General Rules for Tipping

Oct 29, 2006
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Could anybody here inform me of the standard or customary tips for the following services.

Taxi drivers
Hotel doorman
Restaurant services (in addition to the 26%)

All Inclusives:
Maids
Restaurant & Buffet personnel
Reception

Thanks for your responses

Rafael
 

Malibook

Bronze
Jan 23, 2002
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www.yourtraveltickets.com
To me the general rule is tip whatever you want.

A lot of people are extremely cheap and some people are very generous.

It's bizarre that here on DR1 it is the generous ones who receive all of the criticism.:rolleyes: :tired:
Some critics claim that people who give generous tips are laughed at and never really appreciated.:rolleyes: :surprised
Some think we are showing off, spoiling them, raising the bar, yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah......
It's as if they think they are in our wills because I doubt they really care about what people think of us.:rolleyes: :tired:
 
Oct 29, 2006
201
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General Rules for tipping

Thank you for your response Malibook.

We (my wife and I) are really very generous when it comes to tipping.

We travel a lot (6 to 10 times per year) to the Caribbean, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

I have always maintained that, when you expend $3,000 to $5,000 in a trip, and then maybe another $3,000 or 4,000 in gambling, dining and entertainment; it seems a bit insensible and cheap not to care for and compensate the people who makes this possible. Of course along with big tips, you also must show the respect for the ones who are serving you and making your trip pleasurable.
We are, obviously, pretty much aware that with the big tip you almost always will receive the big smile and special attention. We never care if that smile is genuine or sarcarstic, for we know that with time and repeated visits, showing the respect we mentioned, it will, in due time, invariably become genuine.

We do it, whenever we go; however, I think it's specially important in DR, because the tips are a lot more significative and make a larger impact in the economic lives of the locals.
 

PlantaFULL

New member
Oct 21, 2004
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and cheap not to care for and compensate the people who makes this possible

The above statement makes things look almost as if the money you pay for your trips all goes all elsewhere but not salaries of workers. To me this sounds as if a taxiride fee is only covering the gas, a restaurant bill only covering the ingredients of the meal and so on.

I was not born American, but lived in the US a number of years as well as other parts of the globe. I am not cheap and I tip based on my satisfaction. This "must tip for everything" culture really gets me annoyed sometimes. Whats next? Tipping airline workers upon exiting the plane? Its not far fetched imo.

There was a nice Seinfeld episode where he asks "Do you have to tip a gardener? Now much you tip a gardener"? This is all just making life way more complicated IMO :)
 

pzerimars

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Nov 4, 2006
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I was not born American, but lived in the US a number of years as well as other parts of the globe. I am not cheap and I tip based on my satisfaction. This "must tip for everything" culture really gets me annoyed sometimes. Whats next? Tipping airline workers upon exiting the plane? Its not far fetched imo.

Similarly to PlantaFULL, I was born in DR and lived in the US. I don't get where people get this "I have to tip everyone" ideology. Unless you just have so much money to spare, or want to make it seem that way, you don't tip EVERYONE.

The only "tip" I'd give a taxi driver would be allowing him to keep the change simply because I don't want to wait for him to produce the accurate change. Same goes for pizza delivery. At hotels, I don't tip the maids because 1) that's their job and 2) I never make much of a mess and thus make their jobs easier. Now if, for some reason, my hotel room was trashed and disgustingly dirty, I'd leave a $10 dollar tip or something.

I'm not even cheap either, it just depends on the quality of service. I've given bartenders (here in the US) $50 tips. The most I've ever spent on tip was $120 at this restaurant in Seattle BUT the service was impeccable and everything exceeded my expectations and the $120 was 20% of the bill, which would be standard tip in NYC.

So, Taxi drivers/pizza delivery/services of this nature = keep the change. Hotel staff = only tip if they have done anything above the ordinary, in which case you'd tip according to how great a task you feel they faced. Bartenders = always tip, they get paid crap! Personally, my minimum = $5 for bartenders (although it typically tends to be $10 since I rarely have $5s for some reason). Entertainment gets tip but I tend to tip them less than bartenders.

Tip reception? Are you kidding me? What did they do, speak with me for 5 min while I checked in and then another 5 when I checked out? Heh, sorry they don't get a tip. Although, I suppose it depends. When I traveled to Japan, I tipped the receptionist $200 because I spent at least 30 min with her everyday since I needed her to translate things and to point me in the right direction. (BTW, in case we have any Japan travelers, she wasn't the receptionist per se; it was her job to do what she did but I felt she had been monumentally important to the success of my stay)
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
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Let's try this

Could anybody here inform me of the standard or customary tips for the following services.

