Alpenglow Magazine | Tips on Tipping

Tips On Tipping

Bring up tipping etiquette with a group of Fraser Valley locals and the first thing you'll find is that nearly every single one of them has worked in the service industry. Waiters, van drivers, raft guides, ski instructors and the like form the collective personality of the area's tourist industry.

The word “tip” itself is commonly thought to have come from the acronym for To Insure Promptness, T.I.P., in the early 1600's. Offering extra money was done in advance of a service to assure its expediency. These days a gratuity is usually given after a service to show appreciation for a job well done.

In the restaurant industry, tips make up the majority of an employee's income. Theoretically, tips in an eating establishment should be based on both the quality of the product and the service provided.

Overall, local restaurant professionals suggest a standard 20 percent tip adjusted up or down based on your overall satisfaction. An exception to this rule of thumb are services like home pizza deliveries, which make a little less.

In the hotel industry, certain things are included in the price of a service. There are things people do that are above and beyond, and that you may want to recognize — $1 to $5 per day is suggested.
While at the hotel. feel free to tip the concierge who orders the flowers for your anniversary and the bellhop — remember that people coming to a vacation resort usually have tons of luggage, not to mention those unwieldy skis and boots. Consider $1 a bag.

Speaking of ample luggage, what do you do for the person who is hoisting your packed suitcases to the top of the Home James airport van in sub-zero temperatures while you rest warmly inside and who drives your family safely over Berthoud Pass in a white-knuckle storm? Owner Roger Hedlund suggests a tip of approximately $5 per passenger for a trip to or from the airport.

Ordinary tipping charts rarely offer gratuity suggestions for raft guides, ski instructors and the other unique services integral to Grand County tourism. The individuals who perform these services are driven by the love of the outdoors and sports rather than their paychecks. But, as one local saying puts it, “you can't eat the scenery.”

With an average daily wage of $50 to $70, this category includes many raft guides. But, it's their passion for the river and the ability to turn others on to it that makes them good guides. Average rafting guide tips range from $5 to $20.

The size of the tip in the guiding industry may depend on the exclusivity of the experience. For a client who pays a base rate of $3,000 for a five-day hunt, a minimum tip would be about $100 for each of two or three guides. If a client gets his elk, the gratuity normally goes up from there, depending on how the elk is dressed

Along with guides, local instructors also provide a uniquely personal experience. For a professional golf lesson that costs approximately $50, a minimum of 10 percent is added for those who do a good job. People tend to tip the outside service people who meet the players in the parking lot to help them carry their clubs and point them in the right direction. $1 per golf bag is suggested.

Gratuities for ski instructors, both Nordic and downhill, vary wildly, which is why some prefer to speak confidentially about their tips, considering it a private matter between themselves and their clients. What if your lesson is epic, like a First Tracks lesson (skiing with an instructor before the area opens), on a powder day? Most of those mornings, clients want to get in as many runs as possible in the one- and-a-half-hour lesson. On great powder mornings tips can reach $50 and above for exceptional experiences.

For Nordic classes, the situation is the same. Typical gratuities range from $5 to $20 for cross-country lessons.

In an industry with so many different aspects there are no set answers. Even with services like haircuts and massages tipping etiquette can be fickle, but customary tips are from 10 to 20 percent of the service.

The most important thing you can do to show your appreciation for efficiency and kindness in the service industry is to treat the people serving you with respect. Leave what you can in whatever way you can and then look them in the eye and offer a compliment and good wishes. There are many ways to say “thank you.” The most important thing is to use at least one of them.