What is appropriate tipping for villa concierge and housekeeping staff

bem1103

SBH Member
This is our first time renting a villa in St Barths. The concierge and housekeeping staff have been wonderful. We leave tomorrow.

What is the appropriate tipping policy for the concierge and housekeeping staff?
 
WE give 10 euros/day to the housekeeper for a 1 bedroom. We never had a concierge. What does he/she do??
 
I usually tip €10-20 per day per bedroom for the maid. No experience with a concierge, but it would depend on frequency of requests. I usually give the guy who leads us to the villa and shows us the ropes, €20.
 
Too late for you to do this, but I usually throw down a 20 the first day the maid comes (for our place it was Monday, after we checked in on Sat.), and then leave most of the remaining euros we have on the final day

PS - I thought I remember recently reading the normal tip was 5 euro per day......it may have been in the rental company brochure
 
Helpful Hints dated December 8, 2014:

"Tipping: You may think that the restaurants are somewhat expensive but, unlike the USA, restaurant menu prices INCLUDE service but not tip.
If your meal is exceptional, it is nice to leave an additional tip (up to 10%).
The villa, hotel or apartment maid should be tipped a minimum of $10 per bedroom per day.
The person greeting you at the airport and assisting with your bags should also be tipped (minimum of $20 per couple).
If you have asked for other services such as a massage, a baby-sitter, boat charter, private chef, etc., a tip is always appreciated and should be
determined by the level of service received.
LIVE YOUR DREAM®"

Personally, I usually leave 10 Euros a day.
 
I tip 10 per bedroom per day. Depending on the maid, that might be in $ or it might be in €. A maid with whom we get along particularly well might also go home with a bottle of VC on a Saturday or the day before a holiday.
 
Thanks everyone.

the concierge made all our dinner reservations, restaurant recommendations, ensured everything at the villa was in working order, even brought us rafts for the pool
 
I don't usually work with a concierge on-island, other than Premium IV, whose charges are well defined. If I were using a concierge in the manner in which you describe then I wouldn't tip less than €20, and would probably be well on my way to €50 or beyond. If the concierge solved a particularly gnarly problem then the sky is the limit.
 
Mario Batali ( I am a big fan of his) was on Squawk Box this morning talking about tipping and some of the new practices he has seen and the increases that are being asked of customers in the US. Yes I know this is about tipping on SB, but the discussion was interesting. He stated examples of tips for wait AND kitchen staff, choices of 20, 30 , or 40% tips coming on a bill. And new sites similar to Open Table but that charge the customer to make the reservation. He seemed to be in corner of the customer should do what he/she feels is appropriate.

We tip the housekeeper 10 euros a day and any unopened wine or alcohol is for her to keep.


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