Tipping at an All Inclusive Resort

[Anonymous]

Our family plans to go to an all-inclusive resort in the Virgin Isles next spring. Room, meals, transfers to/from airport, and water sports equipment are all included in the price. We have never stayed at this type of place before and have no idea how to go about tipping ... how much, when, etc. I fear the cost of tips may make the choice not affordable for us as it is quite expensive as is! Any help would be much appreciated! TIA

[Anonymous]

Check with the resort and see how they suggest handling it. Gratuities may already be included, particularly with meals. Some places charge a "resort fee" which pays for gratuities for some housekeeping, bellstaff, etc.

[Anonymous]

The resort's web site says there will be an 18 percent "tax and service charge" ... I assume that means the tips are added on to the bill automatically??

[Anonymous]

That is dishonest. To say everything is included, but then to expect the customers to open their wallets.

[Anonymous]

As long as I know going in what it is, I don't care how they characterize it. What I don't want is to pay tips twice without realizing it. This happened to me in Italy when I didn't equate the 15 percent servizio charge with tipping given there was still the tip line provided on each charge receipt. We were there for a family member's health emergency and thus ate at the exact same restaurant near the hospital almost every day. We should have gotten a clue by how well they treated us each day ... you would be treated well too if you came every day and tipped 30 percent!!