Since Wyndham Hotels & Resorts claimed in September of 2022 to be one of the first major lodging companies to introduce a mobile tipping solution for guests to easily send gratuities from their portable electronic devices to team members of hotel and resort properties throughout the entire portfolio of brands in the United States and Canada, cashless gratuities for housekeeping has since spread to more lodging companies — such as Hilton.
Cashless Gratuities For Housekeeping Spreads to More Hotels
Now appearing in the rooms of some Hilton hotel and resort properties are disks — which could double as coasters — that proclaim that:
Tipping Just Got Easier
should you wish to show appreciation to the Housekeeping Team that cleaned your room.
Simply scan, tap, tip!
Thank you for your generosity.
The technology is powered by eTip.io/VISA for Hilton.
On the mirrors in the bathrooms of the rooms at some Hilton hotel and resort properties is a notice which pertains to guests being able to request that the bed can be made; the bathroom can be refreshed; and the trash can be emptied:
Complimentary Housekeeping By Request
To request next day stay over cleaning (Monday thru Friday) or just a few items like towels, coffee, & amenities; simply scan & text!
For stays of 4 nights or longer, we will provide a full room cleaning every 5th day using Lysol protection.
While we value your privacy, please note that we reserve the right to enter the room if the need arises.
This reduced service from members of the housekeeping staff may be one reason why Do Not Disturb signs might become obsolete one day.
Final Boarding Call
The combination of reduced housekeeping service and encouraging electronic gratuities for members of the housekeeping staff not only seems to be permanent where it has already been implemented and established; but also seems to be spreading to other lodging companies.
During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, many hotel and resort properties chose to limit the services they used to provide — for example, guests who stay in the same room multiple nights will not receive housekeeping services on a daily basis unless they specifically request it…
…so introducing a technological solution to ensure that providing gratuities to members of the staff seems almost like a solution which is in search of a problem.
Perhaps they should stick to the old-fashioned method of “guilting” guests into providing gratuities in envelopes for employees like Marriott International, Incorporated attempted to do back in September of 2014.
Oh, wait — that campaign ultimately failed, didn’t it?
Better yet: maybe lodging companies should pay its employees more instead of relying on guests to do so — especially when the service has been significantly reduced?
Just sayin’…
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
