Do you call the person hotel staff you encounter in the hotel and resort in Europe?
Let me tell you the person we usually encounter outside the Europen hotel is not a hotel staff rather they are called a valet. Tsai asserts “Keep in mind that tipping etiquette can change when you travel abroad,”. Who is the valet? What do they do in the hotel? What is tipping etiquette abroad? Are you eager to know these questions? Then to get to know you have to read the blog thoroughly.
Who is the valet?
The person we usually encounter outside the hotel abroad is called a valet. The valet resides outside the hotel and inside the hotel as well. When the valet serves inside the hotel is generally known as a bellhop and if they work outside the hotel, they are called a valet. So there are slightly different meanings between these two words, bellhop and valet. But then again the referring of bellhop, valet, and hotel staff depends geographically. In other words, Asian people called the people who stay inside and outside the hotel, hotel staff. On the other hand, European citizens call the people who are related to hotel servicing work, bellhops, and valet.
Where do we find the valet’s appearance?
Do we think that valet exists only in hotels and resorts? Let me tell you if you think so, you are wrong as valet exists in many more places in the USA.
Such as:
◆ We encounter Valets at the casino’s main entrance
◆ We encounter valets in the bar and pole
◆ We encounter valets at the hotels and resorts in front of the garage and entrance
Valet Responsibility at Casino’s Main Entrance:
In European countries, we often encounter valets at the main entrance of the casino. They park the car of the guest and bring it back while leaving time. Apart from that they greet and welcome the guest with a wild smile and guide the guest through the main entrance to the lobby.
Valet Responsibility at Bar and pole:
We encounter a valet in front of the bar and pole doorway. At the bar and pole, the valet does the same thing. They stay still at the entrance of the bar and pole and await the guest’s arrival then they drive away from their car to the parking lot. During the departure hour, they bring the car back from the parking lot.
Valet Responsibility at a Hotel and Resort:
The responsibility varies from place to place and is decided by the HR of the organization. The position of valet in any hotel is an entry-level position. Thus the valet has no more diverse work than hotel staff and bellhops. In other words, the hotel staff, valet, and bellhop all do the same kind of work in the hotel. But if I have to make it narrow down then let’s do so:
Responsibility of valet inside the hotel:
- The valet will greet and welcome the patron and assist them while check-in.
- They will assist the guest to their room
- They will provide the guest with the information they need
- Often give room service to the guest
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Responsibility of valet outside the hotel:
- The valet parked the guest’s car
- Take the guest’s luggage to the hotel corridor
- They have the responsibility to look after the key to the car until the departure of the guest
- They make sure the outside of the hotel is neat and clean
- Most of the time they stay at the parking lot and watch fully to make certain harmony inside the parking lot.
- Consciously look after the vehicle and the belonging of the guest
- Open the guest car’s door during the arrival and departure.
- Drive away the guest’s car to the parking lot and bring it back during checkout.
Does the valet Deserve a Tip for Their Service?
Yes, The valet deserves a tip for their service. This thing I have cleared before is that whenever we visit a hotel or resort and if we get excellent service, we should give them a tip. Since they tried their best to make you feel enjoyable during your stay at their hotel. So in this case, you should offer the valet, bellhop, and hotel staff a tip.
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What Are Some Good Reasons to Tip the Valet?
If you are looking for some reasons for which you should tip the valet, take a quick look to the discussion below –
Valets Do the Guest Service Sincerely
The valets need to greet guests, help them to unload luggage, make arrangements for parking, and return the vehicles quickly when guests are ready to leave. In this way, they are sincerely doing the guest service on a day-to-day basis.
They Have to Stand for Extensive Hours of Time
One of the requirements of a successful valet is to have the stamina to stand for extended periods of time for the guest service. But during this time, they do not forget to remain vibrant and friendly which is a pretty difficult job itself. So consider tipping them generously.
They Park Your Cars Safely
Valets retrieve the cars for guests in a timely manner. They also need to ensure that the parked cars are locked and that keys are stored in a safe manner or returned to the owner. Safety is something that we cannot ignore. So this reason is also quite a good one for tipping your valet.
Valets Have Excellent Customer Service Skills
A good valet must have some excellent customer service skills as they need to work directly with guests to ensure their vehicles are parked and retrieved in a safe manner. Also, they are responsible to solve any of your relevant problems in a timely manner. So it is considered great if you tip the valet.
They Coordinate the Safe Delivery of Your Luggage
A valet needs to work with many professionals to ensure top-notch service. Sometimes they also coordinate with a hotel front desk agent to coordinate the delivery of your luggage in a timely manner and retrieving your vehicles throughout the day. Consider this as a good reason to tip your valet.
How much to tip the valet?
The studies say that in general $2-$5 is an adequate tip. But it may increase based on a few factors.
Let me tell you when to give extra tip to the valet:
- The rate of the hotel
- Condition of your car
- Festival session
- Courtesy of the valet
The above factors are explained below:
How much should I tip my valet?
$2 to $5 is the typical tip for valet service. If you have a lot of luggage or the valet goes above and above to assist you, you might wish to tip more. Additionally, if you are visiting a five-star hotel or plan to use valet parking several times, you should tip more. Ultimately, how satisfied you are with the service should determine how much you tip.
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Are you supposed to tip valet every time?
Tipping the valet is common after they park or retrieve your car. If you are merely entering or leaving the building, it is typically not essential to tip the valet each time you pass by, but you are welcome to do so. As many valets might not have changed for a larger sum, it’s a good idea to have some little ones on hand for tipping the valet. It’s customary to tip the valet when you check in and out of a hotel if you’re staying there.
