Tipping w/ Trinkets v. $$$

I certainly didn't mean to squelch anyone's generous impulses, which are to be commended. My problem, I suppose, is with the issue of "trinkets," which would generally not be offered to a hotel staffperson in the US, Canada, or Europre. It's that difference between what you would do in a developed country and what you do in a "third world" country that raises questions of paternalism and condescension. In my view, if you get good service anywhere, even in an "all inclusive" in Santo Domingo, a cash tip is an appropriate response. The giving of more personal "trinkets" in that context raises issues that make me uncomfortable. I also suspect that the recipient, in general, would prefer the cash. But again, that's just my view.

I disagree. If the service is bad, don't tip. Why reward bad service?

I went to an All inclusive and didn't tip at every meal or for every drink. If the service was especially good, I tipped. If it was great, I gave a BIG tip. The people in the DR work very hard and for long hours. From what I heard they make about 9-10 dollars a day. You should see the look on their face when you give them a few dollars for good service. It's worth the money to see!

We also gave a few gifts to the maids and bell boys (in addition to money). They seemed to like this very much.

Meg

I'm glad you got a big smile from those you decided to grace with a tip, and pity those who you admit work long hours for a pittance and receive nothing.

The reason I "reward" even mediocre service is I have worked in the service industry. When you make the equivalent of $2.01 today (The amount waiters, bartenders etc are paid) tips are a huge part of the income. Sometimes they have a bad day and unless the service is something I feel management needs to know about, I do leave an amount equal to what I feel they have done.

Tom