What is the tipping policy at Sandals & Beaches resorts?
This is one of the most frequent questions we get from our clients who have never visited the properties before.
Sandals & Beaches official policy is that tips are included in the price of your vacation package and they do not allow their staff to solicit tips from guests. The resorts pride themselves on hiring the very best employees with the best personalities, then putting them through an extensive training program so that they can provide top quality service to their guests without the extra incentive of tipping.
However, you may very well see guests on resort offering servers, bar staff or other employees a tip…are they wrong for doing so? Well the answer is yes and no. Pretty confusing huh?
Let’s clear up the confusion. While Sandals and Beaches do have a “no tipping” policy, occasionally you may see a staff member accept a tip. Their protocol is the gratuity must be turned in to management, and that pooled money is donated to the Sandals Foundation. If a staff member accepts a tip and does not turn it in, they run the risk of losing their job.
A better way to “reward” those hard-working staff members is to pass along praise to the property management. Sandals rewards their team members who routinely go above and beyond to provide guests with a stellar vacation experience, and many times the feedback from guests can lead to a promotion opportunity for an employee.
Does this mean that everyone at Sandals or Beaches cannot accept tips? No. If you are staying in a butler serviced suite your butlers are allowed to accept tips from the guests in their care. There is no set amount and the gratuity you give is optional, but a ballpark range is $20-30 per butler per day (you will have 2 butlers during your stay). This can also change for each butler, as one may simply outshine the other. You may tip each the appropriate amount based on how helpful the service was you received, and those butler gratuities are usually given at the end of your stay (not each day).
If you have the pleasure of indulging in a Red Lane Spa experience during your vacation, those spa therapists who provide service to you may also accept a tip. Just know that there is already a 12.5% service fee attached to your treatment charge, so anything you give on top of that is optional (make sure to check your spa receipt).
One last service to mention is transfer drivers and bellmen at the airport. These are not Sandals or Beaches employees, and do greatly appreciate a gratuity for their services. Those assisting with your luggage we suggest generally $1-2 per bag. Almost all of the transfer drivers I’ve personally encountered during my many stays at Sandals & Beaches are very proud of the island they live on and love to share details about the culture, history, tips on what to do during your stay and more during your ride to the resort. The amount of your gratuity to your driver is again up to you, however $5-10/pp is typical (based on the length of the ride and how helpful and courteous they are).
Hopefully this post provides a better understanding of tipping etiquette at Sandals & Beaches properties, but if you still have questions you’re always welcome to call or email me!
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