Tipping/Gifts for Staff

[SarahandtheRoad]

Hey y'all!

We have about a month until our big trip to CTI and I've been reading about the tipping policy for the Couples' staff. The FAQ says that tipping is not allowed... so what are other ways to say thank you? I had seen someone say that they bring gifts, but what would be appropriate? Any ideas to share?

Thanks for all of the ideas - this message board has been great for getting prepped for our first visit!

Sarah

[KrisJamie]

Put their names on the comment card at checkout. Little things like chocolates (etc) are also acceptable.

[jayrayuf]

I'd like to bring more gifts for the staff too. Last year I set out chocolates for the housekeeping/bar service (with a note of thanks) on several days and those went really fast. I understand that Jamaica is somewhat of a 3rd world country but don't want to give away anything that is insulting. I am able to get a lot of nice quality toiletries and makeup for free using coupons, which I normally donate to the womens and homeless shelters, but was thinking that might be nice for the maids - what do you all think?

How do you recognize your favorite bartenders? I feel like we tend to interact with them the most

[robin1373]

We always bring candy to give to the staff. We usually stock up around Easter or Halloween and buy the variety bags. I have read of other people buying lotions and things of that nature but, I am sure they will love anything you give them.

[oxbgirl]

You'll get all kinds of responses on this one. IMHO, the best thank-you is to take the time to talk to the staff--ask them about their children, families...Many of them have children and school supplies are expensive...so anything along those lines would be appreciated. Chocolate is also expensive and a real treat!

[steveg52]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the Couples Family,
I usually bring an assortment of candies and goodies. The assortment consists of bags of M&Ms, tubes of peanuts/cashews, tubes of trail mix and individual size packages of cookies. I usually leave a couple each morning before we leave the room with a note saying, "Here's a small token of our appreciation for your hard work. Thank You!"
Whenever we run into our room maid we get a big smile and a heart felt thank you.
For your information the women who work in the spa, the van drivers and baggage handlers at the airport do work for cash tips.
Enjoy your time in Paradise!
Steve

[Phishface]

Thats a great question. I know people that have gone to Jamaica before and took school supplies. They were not staying at couples however. I don't know if that matters??? Anyone???

[Vickyj]

Best gift you can give all the staff is respect. Learn their names, ask about their family, smile. Most of all show respect, they are there to serve us, but they are NOT servants. They work hard and work long hours.

[gcdt]

We bring chocolates for room staff...turn down, mini bar, etc.....and usually make up some bags of toiletries and school supplies and give them to staff that we spend a lot of time with. If we don't run across anyone with kids, leave those items with the front desk to distribute. Enjoy!

[Bearso]

When you check-out, put their names on the comment card. That is the VERY best way to help them. Some little trinket may make you feel nice but comments help them move up in rank.

[jdgtunc21]

Sarah,

I don't think they would be able to take gifts... I know at Swept Away they gift you a comment card and we filled it out and wrote down the names of the people that made an impact on our stay. I think that's the way they get acknowledged.. Maybe they get bonuses or more $$ when people write down their names...

-Jeff

[robfrommi]

We took chocolates (M&Ms, Truffles) and cosmetics (lipstick, eyeliner, etc.) for the housekeeping staff. Left a small note on the bed each morning so they knew it was a token of our appreciation. We heard that it helps them out to 'proove' it was a gift and they were not actually stealing from the guests. One afternoon when we had to run back to the room, we spoke with our cleaning staff...she said these were great trinkets. We asked what else they would like to receive and she said school supplies (tablets, markers, crayons) for their families.

[subrosa1969]

When we visited CTI in 2010 I brought a gift for our maid. I brought lotion, body wash and body spray from Bath and Body Works. We also were married at the resort on that visit so I brought a similar gift for our wedding planner. I packed stationary, gift bags and tissue and put a thank you note in the gift bag along with the gift. Both of them went above and beyond on our visit, especially our maid. She not only kept our room very clean, but on our wedding night, decorated our entire room with fresh flowers. It made me feel good to leave them a small token of our appreciation along with a note expressing our gratitude. Have a great trip!

[bkeyes88]

Those are great ideas, hopefully they don't get in trouble for stuff like that. I know it sounds petty but when we were there last year we just enjoyed visiting with them and I feel like they enjoyed it too; I won't mention any names in case they would get in trouble but we had one person sit and talk with us on our patio for about an hour one night, just talking about a little bit of everything. We told him about Illinois and our families and he talked about his background, it was really intesting and fun.

I read some of the negative reviews about rude staff but I wonder how those people are treating the staff? I work with the public and know how rude and entitled some people can be. We treated the staff with respect and treated them the way we would want to be treated and we got nothing but smiles and friendly service in return. I do like the school supplies and other "useful" supplies to leave as gifts.

[Bert]

When we went to CN this past April I thought ahead about one of my favorite staff members. Kohl's was having a great sale and I picked myself up a bunch of Rutgers shirts and brought one as a gift.

[r&cford]

Sarah,

I don't think they would be able to take gifts... I know at Swept Away they gift you a comment card and we filled it out and wrote down the names of the people that made an impact on our stay. I think that's the way they get acknowledged.. Maybe they get bonuses or more $$ when people write down their names...

-Jeff

As long as you have it marked as a gift, they can get it. In 2010 we left some school supplies at the front desk for an employee's little girl. Saw him a couple days later and he was very grateful. We have also left candies. I'm thinking about nail polish and lotions for the ladies this time along with school supplies. We're going in Oct to I will wait until school supplies are marked down and get some stuff.

[bowlcoach]

We take ball caps for the guys from our state NCAA colleges. (They like those) And we take M&M's for the ladies. We also leave small note cards thanking them for their service.

[lovnrumpunch]

We go to CN in September to celebrate our anniversary, so I always hit Targert or Walmart for the back to school clearance sales after Labor Day. I spent about 20 bucks this year and had a TON of stuff to distribute! Plus, it clears up room in my bag to bring back coffee and rum!! I also have heard that kids medicine is appreciated (tylenol, etc) as it is VERY expensive there.

[r&cford]

We go to CN in September to celebrate our anniversary, so I always hit Targert or Walmart for the back to school clearance sales after Labor Day. I spent about 20 bucks this year and had a TON of stuff to distribute! Plus, it clears up room in my bag to bring back coffee and rum!! I also have heard that kids medicine is appreciated (tylenol, etc) as it is VERY expensive there.

This is exactly what we do with school supplies. Glad to know about the medicine, I'll put up some!!!

[SarahandtheRoad]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions & ideas! I'll start stocking up on goodies over the next month before we go. Also, can't wait to meet the staff - everyone seems to really enjoy the folks that make the trip there so special!

[MsHoo]

Resort workers only make $7 to $10 A DAY so anything will help. I met one person trying to get her father in the USA to buy her a laptop for school but he wont. They cost over $1000 in Jamaica. I have one I no longer use. I'm bring it next time.