A German
Gentleman Told Me That When He Remained A Week In A Hotel,
He Gave The Portier Five Marks, The Head Waiter Four,
The Boots Three, And The Chambermaid Two; And If He
Stayed Three Months He Divided Ninety Marks Among Them,
In About The Above Proportions.
Ninety marks make
$22.50.
None of these fees are ever paid until you leave the hotel,
though it be a year - except one of these four servants
should go away in the mean time; in that case he will
be sure to come and bid you good-by and give you the
opportunity to pay him what is fairly coming to him.
It is considered very bad policy to fee a servant while you
are still to remain longer in the hotel, because if you
gave him too little he might neglect you afterward,
and if you gave him too much he might neglect somebody
else to attend to you. It is considered best to keep his
expectations "on a string" until your stay is concluded.
I do not know whether hotel servants in New York get any
wages or not, but I do know that in some of the hotels there
the feeing system in vogue is a heavy burden. The waiter
expects a quarter at breakfast - and gets it. You have
a different waiter at luncheon, and so he gets a quarter.
Your waiter at dinner is another stranger - consequently
he gets a quarter. The boy who carries your satchel
to your room and lights your gas fumbles around and hangs
around significantly, and you fee him to get rid of him.
Now you may ring for ice-water; and ten minutes later
for a lemonade; and ten minutes afterward, for a cigar;
and by and by for a newspaper - and what is the result?
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