Back in 2014, and not without controversy, Maria Shriver worked with Marriott to encourage hotel guests to leave a small gratuity for the housekeepers, on the theory that you interact with them as you do with the bellman or the doorman or the concierge, all of whom you tip without question. Some said Marriott was asking the guest to pay the maids, but I disagreed. I never thought the point was solely financial; I always included a Thank You! with my money on the bedspread.
TBG and I left a happy, grateful note for a lovely room and a five dollar bill atop one of the four pillows on the bed, smiled at the housekeeper as we assured her that we were finished and the room was hers to with as she wished, and went on to friends and family and museums and food.
We brought them all back to our room to rest before driving to dinner. As they sorted themselves out on arm chairs and desk chairs and walker seats TBG and I stood in amazement. Our room had received a lot of extra love. Having chosen the green option, we draped our towels over the rack, signalling that we'd use them again, and expecting to find them drying in place when we returned. Handy on the rack near the sink when we left were two hand towels and two washcloths, exactly what we needed,
We returned to this:
We hit the jackpot in the hand towel department, which was fortuitous since we had guests.
The bathroom, too, was overflowing with housekeeping's largesse.
It wasn't only the 4 fluffy new bath towels which replaced the three adequate ones we'd left hangin, but the hand towels and washcloths in every shape and nook and cranny that put me over the edge. I began to giggle but then I heard TBG laughing and calling for me to Come and Look!
I went. I saw. I smiled.
Yes. There are seven pillows on the bed. There were four when we left.
I'm not even going to describe what happened the next day with the toiletries.
Give and ye shall receive.
What goes around comes around.
Be Kind.
Do unto others.....
Whatever the reason, we both slept incredibly well on sheets placed with love.
Everyone needs appreciation and I am certain the hotel maids have seen the underbelly of humanity.
ReplyDeleteHer smile when we saw her the next day was BEAUTIFUL,
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Always be super kind to the housekeeping staff. Say good morning, good evening, smile, leave a tip, keep your room neat and tidy, do not make extra work for these hard-working souls.
ReplyDeleteI always leave a gratuity when we leave. When I am in a room when it's being cleaned, I sometimes talk to them. The most interesting was when we were in Massachusetts for a month when my husband had work. One week was in a hotel and I got to talking to the lady regularly. I was reading a lot of romances right then, buying them used, to try and understand what the romance genre required. I'd give her the books when I finished and she shared them with her daughter. The bad part about gratuities that a person leaves at the end is the possibility it won't go to the regular housekeeper for most of the time-- the advantage of doing it daily.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
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and what they run into can be really ugly. Some of her stories still have me cringing.
ReplyDeleteI always tip housekeeping and leave a note. It's the right thing to do. They have hard jobs and are probably only getting minimum wage. And I believe in karma. Always,pay kindness forward.
ReplyDeleteSending hugs.
Megan xxx
Plus, you get lots of pillows!!
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