[Nadia]

It's a difficult issue nowadays. I don't really understand as much about the hotel and lodging industry as I do food service. What I do know is that house keepers do make a decent wage per hour in most cases, they are not 100% reliant on tips. I think it's a bit greedy for them to be forcing gratuity upon guests. $2.00 a night isn't too bad, but $40? That's outrageous.

As far as waitstaff, they are reliant on tips. Most of them get paid $2.50 per hour, or maybe a bit more if they're lucky. They also end up paying taxes on their actual sales, and in most establishments have to tip out other staff i.e. buspersons, bartenders, and even dishwashers sometimes, based on their sales as well.

So here is where the problem comes in. Generally, most folks know, 15% of the bill is the standard rate for tipping, but quite a few don't. Even people who do know sometimes seem to put it aside when they are together in large parties of 6 or more. They seem to not tip on the percentage of the bill after a certain point. Let's say you have a party of 12 people, with a $240 check. A 15% tip is $36. Some people just can't see leaving a waitperson a $36 tip. What's wrong with a $20 tip? It's not even that their cheap or rude, they just don't understand the situation. I know people that leave $5.00 tips no matter what the check. I know people that leave a certain dollar amount per person seated at the table. Unfortunately, that's not the way the situation should be addressed.

Reason being, most likely the server is paying taxes on 15% of their sales, and is also tipping out other staff on 15% of their sales. If the party of 12 leaves them $20, the server still pays out on $36, so really, they do get the shaft. Furthermore, in most situations, the house would have to make up for it. That's why a lot of restaraunts house policy is to add the gratuity into the check for larger parties, to cover the server and themselves. It happens the most in larger parties. There really is nothing wrong with a $20 tip, but it's the taxes and pay-outs that cause the problem.

Along with this improved method of solving the problem comes yet another problem. Now the server really doesn't have to go out of their way to "earn" their tip so to speak, cause it's already guaranteed for them. Good servers will go out of their way to try and earn themselves even more, but I'm sure there are some who don't. Some guests are also very offended by forced gratuity. Just keep in mind it's really not the waitstaff's decision. It usually goes back to the business itself. The business does not want to cover the losses, the business does not want to raise the servers rate of pay, and the business also wants the servers to tip the other staff so the business can pay them less as well, so they pass the cost onto the customer. But it happens in almost every business, not just restaraunts--

I can more so understand why gratuity would be added into a check at a restaraunt, but I'm not sure about a hotel. Unless I'm wrong in my assumptions, most housekeepers make a decent wage. They are not reliant on tips, but do they pay taxes on them? That may be where the problem lies. Does anyone know?

I think in the housekeeping industry tipping should be kept generally for good service, and should be left to the guests discretion. If these people are making a decent wage and are not reliant on tips than I can't imagine they would pay taxes on them. Seems the business itself even knows tips are not guaranteed to the housekeeper, wherefore they are paid higher wages than servers.

The reason forced gratuity upsets me in most cases is because it is the business behind it. Instead of paying their help a decent wage they stick it to the customer.

As far as the fine print, my friends and family make fun of me constantly for the way I am with anything put in front of me. If you want my signature on something, you had better be prepared. I read every single word, sometimes even over and over, and ask questions. I have driven sales-people up a wall. I'm not trying to offend anybody, I'm not suggesting anything, it's just the way I am, and it's kept me out of trouble. I also keep copies of everything I sign, write down names and titles of individuals I speak to, and details of our conversations. I scrutinize bills from utility companies and hospitals and have found hundreds of dollars in mistakes. The largest mistake I found was $108 on a Verizon cellphone bill.

Read everything you sign. Don't be afraid of holding up the line, or holding up the individual, it's their job. Take your contract or whatever your signing, and step aside the line and let others go in front. Don't forget your reading glasses. Don't let sales-people, mortgage brokers, real-estate agents or anyone sum up paragraphs for you in contracts and say "This here just says". Read it, know it, and understand it. If you don't understand it, ask. As far as hotel gratuity, ask the person at the front desk when you check in the hotel's policy on gratuity. When you have a party of four or more in a restaraunt, ask the server the policy on gratuity. I know that in Canada, and Europe, the gratuity is added into the check automatically no matter the size of the party in restaraunts. Your not being rude.

On the other hand, like an above poster mentioned, double-tipping does happen sometimes. Guests may not take note of the signs or print in the menu's that state gratuity is added into the bill. Although the server could tell the guest/s that gratuity has been added into the check, some guests may find this rude. Same scenario if a waitperson walks over to your table, hands you the check, and says the gratuity has not been added into the bill. Some guests may find this rude. It's tough.

Some establishments may also give servers the option of adding gratuity into the check at their discretion, as long as they know they will pay out on 15% no matter what. Case in point, I have customers I've been waiting on for years. I don't need or want to add gratuity into their bill. Back to customers being offended, in the best interest of the waitstaff sometimes it's better for them not to add gratuity into the bill. They may lose out.

The best way to handle the situation is for the guest or customer to inquire about the gratuity before being seated or staying at the establishment. If your unsure whether or not the server has added the gratuity into your check, ask. It should be visible on the check as well.