Hotel services

Hotels offer a variety of services to their guests. The most traditional are laundry service (clothes washing) and valet service (shoe shining and clothes dry-cleaning and pressing), although some hotels run them on the do-it-yourself basis. A big hotel will also have a restaurant, a bar and a coffee shop, a bookstore or a newsstand, a gift shop selling a variety of souvenirs, and a drug store providing the guests with medicine and cosmetics. At a luxury hotel one can often find a barbershop and a beauty salon. The guests might also need the services of a car rental agency, to be able to rent a car through the hotel.



Local phone calls are usually free, long distance calls are added to the room bills, and are 2 to 3 times more expensive than from a pay phone down in the lobby. You can also order various services from the front desk by dialing “0”.



A number of hotel staff relies on tips to raise their wages. The bellman expects up to $1 per bag for taking your baggage to your room. The hotel doorman gets at least 50 cents if he summons a taxi (and of course your taxi driver should be given 15 percent of fare!). Maids usually receive a few dollars if you stay at a hotel for several days, or else you may leave a dollar note under an ashtray as you leave the room every morning. In restaurants and nightclubs you are expected to tip 15 to 20 percent of the bill (before taxes are added). No tipping is required for elevator operators or hotel desk clerks.



Tipping allows you to reward good service. On the other hand, if the service had been particularly bad no tip needs to be left. It is a good idea to consider all these expenses when you are anticipating the cost of your stay at a hotel.