A friend of mine was on her way to New York from San Francisco last year for business. Her company was putting her up at one of those big 700 room hotels in the middle of Times Square and we had been planning on getting together and going out for a sushi dinner on the first night she arrived. I received a call from her while she was in a cab, en route to her hotel. The conversation was casual and we made plans for when and where to meet that evening. As the exchange wound down she asked me:
"How much should I tip the bellman at the hotel."
"$2 per bag but no less than $5, that's a solid tip and one he will appreciate" I replied.
"Well," she said, "I only have my briefcase and a roller bag. I think I'll just take it up myself." She decided.
"OK Eilene, Whatever," not wanting to lecture my friend on being cheap or go into the benefits of establishing a good relationship with hotel employees. "I will see you tonight in Brooklyn. Get ready for some good sushi."
We meet up at my favorite sushi spot called AKO in the heart of Williamsburg Brooklyn. We have a great meal (as always at AKO) pay our bill (me tipping nicely I might add) and head towards the subway.
"Wait," she says. "Before I head back to my hotel I need to swing by a drug store."
I re-route our path and take her to the nearest Duane Reade. We get inside the brightly lit mecca of commerce and go our separate ways once inside. I head towards the freezer section and grab a nice Haagen Daaz bar as my dessert for the night. I head back at the front of the store and spot Eilene waiting in the check out line with a scented candle in her hand. I get in line next to her.
"What's that for?" I ask.
"Oh, they put me in a smoking room at my hotel so I'm buying this scented candle to mask the smell of smoke in the room." She replies innocently.
"SEE!" I respond emphatically allowing the three beers I had at dinner to start doing the talking for me. "Now if you had allowed a bellman to take you up to the room you could have told him that you didn't want a smoking room and he could have called to the reception area. He could have switched your room or, hell, he could have got your room upgraded for the inconvenience if you had given him a nice tip. How much is that candle that you're buying?" I inquire.
"Eight dollars." She replies.
"So instead of giving $5 to a hardworking young man, probably a struggling artist like myself, you end up giving $8 to a faceless corporation like this drug store?"
"But I didn't NEED any help with my bags" she exclaims.
"You're right" I confirm. "you didn't NEED any help with your bags but you certainly could have used some help getting out of that smokey room once you got in there. The bellman isn't just there to help you with your bags, he's there to ensure your satisfaction with the room once you arrive at it and if he can't fix the problem that you have once you get to the room, he is empowered by his managers to compensate you and make sure you are happy. I give out vouchers for free drinks at the bar and free breakfast in our restaurant if I encounter someone who is not happy with their room or with the service they received. I send up amenities of champagne, wine, chocolate truffles, or cheese platters all the time to guests who tip me well, guests that are celebrating special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries or simply to guests that I enjoyed talking to. You better believe that if I checked a guest in to a smoking room who didn't WANT a smoking room, I would make sure they got a non-smoking room before I went back down to the lobby or compensate them accordingly if we had no more non-smoking rooms available. But since you couldn't just part with the $5 for the bellman's service, here we are at 10:30pm in a drug store buying stuff we don't really need" I conclude.
She defends herself by saying "Look, it's not a big deal, I like buying candles. If there is a problem with my room I will take care of it myself or complain to the front desk later on."
Feeling as if I would never win this argument I concede. "OK, it's obvious you don't understand how the hospitality industry works. It's cool, I just hope you don't ever come stay in my hotel."
"How much should I tip the bellman at the hotel."
"$2 per bag but no less than $5, that's a solid tip and one he will appreciate" I replied.
"Well," she said, "I only have my briefcase and a roller bag. I think I'll just take it up myself." She decided.
"OK Eilene, Whatever," not wanting to lecture my friend on being cheap or go into the benefits of establishing a good relationship with hotel employees. "I will see you tonight in Brooklyn. Get ready for some good sushi."
We meet up at my favorite sushi spot called AKO in the heart of Williamsburg Brooklyn. We have a great meal (as always at AKO) pay our bill (me tipping nicely I might add) and head towards the subway.
"Wait," she says. "Before I head back to my hotel I need to swing by a drug store."
I re-route our path and take her to the nearest Duane Reade. We get inside the brightly lit mecca of commerce and go our separate ways once inside. I head towards the freezer section and grab a nice Haagen Daaz bar as my dessert for the night. I head back at the front of the store and spot Eilene waiting in the check out line with a scented candle in her hand. I get in line next to her.
"What's that for?" I ask.
"Oh, they put me in a smoking room at my hotel so I'm buying this scented candle to mask the smell of smoke in the room." She replies innocently.
"SEE!" I respond emphatically allowing the three beers I had at dinner to start doing the talking for me. "Now if you had allowed a bellman to take you up to the room you could have told him that you didn't want a smoking room and he could have called to the reception area. He could have switched your room or, hell, he could have got your room upgraded for the inconvenience if you had given him a nice tip. How much is that candle that you're buying?" I inquire.
"Eight dollars." She replies.
"So instead of giving $5 to a hardworking young man, probably a struggling artist like myself, you end up giving $8 to a faceless corporation like this drug store?"
"But I didn't NEED any help with my bags" she exclaims.
"You're right" I confirm. "you didn't NEED any help with your bags but you certainly could have used some help getting out of that smokey room once you got in there. The bellman isn't just there to help you with your bags, he's there to ensure your satisfaction with the room once you arrive at it and if he can't fix the problem that you have once you get to the room, he is empowered by his managers to compensate you and make sure you are happy. I give out vouchers for free drinks at the bar and free breakfast in our restaurant if I encounter someone who is not happy with their room or with the service they received. I send up amenities of champagne, wine, chocolate truffles, or cheese platters all the time to guests who tip me well, guests that are celebrating special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries or simply to guests that I enjoyed talking to. You better believe that if I checked a guest in to a smoking room who didn't WANT a smoking room, I would make sure they got a non-smoking room before I went back down to the lobby or compensate them accordingly if we had no more non-smoking rooms available. But since you couldn't just part with the $5 for the bellman's service, here we are at 10:30pm in a drug store buying stuff we don't really need" I conclude.
She defends herself by saying "Look, it's not a big deal, I like buying candles. If there is a problem with my room I will take care of it myself or complain to the front desk later on."
Feeling as if I would never win this argument I concede. "OK, it's obvious you don't understand how the hospitality industry works. It's cool, I just hope you don't ever come stay in my hotel."
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