Do you tip housekeeping when you are at a hotel? And, if so, how much?

There was a poll done a couple years ago that concluded that if you don't tip, you are one of the 39% of travelers that don't tip. If you do tip, you belong to the 23% minority that always tips. I believe that most people just are not aware that they should tip housekeeping.

I have seen suggested tips from $1-$5 per day, depending on the number of beds you use, the mess you (and your kids) leave, and special requests you might have for housekeeping. It is also suggested that you leave a tip on a daily basis to ensure that the housekeeper that cleaned your room gets the tip, since housekeepers rotate their days.

Now, Marriott is putting tipping envelopes in their rooms to bring awareness to this situation. Although I do tip, I have very mixed feelings about this. On one hand, of course we know that housekeeping is the most overworked and underpaid position in the hotel. However, if most people started tipping due to the envelopes in the room, will hotels then lower the housekeeping wages, as restaurants do with waitresses? And, if so, will the housekeeping staff really come out ahead?

It seems that the best solution would be for the hotels to give housekeeping decent wages, and have those wages incorporated into the price of the hotel. After all, that is what they do for management's wages. Otherwise, if hotels expect us to help them compensate their staff, aren't the hotels simply passing their costs onto us in the form of yet one more hidden hotel cost?

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Tipping hotel housekeeping