Appropriate Tipping

[Guest splash4]

This month will be my first trip to Thailand and the forum info has been very helpful. Please guide me to appropriate tipping. Especially working boys "offed" from a bar and providing average services. I know how to be overly generous for good service! How about boys met at beach that come to room or provide a beach massage? Bartenders for one drink at bar, and the taxi from airport to Tarnatwan hotel. Can taxi provided by hotel be tipped with hotel bill as I will not yet have bought bacht. This may sound elementary, but in a totally new culture it is nice to be in the norm.

[Gaybutton]

Please guide me to appropriate tipping.

 

Others may disagree with me, but I feel the following is appropriate:

 

1. Taking a boy "off," whether it be from a bar, the beach, or anything else: 1000 baht for "short time," 1500 to 2000 baht if he spends the entire night with you.

 

2. Beach massages in Pattaya are generally 200 baht. A 20 to 50 baht tip is plenty.

 

3. Taxi from the airport to the Tarntawan: 20 to 30 baht. 30 baht more if the driver helps you with heavy luggage.

 

4. Bartenders: I have never met anyone who tips Thai bartenders at all.

 

You cannot add a taxi tip to the hotel bill. You'll have to tip the driver directly. I don't know why you won't have any Thai money until you reach the hotel. Hotel exchange rates are terrible. There are plenty of ATMs and exchange booths that take care of travel checks and/or cash at the airport. I suggest making your initial exchange at the airport upon arrival. You'll get the normal bank rates, which will be far better than rates you will get at your hotel.

[Guest rainwalker]

Some folks are more parsimonious than GB...

 

Off from a bar: 800 baht short time

Off from a beach: 500 baht

Massage/Grooming on beach: 200/hour and no tip.

 

BTW: the masseur turns over 10 % of the fee to the "owner" of the concession or the "owner" of the land under the trees.

 

Waiters at the bar: 10 baht per drink.

 

(If you leave the tip in the folder they give you your change in, the tip goes into the communal tip jar. If you give it to them directly, it belongs to the server.)

 

I use these statistics to put things into perspective....

 

Generally, the employees of the local mini-mart or 7/11 make 20 baht an hour and a woman working on construction makes, generally, 160 baht per day. (A man makes more.)

 

I, like GB, am more generous than the amounts I note above but Pattaya does have folks who can't afford more or folks who are just plain cheap.

 

BTW: In Pattaya, Boyztown and the Jomtien Complex are considered places that you need to tip higher for offs than Sunee Plaza.

 

Bangkok is the highest tipping area - about 10-30% more that Pattaya.

 

But all in all, it is "up to you."

[Guest wowpow]

Boys 'tips' or is it fees? You will find a wide divergence of opinion on this 'old chestnut'. It usually brings out all sorts of curiously emotional accusations of stinginess or ludicrous generosity, so I'll steer clear.

 

It is not usual or expected to tip taxis in Thailand. The norm is to leave them a few baht of change. However tips are not refused. It's easy to get a taxi at the airport and the cost to The Tarntawan will be about 370 baht including tolls and and the 50 baht airport tax. Cars to collect you seem to go from about 600 baht.

 

Bars tend to put your drink bills in a cup by you until you are ready to leave. Then the bartender or waiter tells you the total, you pay, change comes in a folder and you leave 10, twenty or a bit more.

 

You can buy baht at the Banks exchange booths in the Arrivals hall or from an ATM. Try to get some change and if using the ATM ask for say 9900 baht so you will get some small money otherwise they give out 1000 baht bills.

Taxis and small traders rarely have much change.

 

[llz]

If this is your first trip to Thailand, it will not be the last one for sure. To avoid the hassle of finding thai bahts on arrival, do not forget to put three ou four thousands baht aside for your next trip ...

[Guest buaseng]

The following are my suggestions, based on GB's offering.

In the end it is "up to you" (a phrase you will become well accustomed to in Thailand ! ).

In the end, a suggested normal tip is 10% but tip what you can afford and base it on the service provided.

 

Be careful in restaurants - some have a service charge and some don't - always check or ask, as the practice of applying service charges is not always made clear. If no service charge added to bill, tip 10% of the bill total.

 

 

 

1. Taking a boy "off," whether it be from a bar, the beach, or anything else: 1000 baht for "short time," 1500 to 2000 baht if he spends the entire night with you.

 

I agree, unless the 'service' has been particularly bad when I would suggest 800 and maximum 1500 respectively.

 

2. Beach massages in Pattaya are generally 200 baht. A 20 to 50 baht tip is plenty.

 

I give 20 Baht in addition to the tip - the masseur is charged 20 Baht by the chair concessionaire if you have the massage behind the deck chairs.

 

3. Taxi from the airport to the Tarntawan: 20 to 30 baht. 30 baht more if the driver helps you with heavy luggage.

 

If you get a meter taxi, tips are not normally expected, but I usually give the change to the nearest 100 Baht over and above the cab fare (which should be inclusive of tolls etc). If you get a hotel taxi/car the tip is 10% of what the hotel is charging for the trip - but the tip should be given in cash to the driver - the driver will not get it if added to your hotel bill.

 

4. Bartenders: I have never met anyone who tips Thai bartenders at all.

 

Bartenders no tip. Waiters 10% of the 'check bin' (the total of the bar chits which are added up when you are leaving the bar unless, of course, the waiter service has been particularly poor). If you leave the tip in the folder the tip is put in the kitty which is shared by waiters and bartenders at the end of the night - if you want to tip the waiter personally, give the tip to him in his hand or drop it in his pocket when you settle the bill.

 

[Dick]

Having been constantly reminded by the (now ex) boyfriend when it comes to tipping ~ "20 Baht enough!", and bearing in mind that Thai people generally hold the view that you shouldn't tip people for doing their job, I use the following yardsticks as my guide:-

 

luggage: 20 Baht per bag/case. And if the bell boys try the double delivery scam where once having delivered you and your bags to your room, another bell boys knocks at the door a minute later saying 'solly, mistake' and takes you and your baggage to a new room... I don't tip again.

 

waiters: 20 Baht on anything up to a few hundered Baht spend is what the waiter would expect; up to 50 Baht for more significant spends. If in a larger party then obviously you would be expected to give more generously. If in a larger restaurant dining with company or where you know the service at times is not so attentive, I will usually tip the boss man 50 or even 100 Baht when I sit down... just so he knows I expect good service. It works! But all the above is forgotten when you've the 'hots' for the waiter serving:-)

 

Meter Taxi: round the meter fare up to the nearest 10 Baht e.g. if the meter says 56, pay 60.

 

Longer distance Limo/Cab between hotel/airport: 50 Baht provided he has driven safely and has handled the luggage in/out of the trunk.

 

Hotel Maid: 20-50 Baht per day (leave it on a pillow), depending on how much mess we've made, and how well she generally cleans up.

 

 

 

I would advise you to forget our Western habit of taking 10% or 15% whatever off the bottom line and using that as your yardstick. Think in lump sum terms regardless of your spend. I hope the above will provide a general idea.

 

 

 

As mentioned above, opinion on tipping boys for sexual services varies considerably. In a top bar in Bangkok, provided the boy has performed satisfactorily, I think 1500 Baht short time plus 100 for taxi is not ungenerous. Adjust that accordingly in lesser bars. Long time add 500 Baht with the offer of breakfast, but you should expect the boy to 'take care you' in bed again in the morning.