Tipping the Villa Greeter

There are a lot of outstretched hands looking for a tip between the St. Thomas airport and the Cruz Bay ferry dock, including baggage porters, taxicab drivers, and ferry luggage loaders. Is the person who greets you on St. John another one?

Greeters are part of the villa rental package. They meet you at the ferry dock, take you to a car rental pickup, and then lead you to your house. The greeter's service is worth $50. That's what one villa management company charges owners when guests arrive off-hours, like late at night or on Sundays.  If every thing's on time (on St. John?), it's about an hour's work.  So, that cost has been figured into your rental rate. Greeters are paid by the rental company.

Some island visitors wonder, though, "Should I tip the greeter?" 

What do you think? Make a comment here.

Comments

[Julie]

Some of the greeters are wonderful, others we have had to wait for at the docks for over an hour....then we were rushed through at breakneck speed, saying she had to go because she was backed up...but that's not "our" problem. They should take the time to properly greet folks who come and spend so much hard earned $$$$$$$ to even get there. So, no, we should not have to tip since the tip is already figured in.

[Andrew Burnett]

It would depend on how much they are paid. You said the service costs $50.00, but the person doing the service may have only been paid minimum wage. If taxi drivers, baggage handlers, table servers, and deck hands on a charter deserve a tip, then so does the greeter. It's all part of the service industry.

[Kathe Bernstein]

I think it's ridiculous to tip greeters. The ones that we've had have been at the dock on time but have done little in the way of showing us the properties. A hotel bellman does a better job in most cases.

[Kathy Henion]

I generally do if they are pleasant and helpful. I have had ones that go to great lengths to explain things and give us good advice. We tip them.
I've also had ones that didn't want to be bothered. No tip for them.
Some of them seemed to be waiting around sort of expecting it which I find distasteful and others seemed surprised but appreciative.
Personally, I do it because I know it is expensive living on the island and would like to help people enjoy it a little more.
I believe it is completely optional and should not be expected since they are simply doing their job.
I tend to do it when I feel that someone has done something more than what is considered "their job".
For instance, I sent the woman at our jeep rental place $20 after she worked things around and found us 2 vehicles when everything else in town was booked. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her juggling things to accommodate us and told her to treat herself to a couple of her favorite drinks.
A little something to brighten her day.
A gratuity expressing gratitude.

[Deb]

No. That should be included in the price you pay for the villa or rental....Flying there from NJ is quite an expense above and beyond the villa rental and airfare. I would say approx. another $200.00 in tips just to get there and back. And where I come from, a 20 percent tip is the norm.....

[Margy]

Yes - amount proportionate to the service provided. We have been fortunate to have met wonderful greeters across the USVI - greeters who will let us stop for groceries (so we do not have to always have provisioning), greeters who use walkies from their car to ours to answer questions and point out things en route to the villa, greeters who have connections at the rental car companies and can smooth out a lost reservation or other issues, greeters who have met us with a cooler full of ice cold waters, and greeters who make it a bit more comfortable in our car by taking luggage. We have had greeters who once the villa orientation is completed will sit down with our group for over an hour poring over maps and available activities and answering every question -this is so helpful when we bring along "island newbies". We are generally tired and hot when we finally get on island and a good villa greeter can really help to get us into the island mindset. We feel that tipping is a vacation expense that should be figured in no matter where we go or what level of accommodation we choose - we don't feel that since we are spending so much to get there or on our chosen villa we don't need to tip. Going at all and the level of accommodation is our choice, after all. Isn't that kind of like deciding to go to a fancy restaurant and stiffing the server because the food is so expensive and you just have to have dessert? Yes, the waiter should be paid more by the restaurant and the greeter should probably be paid more by the villa company - but they aren't and until that changes (if it indeed ever does) then tips are relied upon in the service industry.

[Frank Mason]

The owner, of the villa, always picks us up. They are doing pretty well getting my $6500.

[Xislandgirl]

Where were all you tippers when I was picking up people on the dock?

In 4 years of picking up people, I never got a tip. (although I did get a date after picking up a single guy once) :)

[Denise]

I am going to St. John with my sister in October and have never been there. And the resort I am staying at, says that someone would pick us up at the ferry dock when we arrive in St. John. Is that the greeter that everyone is posting about?

[allan]

Not sure what resort you're staying at. Caneel & Westin provide transport from CA. Are you talking about Gallows? If so I'll tell you what we do.

[Sherri]

If your greeter is helpful to you, as some mention above, it is appropriate to tip. If they simply get you to your villa and don't have anything else to offer, then absolutely not!
Tipping is a personal choice and if you are happy with the service, then it is always appreciated!

