Tipping Guidelines
TIP DISTRIBUTION GUIDELINES
The following information is designed to be a guideline for our guests to use when offering tips to the staff who provide hospitality service in the villas.
Please note that the kind of service you receive in Acapulco is becoming obsolete. In fact, full service is becoming an exception to the rule in most tourist destinations in Mexico. It is for this reason that we consider that the gratuities you provide help to perpetuate this custom.
Our base minimum recommendation is $30.00-$35.00 USD per person staying in the house per day.
Please take the following points into consideration:
- For a five star, top of the line Villa, consider $30-$35 USD per person (you, the guest) per day
- Quality and your satisfaction with the service
- Are there children in your party? Consider an additional sum as they tend to be more disorderly, eat at different times and different menus
- A total number of days:
- Hours of service – did the staff go beyond their normal hours of duty?
- Did the staff go beyond the call of duty and assist you with more than you expected?
Example: For 10 adults staying in the house the sum of tips would be +/- $30.00 USD per day/guest. Or $300/day. Add this together for a total number of days and distribute according to the chart below, depending on the particular staff members in your villa. This may sound like a lot, but it is the equivalent of what would be paid in a 20% tip in a single dinner for 10 people at a standard restaurant. (Please note, this is a guideline for use as an example only)
| Number of Staff | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Houseman | 30% | 30% | 30% | 40% |
| Cook | 25% | 25% | 25% | 30% |
| Barman/Waiter/Assistant | 20% | 20% | 20% | 15% |
| Chambermaid | 10% | 15% | 20% | 15% |
| Cook’s Assistant | 5% | 5% | 5% | – |
| Laundress/Chambermaid | 5% | 5% | – | – |
| Gardener/Handyman | 5% | – | – | – |
| Total Tips | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
If for any reason you are unhappy with the service that has been provided, you should immediately report this. Secondly, tips are gratuity, not an obligation. You will be the final judge as to how the staff is compensated for the services, they provide you.
If the staff expresses discontent with their tips, do not feel obligated to pay out more. Immediately report this, as this is strictly forbidden behavior and should not be rewarded. In order to make your distribution easier you may want to put each staff member’s name on an envelope with their tip enclosed.