Tipping
Tips or gratuities are offers of a small amount of money to a worker for a service. How much to tip is a personal judgment; the below serves only as a guideline to typical amounts. One should never tip police officers or government employees, as such might be considered a bribe.
- Waiters and waitresses normally receive 20% of the food bill for good service.
- Porters receive $1 or $2 per bag.
- Taxi drivers receive 15-20% of the fare.
- Barbers and hair dressers, as well as spa personnel, normally receive 15-20% of the bill.
- Room service personnel often receive an automatic gratuity that is listed on the food bill after the subtotal. Otherwise, $2 per meal is acceptable.
- Hotel maids normally receive $1 to $2 per night for cleaning the room.
- Any other visits from hotel personnel, for more towels or pillows, for instance, can be appropriately tipped with $1 to $2.
- Tour guides for organized tours utilizing transportation can receive tips for excellent service. The size of such a tip depends on the number of persons touring, the length of the tour, etc. For a half-day bus tour with a good guide, an average tip might be $5 per attendee.
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