56
The gracious
gratuity guide
Here’s a cheat sheet that will
keep your tipping game on point
give tips
how to...
HONG KONG
Jambi Gaston
Reyes
Has been living in
Hong Kong for 10
years
Hotels:
Give
bellboys HK$10-20,
and parking valets
HK$20-30.
Restaurants:
Usually
10% of the bill, but you
can forgo this if there’s
already a service
charge. Some folks tip
5-10% regardless of
service charge.
Taxis:
It depends on
how good the cabbie’s
been to you. You can
pay a little extra over
the fare and just tell
the cabbie to keep the
change. Some people
tip HK$10-20 or more.
DUBAI
Karen Argosino
Has been living in
Dubai for eight months
Hotels:
Tourists
and expatriates here
usually tip according
to their culture, but
UAE locals normally
tip 10% of the total bill.
Restaurants
and service
establishments:
Usually 10% as well,
but it can be more
or less depending on
the type of service
you received.
Taxis:
It would
still depend on the
customer, but you
can pay a bit more
than the bill and let
the cabbie keep the
extra change.
TOKYO
Leloy Claudio
Has been living in
Japan for a year
There’s no tipping
culture in Japan.
Most Japanese will
run after you and
return your money if
you tip. They believe
that the price you are
paying is inclusive
of good service,
and even high-end
establishments train
their staff to refuse or
return tips. However, if
a special situation calls
for a tip (such as in an
extremely high-class
ryokan
), the tip should
be placed in a small
envelope because
receiving cash directly
is considered rude.
MANILA
JJ Yulo
Lifelong resident of
Manila
Hotels:
I give porters
PHP50 per bag.
Restaurants
and service
establishments:
Generally, there isn’t
a rule for tipping
because most people
like to pay just the
service charge. I
have my own system:
At least PHP100
per waiter, and if
they’re really good
or I just know they
worked very hard, I
slip anywhere from
PHP200 to PHP500 if
they’re exceptional.
Taxis:
I usually tip
PHP50.
SINGAPORE
Pepe Torres
Has been living in
Singapore for 6 years
Hotels:
For bellboys,
S$2 is a nice gesture,
but even then it is not
expected!
Restaurants
and service
establishments:
Overall there isn’t
a tipping culture in
Singapore. Most
establishments have a
service charge included
in the bill. Tipping 5%
of the bill on top of
service charge would be
considered generous.
I would say only
modern establishments
that clearly call out the
lack of service charge
(of which there are very
few) are places where
tipping would be good
etiquette. A generous
tip for a bill without
service charge would
be 10%.
In instances of
amazing service, tipping
will be appreciated but
not required.
Taxis:
Taxi drivers
give you change
automatically and
tipping is never
expected.
INTERVIEWS BY SELENA SALANG
