A Room Service Tip for Inexperienced Travelers

Filed in archive Travel on April 24, 2007

In a former professional life, I traveled often. But I nevertheless was recently tripped up by some fine print when deciding to order room service at a hotel during a weekend getaway.

When I checked out of my hotel, I noticed that I had given a tremendously generous tip. Since I don't generally light my cigars with burning dollar bills, I asked the desk clerk how it might be that I tipped over seven dollars on a room service bill of about $18. And then it hit me---I had given a tip on an amount that had already had the tip automatically added. In other words, the food cost $18, then the hotel helpfully added an 18% tip, which it helpfully did not show anywhere on the charge slip that I signed, which then led me to give a 20% tip on top of the $21+ total that I was seeing on the charge slip.

It's getting so I don't want to leave the house anymore.