Tipping Etiquette for Planners

When it comes to tipping the hotel team that assisted with your meeting, it’s important to educate yourself and not take anything for granted. In the U.S., tipping can be a significant portion of service employees’ incomes.

Here’s how to make sure you reward and recognize the right people with the correct amounts.

Research the minimum wage and customs in the location where you’re meeting – In the U.S., there are wide variations from state to state in both minimum wage and cost of living, so take that into account when you tip. Tipping is not common practice in some countries in Europe, where workers are paid higher wages and don't have to rely on gratuities.

Understand the difference between a service charge and a gratuity – A gratuity is an automatic amount added to a bill for the service personnel, who receive the entire amount. The percentage amount is discretionary. A service charge, however, is a mandatory and automatic amount added to a bill for the service personnel and the facility, which receives a portion of it. This amount is not negotiable.

These terms are not interchangeable. Banquet event orders and contracts used to use ‘gratuity,’ and planners were assured that this tip went to the wait staff; they now question how much still does. The best way to find out is to ask.

Check if your hotel allows you to tip managers, like CSMs – Convention services managers are often on site for the entire meeting. But in many cases, because they are management, they are prohibited from accepting a cash tip. Be sure to doublecheck, and if not, see if they are permitted to accept a gift, like a gift card. 

Leave nothing to chance – The most appreciated reward comes with recognition, like a handwritten note with a few hundred dollars in it. "I recommend writing a specific thank-you note about the service a person by name provided, sending it to the person, and copying their supervisor, the GM, and sometimes the owner, if the service was that outstanding," said Joan Eisenstodt, a meetings and hospitality consultant with Eisenstodt Associates, LLC. "The more personal, the more it matters."

Suggested Tips – In the U.S., here are tipping guidelines from MJMeetings:

• Director of Convention Services – $75 to $200
• Convention Services Manager – $50 to $150
• Convention Services Coordinator – $20 to $50
• Catering Director – $100
• Banquet Captain/Manager – $35 to $50
• AV Manager – $50 to $150
• AV Technician – $20 to $50
• Sales Manager – A gift
• Chef – If the chef helped with your menu and created custom dishes for your group, thank them with a tip..