One of the things I most often forget when we travel is cash for tips. It’s proper to tip the airport parking shuttle driver, bartender at the lounge, valet staff, hotel bell services and housekeeping. Forgetting to bring cash was such a problem that I added tip money to my packing list.
When we went to Hawaii, I underestimated the amount I’d need because I didn’t include the crew on our sunset dinner catamaran or our helicopter pilot.
Fortunately, both tour companies are aware that people don’t carry cash anymore. We were able to Zelle the tip for the crew to the captain of the ship and all the pilots have QR codes at the main building to send tips via Venmo.
That’s when I wondered why hotels couldn’t provide a QR code to leave a tip for housekeeping. Instead of having to remember to leave money every day when we left the room, I could just scan a code left by the staff. I’d be more likely to leave a larger tip than the few dollars I have left in my wallet.
As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one to have this idea and one major hotel chain is going to offer the ability to tip hotel staff with mobile payments.
Wyndham Hotel & Resorts is partnering with Béné, a leader in cashless tipping, to allow guests to tip hotel team members digitally at all of the U.S. and Canadian properties.
Scott Strickland, chief information officer, of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, says this about the mobile tipping initiative:
Having previously empowered our franchisees to accept digital, contactless payment for stays at their hotels, the next logical step was to find a solution that allows guests to recognize housekeepers, wait staff and other frontline team members in a similar fashion
All Wyndham franchisees are able to opt into the program. Once enrolled, hotel guests can recognize a team member by scanning a QR code and choosing how much to tip. Codes are unique to each employee and the tips are either deposited directly into their bank account or distributed with regular payroll. Guests can also make payments with a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Strickland adds:
The beauty of this solution is its simplicity and how easy it is for our franchisees to allow their guests to make the switch from cash to digital. There’s no app to download and no software to install. It’s entirely web-based, which means so long as guests have a phone and an internet connection, they’re able to tip and show their appreciation.
I think it’s interesting that Wyndham was the first one to introduce this option, instead of Hyatt or even a hotel division like Kimpton. Nevertheless, I think it’s a great idea.
I rarely carry cash. In fact, I once went for a month with 1 dollar in my wallet to see if it was possible to go totally cashless. (Spoiler alert, it was.) Having the ability to tip housekeeping and other hotel staff with mobile payments would be fantastic. I wouldn’t have to worry about bringing cash with me for every trip.
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1 comment
A number of lower tier Hyatt properties have had this option for a while now