Tips on tipping - some basic info for tipping in hotels and casinos

In this posting, I hope to give you an outline of tipping basics for some of the service people you may encounter day-to-day in Las Vegas hotels and casinos.

It may seem like everyone in Vegas has their hand out and expects a tip, and it's probably more true than you think; the vast majority of Las Vegas is involved in the service industry in some way, and a lot of them are employed with the expectation that at least some part of their income will come from tips.

That being said, a tip is a thank you for good service, and no one should expect to receive a tip if they A) don't perform a service, B) don't present a good attitude, or C) don't deliver what you're expecting. So, let's get on with it, shall we?

Front desk clerk - Lots of people try "the $20 trick" - i.e., asking nicely for an 'upgrade' and placing a $20 bill between your ID and credit card when presenting it to the front desk clerk who's assigning your hotel room. If there are rooms available and the clerk is able to put you into one that would be considered an upgrade from what you've reserved, that $20 may disappear when you get your ID and credit card back. It doesn't always work, but you never know if you don't ask. You could always try asking for that upgrade before presenting the $20 because you might really be able to get a free upgrade...

Bellman/bell captain - These nice men and women have to lug your suitcases everywhere to store them while you're waiting to get into your room or waiting to leave for the airport. A flat tip of $1-$2 per bag is sufficient when they deliver them to your room or you retrieve them from storage. Tipping at both times is appropriate.

Doorman (hails taxis and opens doors) - A $1 tip is a good standard. If they put luggage into a taxi for you, another $1-$2 is appropriate. If you have a large party and are trying to fit and/or configure your people into multiple taxis or a limo, a $5 tip is not outrageous.

Shuttle drivers (courtesy shuttles) - Shuttles between certain hotels and casinos are provided free of charge, but you should tip the drivers $1 per person if they've been especially nice and pleasant on the trip.

Limo drivers - A tip of 15-20% is appreciated by the driver, depending on the level of service provided. If the driver stops at the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign or any other location, you should certainly make sure you tip at least 20% of the total cost.

Valet parking attendants - A tip of $1-$2 each time the attendant takes or brings your car is appropriate and appreciated.

Maid service/house keeping - Tip daily if you ask for/receive additional towels, extra amenities, extra blankets or pillows, or if you make any other special requests. $2-$3 per day is a good baseline for a standard Las Vegas hotel room, but you should certainly up that if you're staying in a suite or an upgraded room.

Room service - Just like waiters and waitresses in restaurants, 15-20% of the bill is appropriate, depending on the service. Be sure to ask when you place your order, because some hotels add an automatic gratuity to the bill for room service orders.

Restaurant seating hostess/host or maitre'd - If you are eating at a nice restaurant and the seating hostess has done an exceptionally attentive job and made you feel special, welcome and comfortable - or gotten you some primo seating - a tip of $5-$10 (or even $10-$20 depending on the menu prices and service) is not unheard of. Otherwise, tipping the seating hostess is not required or expected.

Showroom maitre'd and ushers - If you're attending a show with table seating, you will more than likely encounter one of these when you enter the showroom. If you have pre-assigned seating, a $5 tip (per person or couple, depending on the price of the show/dinner tickets) is nice. If you are attending a show where a nice tip will get you a really, really good seat up front or in a much-coveted booth, $10-$20 per person or couple will do nicely to get you moved to a much better seat or viewing area.

Bartenders - Whether you're gambling or not, bartenders should be tipped if you're sitting at the bar and drinking. Tipping $1-$2 for each drink is a good start. If you are ordering specialty drinks or top-shelf liquor, tipping more per drink is appropriate.

Slot attendants and floor personnel - These ladies and gentlemen are getting rarer every day. With the introduction of TITO, they are hardly ever needed to make change or get coins for the machines, but they are still around when jackpots are paid. When they DO come to pay out a jackpot, a tip to both the slot attendant and floor supervisor is not out of the ordinary and is actually kind of expected. Depending on the amount of your jackpot, a tip of $5-$20 is a good start. If you win a jackpot of $1,000 or more, doubling that is not out of the question; after all, they ARE handing you your winnings! If you hit a jackpot of $5,000 or more, a tip of at least $50-$100 each would be appropriate.

Dealers - Basing a tip on your rate of play is a good place to start. For example, if you're playing blackjack, you've been winning fairly regularly, and you want to reward the dealer, ask them if they'd like to receive a tip directly (which you place on the table, away from your bet but not into the dealer's hand), or if they would prefer you place a bet for them. They will instruct you on where the bet should be placed if they choose that option. I use the rule of a $1 tip for every $5 I'm betting, so that's $2 for a $10 bet. Tip as often as you feel is appropriate. If I'm winning, I tip more frequently than if I'm losing.

Keno runners - If you're playing for a long time, tip $1 occasionally...even if you're not winning.

Spa attendants - Depending on the type and price of the services you receive, a tip of $10-$20 is not unusual for each attendant who handles your treatments. That's $10 for the manicurist, $10 for the attendant who did your facial, $10-$20 for the masseuse, etc.

And last but certainly not least...

Cocktail waitresses - Of all the people on this list, these ladies are the most deserving of the tips, in my opinion. Even though the drinks are "free", cocktail waitresses run themselves ragged getting drinks for all types of folks everywhere, and tips are an important part of their income. If you DON'T tip a cocktail waitress when you order your first drink, chances are you'll never see her again (or very, very infrequently). The general rule is $1 per drink minimum, but I would raise that if you are asking for specialty drinks or if you'd like to see her more often with a fresh drink. If you are playing a penny slot and playing only 9 lines at a penny apiece, please don't insult her by giving her a dime or quarter. Please.

My husband's tipping strategy applies to his favorite game: blackjack. He likes certain beers in the bottle only, so he tips the cocktail waitress $5 on the first round, then another $2 each time she returns. It pretty much guarantees him a quick beer every time.

For another good source of information regarding cocktail waitresses, how to order drinks, and a really good blog written by a real Vegas cocktail waitress, go to http://www.cocktaildoll.com/ for Cocktail Dollie's interesting and very entertaining web page.

That's it! A little bit of information to help you try and navigate the tipping world in Las Vegas. While it's in no way a comprehensive list of the people you might be tipping, hopefully it'll help you when you're trying to make a decision on who to tip and how much you should give.