, everyone gets a drink, rinse and repeat. If you're tipping strong they might try to track you down to make sure you're not missed, otherwise no difference.

[mr2mike]

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Attachment 100294

Lest we forget.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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I call BS to all those people who say they tip big and notice a big difference in service. What is your comparison? Did you do a trip to the same resort where you didn't tip? Or did you get a hand job every time you flashed a 5?

In my experience, even just sitting at a busy bar with a bunch of other people and only a couple bartenders, if you are the one tipping well, it's noticeable. They are more on the ball with your refills compared to the rest of the folks sitting there and will come over to you ASAP if you look at them or they think you need something. That's an easy experiment to do. Not really any different than anywhere else in that respect, the servers/bartenders are going to give more attention to the people who are paying the most. I've had them offer me a full bottle of liquor as well before the bar shut down so I could carry on elsewhere. If you are the only person sitting at the bar, it isn't going to make a big difference other than maybe more generous liquor pours. When I go with a big group of my friends or for a wedding, showing up to a busy bar and tipping means you don't have to wait 20 minutes for everyone to get their drink.

At the restaurants, if you leave memorable tips, they give you better tables on subsequent visits and come to your table more often to see if you need anything. Sometimes they bring out special booze or something extra like that.

For the housekeeping staff, I think the tips lower the chance of petty theft and they also do a better job cleaning. They also leave more in the minibars, extra waters, etc. Sometimes they fill a bath for you and put flowers in it or something, or fold your dirty clothes - along those lines. I don't hate the towel animals they make either I think they have by far the worst job at the resort so I don't mind tipping them well.

YMMV of course - I'm sure it varies between resorts and individual staff. I've been to a lot of all inclusives in several different countries and I find it to be a pretty noticeable difference overall. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think I was getting an appreciably better experience. For those who don't want to worry about it, just stay at a Sandals and get a non-butler room - you aren't going to raise any eyebrows for not tipping there but they don't turn them down either.

They can only do so much above & beyond without getting in trouble, but I think it's enough to be worth it. When I am on vacation I don't mind paying a little bit more to get the most out of my short time there. Also some of the staff make more money from tips than they do from their salary/wages so it's an important part of their income vs. an amount that isn't even noticeable to the average tourist.

[Buster]

So the resorts are all-inclusive, but once inside the resort it is a marketplace where you bid for a resource (service) in competition with other visitors.

ewwww.

[2Legit2Quit]

This thread is reminding me why I hate all inclusive resorts

[Mitsu3000gt]

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So the resorts are all-inclusive, but once inside the resort it is a marketplace where you bid for a resource (service) in competition with other visitors.

ewwww.

Sort of. Your service won't be bad, sometimes it could just be better if you tip or you get extras.

Sandals you barely notice a difference, and they advertise the fact that you don't need to tip, so I would suggest their resorts if you are put off by that particular model and they are some of the nicest resorts anyway. Also if you go somewhere like St. Lucia where they have multiple reports in close proximity, you can freely use all 3 resorts as if they're your own except to sleep obviously. Even things like SCUBA (2 dives per day) and snorkel trips are free at Sandals so it's pretty easy to feel like you're getting you money's worth. Food there is probably the best I've had at any resort as well.

[Rocket1k78]

Call the bank ahead of time and get a couple hundred in US$1.00 and just tip as you go.

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That's kind of trusting isn't it? But I guess you see it in the service so the money must trickle down.

I trust absolutely no one in those places haha

Yeah i wouldnt be trusting the manager to split it either. If its a big resort with tons of restos,cafes and what not its always going to be different staff anyways so the $10-20 that the manager might split would cover no one on your behalf.

[mr2mike]

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This thread is reminding me why I hate all inclusive resorts

Temptation & Desire are also all inclusive too.

[Masked Bandit]

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Are there all inclusives that do not require additional accounting? That is - I pay more, and then don't have to tip?

In theory the adult only AI I go to in Mexico says "tips included", but everyone still tips.

[ercchry]

Tipping is more about white guilt than anything… can’t say I’ve ever enjoyed an all inclusive vs the equivalent destination “off resort”

[killramos]

Ahh yes. The “I stay off resort when we go to Mexico because I’m cultured and edgy” argument.

But really, it just means cheap.

[ExtraSlow]

I've done both, very different vacations.

[lasimmon]

I think people forget there are really awesome all-inclusive with fantastic food and drinks and amenities. Unfortunately they don't cost $1500 per person for a week...