tips

Should You Tip a Concierge? (with video)

Part Merlin, part Houdini, how is possible for the concierge at your hotel to get you tickets to a sold-out show or a reservation at a restaurant that would have been utterly impossible for you to do so on your own?

One of the most valuable assets a fine hotel has, the concierge is there to help make a guest's stay a happy and memorable one. But have you ever been baffled by whether or not you are supposed to tip the concierge if he or she has done something special for you?

To find out these answers, we sat down with Spencer H. Wadama, who is the General Manager of The Surrey Hotel, the tony and newly renovated boutique hotel located on Manhattan's upper east side. Spencer previously served as the general manager of the Ritz-Carlton in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt). The Surrey Hotel's staff of concierges, for example, regularly make special arrangements for their guests, often before the guest has even arrived at the hotel.

According to Spencer, "The amount is really to your discretion, and what is the appropriate amount really depends on the service that was provided," he says. "It is very appropriate to tip a concierge if you had a special request that you knew was difficult to get access to."

In America, tipping is a way of saying "thank you", but tipping is not expected in all countries, such as in Japan, where tipping is not part of the culture.

The amount you tip should take into account the city where the hotel is located; for example a tip in New York should be higher than a tip in Cleveland, for example, to compensate for the difference in the cost of living.

When you approach a concierge, take a look at the lapel of his or her uniform. If you notice a pin that resembles a small set of gold keys, he or she is a member of an elite organization called Les Clefs d'Or, a French term that translates into "keys of gold". If that is the case, you can be assured that you are dealing with a seasoned professional. Curious about whether you should tip the housekeeping staff? Find out how to do so here.

Tags: awards-main, concierge, Les Clefs dOr, luxist-awards, main-pedia, Spencer Wadama, summer-travel-pedia, Surrey Hotel, The Surrey Hotel, tipping, tips, TipsForTravel, winter-travel-pedia

Tips for Tipping

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services, Holiday Guides

It is unfortunate that holiday tipping causes so many people anxiety. We all want to be generous but need help figuring out who to tip and how much or what to give.

The golden rule seems to be that cash is king. That being said, a small gift demonstrating that you know people's likes and dislikes is a nice touch, usually best appreciated when given in addition to cash inside a card. Don't give liquor or chocolates unless you know it is a favorite item of the recipient. If you don't like to give cash there are now gift cards for everything under the sun including, Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, gas stations, local restaurants, town parking meters and more.

There are people like your nanny, housekeeper, driver or dog walker that you may depend on everyday. In this instance a holiday tip more closely resembles a corporate bonus. Depending on their length of service, cash or a gift equal to one or two weeks of salary is the minimum and can be significantly more if they are a long term employee.

Tags: gift cards, GiftCards, holiday tipping, HolidayTipping, tips

Continue reading “Tips for Tipping”

Lux Tip: Drive a Luxury Car for Less

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Lux Tips

Want to drive a luxury brand automobile but can't afford it? You might be surprised to find that many luxury brands (like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lincoln) offer vehicles that start in the low 30s. Just by foregoing a few extras like a bigger engine and built-in GPS you could be driving a new luxury car for about the same as you'd expect to pay for a nice Toyota or Honda. It really comes down to deciding if the term "fully loaded" is really that important to you -- do you have to have that gas-guzzling V8? If the answer is 'no' then you suddenly have a lot more options.

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Tags: audi, auto, automobile, automobiles, autos, bmw, car, cars, lincoln, lux tip, lux tips, LuxTip, LuxTips, mercedes, mercedes-benz, tip, tips, wheels

Lux Tip: Make Coach Feel Like First Class

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Lux Tips

These days the cost of flying first class has gone so high it's gotten too expensive for all the but the richest of travelers. Coach fares, which by definition offer less comfort and amenities, are at the point where even the most basic of comforts like a warm blanket or little bag of peanuts cost extra money or aren't offered at all. It's getting downright ridiculous how uncomfortable flying can be!

The good news, though, is that with just a little bit of forethought it's pretty easy to make your coach ticket feel like a first class one -- without the first class hit to your bank account. Take a look at the tips in the gallery below and then share any tips and tricks you have for making flying coach easier in the comments

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Gallery: Tips to Make Flying Coach Feel Like First Class

Shut out the world, relieve in-flight headaches, and reduce fatigue

Give yourself an in-flight spa treatment

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Tags: air travel, AirTravel, coach, first class, FirstClass, lux tip, lux tips, LuxTip, LuxTips, tip, tips, travel, traveling

Things to Consider When Buying a Waterproof Watch

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

In the market for a waterproof watch? You may have trouble finding one, considering few watches (if any) are truly and completely waterproof, and are in reality only water resistant. Water resistance is a term that can mean anything from "withstands minor splashing" to "submersible up to 100 meters," to any number of other definitions. So before you take your $5000 "water-resistant" watch into the swimming pool you may want to check on some details. Maybe it can go cannon balling with you or maybe it should stay sitting safely by your beach towel and flip flops -- either way it's something worth knowing.

Gallery: Understanding Waterproof Watches