What is the proper way to tip a valet?
Giving the tip straight to the valet is the appropriate way to the tip. When they return your car to you or when you leave your car with them, you can tip them. If you are staying at a hotel, it is customary to give the valet a tip both when you check in and when you check out.
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Should you tip for valet parking at hotels when the hotel already has a fee for it?
Depending on the hotel’s policies and your level of satisfaction with the service, you may or may not tip for valet parking when the hotel already charges for it. Before tipping the valet or hotel personnel, it is best to inquire about their policies because some hotels include gratuity in the price of parking.
It is common to give the valet a tip in addition to the parking fee, which is typically between $2 and $5 for every visit if the hotel does not include one. You should always give the valet a tip even if the hotel charges for valet parking because they provide a valuable service, especially if you are happy with their work.
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The rate of the hotel:
The rate of the hotel refers to the type of hotel such as 4-star, 5-star, or 3-star, etc. The rate of the hotel does matter because the value of the valet rises on that basis. You suppose staying in a 5-star hotel where the valet desires much amount as a tip from their guest. As we consider that those who stay at a 5-star hotel generally belong to an elite class. Thus the valet of the 5-star hotel expects more from their guest. So the general norm is giving $2-$5 and if you are staying in a posh hotel then give an extra $5 -$10 to the valet.
In contrast 4, 3- star hotel valet demand is less than what 5-star hotel valet demand. People with pretty small budgets choose the low-rated hotel for their stay and the valet of those hotels knows it very well thus they do not wish to tip more from guests.
Condition of your car:
you are supposed to come to a hotel in a Bugatti or Rolls-Royce Boat Tail or any other expensive car. After reaching your destination, you ask the valet to park the car at the parking lot, in this condition the valet has to have an act of great courage to drive it away to the parking lot. And if he does so without facing any turmoil, you should be tipping him much more than usually you pay to the valet. As it was not an easy task to drive away your 18 million dollar car to the garage of the hotel.
Festival session:
During the festival session, people may visit the hotel a lot. On vacation, people visit tourist places where hotels and resorts usually reside. You are enjoying the vacation but the valet is doing their job; their job is to make your stay at the hotel enjoyable. Thus to showcase courtesy and gratitude you should offer the valet a tip and if this is a holiday or festival session, you should give an extra tip. I mean usually, you give $2-$5 but at the festival session, you should give $5-$10. That is a good tip for the valet.
Courtesy of the valet:
So many factors depend on the courtesy of the valet. We humans always appreciate courtesy as everyone wants to treat better. Thus it is an important thing to consider while tipping the valet. If you feel that the valet has parked your vehicle correctly without harming your car and his attitude was appreciatable then you should give him tip which could be more than $2 -$5. In contrast, if you are badly treated then you should not give the valet tip as he was supposed to behave well with the guest. Since he failed to do so, you shouldn’t give tip.
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We learned above what kind of work a valet does inside and outside the hotel. Now let’s make a chart to have a clear notion of tipping matters.
How much to tip a valet for doing inside work of the hotel:
| Tipping Reasons | Tipping Amount |
| The valet will greet and welcome the patron | No Need |
| They will assist the guest to their room | $2 |
| They will provide the guest with the information they need | $2 |
| Often give room service to the guest | $2-$5 |
The above suggestion is entirely based on the weight of the work. But then again your judgment on the situation will tell you the appropriate tip for the valet. And you should follow your conscience while giving tips to the valet.
How much to tip a valet for doing outside work of the hotel:
| Tipping Reasons | Tipping Amount |
| The valet parked the guest’s car | $2-$10 |
| Take the guest’s luggage to the hotel corridor | $2-$5 |
| Open the guest car’s door during the arrival and departure. | $2-$5 |
| Drive away the guest’s car to the parking lot and bring it back during departure. | $2-$10 |
The above suggestion is entirely based on the weight of the work. But then again your judgment on the situation will tell you the appropriate tip for the valet. And you should follow your conscience while giving tips to the valet.
Should I Give a Tip to the Valet before or after the service?
I would suggest that you should give the tip after getting the service. But then again it depends on you. If you think that it would be good to tip the valet before checking in to the hotel, you are welcome to do so. Often you suppose that you go to a hotel in an expensive car and you are thinking that if you tip the staff early he will park your vehicle correctly, that you can do so. On the other hand, if you have less money, you can give it once rather than tipping the valet twice. Hence it is up to you to judge when to give tip.
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When You Should Avoid Giving a tip:
- You should avoid tipping the valet under a few factors. Those are
- If the hotel takes the extra payment as a service fee
- If the valet damaged your vehicle while parking it
- If the valets misbehave with you
- If the tipping norm is prohibited in any hotel
If you encounter any of the above factors, you should avoid giving tips.
Gift for the Valets instead of Money:
You can offer valet gifts instead of money. Not always have to pay money to show gratitude towards the valet. Few gifts can be considered good gifts instead of money. These are:
► Online payment through mobile banking, such as apple pay, wallet PayPal
► Movie and sports free tickets
► Premium account on Netflix
► Gift cards
► Chocolate, etc
Above things, you can offer as a gift instead of money. Often it happens that under a few circumstances, you can not offer the money but instead money you can offer the suggested gifts to the valet.
Ending
So what do you get from this blog? Did you get that tipping is a must for every server since the from valet to every server largely rely on the customer tipping amount? Yes, they do so. Offer $2-$5 for each car parking and if you receive excellent service then give them more than the usual amount.