Taxi driversFirst you negotiate the fare! If it was prompt and courteous, a nice "Gracias Se?or" is enough.
Hotel doorman: No tips unless they carried your bags. They all share in a general 10% surcharge on your hotel bill.
Restaurant services (in addition to the 26%): Your bill will include a 10% gratuity for the wait staff. IF you feel that you have received above standard or extra courteous service, by all means add another 10%-20%

All Inclusives:
Maids: A generous $5 per day is fair. Make sure that you have an envelope with her name on it. And they all wear nametags.
Restaurant & Buffet personnel: There is a division of opinions onthis one. Do what you think is best at the end of your stay. You could give it to the Maitre'd or the Dining room manager.
Reception: No tips, they share inthe 10% surcharge.

Thanks for your responses

Rafael

You will enjoy your trip and make more than a few people happy.

HB
 

chadverizon

New member
Apr 2, 2005
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In the US the salary for a waiter is around $2.30 US per hour, this cover the taxes you have to pay. Therefore, unless people tip you for your good service, you go home with nothing. I speak from experience. I was once tipped a bible, funny yes, but I had no money to show for the good service and time I provided for a table of 6 people.
Once you work a job where tips are what you bring home, you will have a new respect for tipping.
If service is good, tip!
 

A.Hidalgo

Silver
Apr 28, 2006
3,268
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Similarly to PlantaFULL, I was born in DR and lived in the US. I don't get where people get this "I have to tip everyone" ideology. Unless you just have so much money to spare, or want to make it seem that way, you don't tip EVERYONE.

The only "tip" I'd give a taxi driver would be allowing him to keep the change simply because I don't want to wait for him to produce the accurate change. Same goes for pizza delivery. At hotels, I don't tip the maids because 1) that's their job and 2) I never make much of a mess and thus make their jobs easier. Now if, for some reason, my hotel room was trashed and disgustingly dirty, I'd leave a $10 dollar tip or something.

I'm not even cheap either, it just depends on the quality of service. I've given bartenders (here in the US) $50 tips. The most I've ever spent on tip was $120 at this restaurant in Seattle BUT the service was impeccable and everything exceeded my expectations and the $120 was 20% of the bill, which would be standard tip in NYC.

So, Taxi drivers/pizza delivery/services of this nature = keep the change. Hotel staff = only tip if they have done anything above the ordinary, in which case you'd tip according to how great a task you feel they faced. Bartenders = always tip, they get paid crap! Personally, my minimum = $5 for bartenders (although it typically tends to be $10 since I rarely have $5s for some reason). Entertainment gets tip but I tend to tip them less than bartenders.

Tip reception? Are you kidding me? What did they do, speak with me for 5 min while I checked in and then another 5 when I checked out? Heh, sorry they don't get a tip. Although, I suppose it depends. When I traveled to Japan, I tipped the receptionist $200 because I spent at least 30 min with her everyday since I needed her to translate things and to point me in the right direction. (BTW, in case we have any Japan travelers, she wasn't the receptionist per se; it was her job to do what she did but I felt she had been monumentally important to the success of my stay)


Tips for Taxi drivers/pizza deliverers = keep the change?????????

Ride or pizza cost $9.90 you have $10.00 bill, driver or delivery man gets .10 cent tip!! or you have $20.00 bill they keep $10.10. Clarify please.:confused:
 

Rick Snyder

Silver
Nov 19, 2003
2,321
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As the question was concerning here in the DR the discussion should be in that respect where the average monthly salary is in the neighborhood of US$ 185.

Rafael as this topic has been talked about numerous times on this board please allow me to direct you to the following threads for your reading pleasure;

http://www.dr1.com/forums/travel-questions/54490-tipping-d-r.html?highlight=tipping
http://www.dr1.com/forums/travel-questions/47735-tipping-dr-currency.html?highlight=tipping
http://www.dr1.com/forums/general-s...ys-included-meal-price.html?highlight=tipping
http://www.dr1.com/forums/general-stuff/44187-thoughts-tipping-dr.html?highlight=tipping
http://www.dr1.com/forums/travel-questions/34963-tipping-hotels.html?highlight=tipping

Rick
 

planner

.............. ?
Sep 23, 2002
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Rafael I agree with Hillbilly! Tipping here is not like in US where it is expected but it sure is nice.

