Hawaii Vacation Question - How much do I tip activity
guides, hotel room service, shuttle drivers, and others?
This tipping guide is excerpted from the FAQ section of the first edition of the Hawaii Eco Budget Travel Guide to Oahu a downloadable ebook, now available in a brand new edition.
It's nice that you asked this question! In case you get as confused and embarrassed by not knowing tipping customs as I have, here are a few guidelines that many Hawaii travel experts including hotels and tour guides agree upon. Tipping in Hawaii is almost the same as tipping on the Mainland.
Remember many service industry jobs pay very low wages and those who serve you depend on tips. Also, food servers must pay taxes based on a 12 percent average tipping rate whether they get tipped or not.
Tipping in Hawaii is another way to show aloha.
General
- Restaurant and bar waiters, waitresses/waiters, and bartenders: 15 to 20 percent.
- Take-out but not commercial fast food (like McDonalds) or drive throughs: Up to 10 percent or a dollar or two.
- Musician in lounge: $1 to $5.
- Outdoor guide (kayaking, scuba diving, etc): 15 percent.
- Flight Attendant: No tip.
- Buffet style restaurants: No tip.
- Courtesy shuttles: No tip generally, but if the driver helps you with your bags, then $1 to $2 per bag.
- Taxi and paid shuttles and vans: 10 to 15 percent.
- Airport skycaps: $1 per piece of luggage or $2 per piece if you have a lot (we pay $2 for those carts and do our own) If you are running late and the skycap helps you make your flight, tip extra.
- Activity Guides (kayaking, scuba diving, hiking, etc.): 15 percent. If you’ve booked an activity through a hotel or tour service, a luau or kayaking
adventure for example, then ask the reservationist about the customary tip.
Hotels
- Bellhops: $1 per bag.
- Room service: 15 to 20 percent.
- Hotel housekeeping staff: $1 to $3 per day, left on your pillow.
- Valet: $2.
- Concierge: Tip only if a special favor is done, like calling a cab for you. Tip at your discretion.
If you are staying at a nice hotel, ask if gratuities are included in the price of the room. If not, still leave the main $1 to $3 per day.
B&B’s
These are usually family run and don’t expect tipping. You can always ask if the gratuity is included the price. If they hire housekeeping staff, leave a $1 to $3 tip on the pillow.
For the complete chapter on Island Etiquette (from what to wear to how to get along with the locals), and the rest of this 180-page guide to planning a Hawaii Eco Tour Vacation that will save you hundreds, download my newly updated...
