Tipping Right Over the Edge
All the talk–and I do mean virtually all of it–here today at the Genoa charter show is about tipping. Vacationers are tipping too much. Vacationers aren’t tipping enough. Captains and brokers are all over the spectrum on what the industry standard should be. Some say 5 percent. Some say 25. Some say even more.
After listening to all sides of the discussions onboard boats from 50 to 150 feet long today, I think the right amount for a gratuity is 10 percent to 15 percent if the service is good, and probably nothing at all if the crew does a lousy job.
And while many captains and brokers would debate that previous statement, I don’t think anyone could argue this one: There is a disturbing trend onboard yachts of all sizes, with crews of all nationalities, where gratuities are no longer merely expected but also expected to be big, no matter how good or bad the service is.
To me, that attitude tips the concept of tipping right over the edge. A tip is a gratuity, pure and simple. It is money given as a thank you for excellent services provided above the regular cost of the charter. There were stories told today of yacht captains scoffing at, handing back or even criticizing tips they felt were not big enough. In one case that astounded me in its arrogance and greed, a captain actually argued with a charterer who left a 12-percent tip on a six-figure charter. Simply unbelievable!
The appropriate response to that gratuity, of course, would have been to say thank you–which is all charterers are trying to say when they leave a gratuity of any amount in the first place.
No matter what percentage the industry decides is appropriate, be it 5 percent or 20 percent or something in between, I must say that I hope this attitude of entitlement is quashed as quickly as possible. As vacationers, we must do our part by insisting that gratuities be just that–and that they be given commensurate with the service we receive.