How much to tip: Hotel Concierge
$5-20 depending on the difficulty of the favor — a simple restaurant recommendation typically isn't tipped at all, while securing a hard-to-get reservation or tickets warrants a meaningful tip reflecting the real effort and connections involved.
Hotel Concierge quick reference
Who tips, and how
Cash handed directly to the concierge, ideally at the time the favor is completed (tickets handed over, reservation confirmed) rather than upfront, is the standard method — tipping upfront for a request can occasionally feel like an attempt to buy priority, whereas tipping after the favor is delivered is read as straightforward gratitude. Concierges at luxury hotels are frequently part of Les Clefs d'Or, an international association recognizing top-tier concierge expertise, and the elaborate personal networks (restaurant contacts, ticket brokers, local connections) that make a genuinely hard-to-get reservation possible are exactly what a larger tip is recognizing — it's compensating real, specialized relationship capital, not just a phone call.
When to skip it
Basic information (directions, general restaurant suggestions, calling a cab) is part of standard concierge service and doesn't require a tip at all — reserve tipping for situations where the concierge used real effort, time, or personal connections to get you something genuinely difficult to obtain on your own. If a request the concierge attempted didn't ultimately work out (a fully sold-out show, a restaurant that simply had no tables that week), it's still reasonable to offer a smaller tip for the genuine effort made on your behalf, rather than nothing, since the outcome wasn't within their control. A one-time, single-visit favor generally warrants its own tip at that moment, whereas returning guests who use the same concierge repeatedly over a longer stay sometimes tip once at the end covering the full stay's worth of help, which is equally acceptable.
Cash vs. app
Cash is strongly preferred and close to universal for concierge tipping — there's no standard digital mechanism for this kind of one-off, favor-based interaction, and a cash tip handed over personally fits the relationship-based nature of how concierge service actually works. A small number of very high-end hotels allow a concierge gratuity to be added to the final room folio at checkout, but this remains uncommon and less personal than cash handed over at the moment the favor is completed, which most concierges still prefer.
Regional notes
American luxury hotels drive most of this norm, with the wider Western hospitality world following at a distance. Elsewhere, tipping a concierge for standard information isn't expected at all, and even for major favors, amounts tend to run lighter than US norms unless the hotel specifically caters to an international, tip-accustomed clientele — a five-star hotel in Dubai or Singapore catering heavily to American and European travelers may see US-scale concierge tipping, while a comparable hotel serving a mostly domestic or Asian clientele generally does not.
Related reading
How this plays out in a few different countries, plus the wider category this situation belongs to.
Frequently asked questions
Should I tip a concierge who arranged transportation or a private tour for me?
Yes — arranging a private car, driver, or custom tour involves real coordination and vendor relationships beyond a standard recommendation, and a tip in the $10-20 range, or more for an elaborate multi-part arrangement, is appropriate recognition of that legwork.
Does the concierge's tip come out of the same pool as bellhop or housekeeping tips?
No — concierge, bellhop, and housekeeping are generally separate roles with separate, individual tipping norms at most hotels, so a generous concierge tip doesn't reduce or replace what's appropriate for other staff who assisted you during the same stay.
Is it appropriate to tip the concierge desk collectively rather than one specific person?
Yes, especially at hotels where multiple concierges rotate on a shared desk — a tip left for 'the concierge team' or handed to whoever completed the specific favor is equally appropriate as tipping one named individual.
Does it matter whether I'm a loyalty-program elite member when tipping the concierge?
Not directly — elite status may get you more attentive service or access to begin with, but it doesn't change the tipping guidance itself, which is based on the difficulty of the specific favor performed, not your loyalty tier.
Do I tip for basic questions like directions or restaurant recommendations?
No — this is understood as standard concierge service included in your stay, and tipping for it isn't expected or common; save tipping for genuinely difficult requests that required real extra effort.
How much should I tip for getting hard-to-get restaurant reservations or show tickets?
This scales meaningfully with difficulty — a same-week reservation at a popular but not impossible restaurant might warrant $10-20, while securing sold-out tickets or a reservation at a genuinely exclusive, hard-to-book restaurant can reasonably warrant $50 or more given the real effort and connections used.
Should I tip when I make the request or after it's fulfilled?
After is generally the better practice — tipping once the favor is actually delivered reads as straightforward gratitude, while tipping upfront can feel like you're trying to buy priority treatment, which isn't the spirit of the gesture.
What if the concierge tried hard but the request didn't work out?
A smaller tip is still a reasonable acknowledgment of genuine effort spent on your behalf, even if the outcome (a sold-out show, a fully booked restaurant) was outside the concierge's control.
Do I need to tip separately for each favor during a multi-day stay, or can I tip once at the end?
Both are acceptable — many guests tip per favor as it happens, but returning guests who lean on the same concierge repeatedly over a longer stay often give one larger tip at checkout covering the whole stay's worth of help.
Sources: American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) consumer tipping guidance (checked 2026-06-24).