[joe]

Just one more good reason to rent from owners handling their own properties rather than from the huge companies attempting to manage dozens of houses all at once. Why would anyone expect great service from someone getting $50 from a property management company to pick them up and take them to a house they know little or nothing about. Some companies are managing so many houses and are so unorganized that you’ll be lucky if the greeter actually takes you to the right house. Expecting personalized service from a large company shuffling guests through dozens of properties on any given Saturday defies common sense.

[Denise]

Allan,

Yes I am talking about Gallows. It does say on their website they have a shuttle. Thanks for your help.

[Dana Robbins]

Depends. If a greeter (other than the owner) goes out of their way to provide some unexpected service - or - you make an uncommon request of the greeter and they comply (making stops, tour of town, whatever) then certainly a tip could be in order. For the majority of situations, though, I would say no. Unlike wait staff greeters don't get paid less in anticipation of tips.

[kenneth walker]

I rent annually on St John and I've worked in the hotel industry and I don't think a greeter requires a tip like a bellman (who is definately making minimum wage and carries your bags).

[allan]

Denise, the shuttle driver does not act as a greeter and merely is a worker for Gallows who is certainly earning more than the greeters from the villa rental companies. Since we always arrive later in the evening he also ends up taking our bags to the room so we tip him accordingly. Even it he doesn't take the bags but merely picks us up we give him something.

We've been staying there for about four/five years now. You'll certainly love it. I have some pics up at pbase.com/promoguy101 and actually have more from last June to add if I could only get my lazy a** in gear.

[allan]

PS should read that he certainly earns LESS than the villa greeters.

Frank, get an edit option, LOL

[Josh]

I think a tip is appropriate if the person is offering more than just delivery to a villa. For example, many greeters bring you to your rental agency and help you get your car. Sometimes they might take you to the grocery store. They bring you to your villa and take your bags inside. They show you around the villa and while in conversation you might feel they are going an extra friendly step deserving a tip of $5-10. Further, most greeters will tell you they spend more than an hour on a pickup between checking flight arrivals, anticipating Red Hook ferries, and then actually greeting and delivering a guest.

[Not the same...]

Margy, no, not tipping a greeter is NOT the same as stiffing a waiter. Waiters, unlike greeters, make LESS than minimum wage...tipping waiters is expected. Being a greeter is part of a job description. I don't get tipped at my job everytime I do a project.

[Margy]

Just to clarify what I said as it seems I said it badly and used bad examples: My points were 1) less about waitstaff and more about how I don't feel that because we as visitors have made choices to perhaps pay a lot to travel someplace or stay there in a certain level of accommodation we are justified in thinking there will be some huge "trickle down" effect to the immediate compensation of the hospitality service level so we can forget about rewarding for good service - any service where a tip is earned (emphasis on the "earned") and 2) how in a perfect world tipping should really be unnecesary but as the service world remains imperfect in the area of pay for performance we have to work within the situation as it is now. Refusing to play the game and thinking that not tipping someone is going to change their employer's minds about their pay scale is just naive or merely a justification. I know some will take offense to that; sorry, just my opinion. Tipping is always a hot topic and a very personal thing - we are all trying to defend our own rationalizations. In some areas of service, I feel that tipping has indeed gone way extreme - some may disagree with me on some of those areas if I listed them; however, for purposes of this discussion I stand by our decision to offer villa greeters a gratuity. A greeter may be the villa owner or own the management company or work for more than one management company or, for a company and for individual owners. I don't feel I can assume the greeter's "deal" and what their base pay is for the meet and greet (or if it's part of their job description because they perform other tasks as well) and I don't choose to noodle about what might be baseline "greet" for the differing amounts a greeter may be paid (nor not paid). If the person that meets us does what we consider a good job for us then we are appreciative and choose to communicate that with a "thank you" and offer a tip - for us, it's just that simple. Cheers!

[Ali]

Frank, A topic that's been previously addressed on the forum:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2735&highlight=tipping

[Pete]

Don't be so freakin' cheap...tip the greeter.

[Joe P]

We do not think the greeter should get tipped unless.......... they go out of thier way to accomodate such as stopping along the way for groceries & such. Than that would be a common courtesy.

[Denise]

Allan,

Thanks for your help. We are arriving around 2:00 pm. And we can't wait!

Your pictures were great!

Denise

[Cindy]

We've been enjoying St John for a few years now and have never been greeted by a greeter even though we were told we would be (twice from Gallows Point(never again what were we thinking going back the second time) and another time in Coral Bay, there our greeter was to meet us at the rental agent and she called to say she was busy. Fortunately we are independent travellers and can make our way around. As a traveller I feel that tipping is out of control and my new rule, is to tip someone who actually helps me. If a greeter has a built in tip then that's enough unless they stop and help with groceries etc. I'd rather give a few bucks to the homeless or a mission.