I also will tip a waiter in the Buffet restaurant if he or she goes out of their way to assist. I never get my own drinks or coffee at the buffet restaurant. A simple 2 or 3 dollars goes a long way.

While I know that it is the maid's job to clean the rooms, they will go the extra mile for a few dollars! They always take really good care of me, including exchanging my beach towels etc. And I like to show I appreciate the service and attention.

Also, I will guage my tip according to whether I am dealing with an owner or employee. For example in some restaurants I have been served by the owners. I don't tip owners unless it is exceptional service. Same with hair stylists. I do not tip the owner of a salon here.

Remember too that the 10% gratuity included in restaurnt bills is often NOT distributed to the staff!
 

PlantaFULL

New member
Oct 21, 2004
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In the US the salary for a waiter is around $2.30 US per hour, this cover the taxes you have to pay.

Getting off topic... I am fully aware how tipping is an integral part of the US/Canada culture. I am just against this culture being spread around the world where things are sometimes different. This is absolutely not DR related, but are you aware for example of the work conditions in Spain. Waiters = hard to fire, paid vacation +retirement that would be a dream even to American banking etc employees.

Please don't mis-read the following as it is formulated quite harsh, I just had no other idea how to word it: When jobs become like US waiters, the workers are basically "prostituting" themselves IMO. I really don't know how to put this in a nicer way, but if I had to over-fake my smile and do nonsense smalltalk with guests all the time in the hope to get a bigger tip... I think I would not have a lot of self-respect within this environment.

The funny thing about restaurant tips... I am sort of a gourmet eater, service is way less important then the taste of the actual food to me. How do I tip the cook? :)
 

canajungirl

New member
May 18, 2004
79
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very simple>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ask to speak with him /her and give them a tip in their hand and explain that you had a wonderful meal. Usually in Canada/Usa waiters pay into a tip pool which is usually a % of their sales and that is divided amongst the kitchen staff be it cooks, dishwashers and or bus people.People in the hospitality industry make minimum wage which is quite a bit lower than general minimum wage, thus relying on YOU the customer to bring up wage to a standard level.
 

Larry

Gold
Mar 22, 2002
3,513
2
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I have commented on this topic several times.

The only thing I will say this time is that tipping is not a big part of the culture here. Dominicans do not tip well, if at all. Therefore, if you throw a big tip at someone, they dont understand what you are doing and it is generally not recieved as it is in the United States. Also, dont expect a "thank you".

Also, you asked how much to tip a taxi driver. Well, if you decide to tip your taxi driver, his eyes will pop out of his head from shock. Especially after he has jacked up the price 50% on you because you are a tourist. Let me clarify what I mean. There are tourtst prices and then Dominican prices for thnigs like taxis. The less "in the know" you appear, the more a taxi driver will try to overcharge you. Here in SD, it is not as bad as in tourist areas but whenever I try to get a taxi down in the Colonial Zone near Parque Colon, initially, they assume I am a tourist because of the area. Those who dont know me yet quote me at 300 pesos for a 7 minute taxi ride back to my house. When I laugh and tell them, "please, I live here. I have 100 pesos in my pocket, let's go". They either laugh and take me or they change the price to 120 pesos while whining about gas prices etc. NOW, can you imagine what a fool these guys would think I was if I didn't know the price and paid the 300 pesos and the tipped on TOP of that?

After living here over a year, my attitude is "when in Rome...". I do exactly what I see Dominicans do now. That is the culture here and thats what people understand and view as normal and correct.

Larry
 
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marliejaneca

Bronze
Oct 7, 2003
980
10
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When I worked at Puerto Plata Village and Playa Naco, many a times I would hear postive comments from the Dominican employees about the tips they received, so I have to disagree on some of the comments. Just because Dominicans do not tip is irrelevant. If a job is well done, it deserves some praise. It boosts morale and one's self pride. That is just human nature!

If you do not want to leave money for a tip to a maid, a popular tipping practice at the hotels I worked at were gifts. Pick up some perfumes, makeup, a variety of toiletries, wrap them in a bag or put in a basket with a note to say "muchos gracias" and the smiles are priceless.
T-shirts, ball caps, etc. are always appreciated by the bartenders, wait staff or activities staff.

Hope that helps,

Marlie