How Much Do You Tip a Building Concierge?

The amount of the tip should depend on the difficulty of the service the concierge provides. While there's no need to tip for something as simple as directions, more difficult services such as reservations at exclusive restaurants or finding a pair of hard-to-get tickets should earn anywhere from $5 to $10, according to a tipping guide from "The New York Times." For truly difficult tasks, "USA Today" recommends giving as much as $50. Either way, you should always expect excellent service and never feel compelled or bullied into tipping hotel staff.

You may not always want to be fumbling in your pocket for cash. Maybe you aren't in the habit of carrying around lots of money or you find yourself running short after tipping other staff members. In these cases, you may want to wait until the end of your stay to tip the concierge. According to Forbes, a generous tip for excellent concierge service for a two-night hotel stay could run from $50 to $100. However, etiquette author Diane Gottsman says tipping after every request will generally raise the quality of service.

Increasingly, hotels aren't the only buildings offering concierge service. Many luxury apartment buildings and condos now have concierge staff who can provide many of the same services as in a hotel. Since you'll be seeing these people almost every day, you won't want to tip them each time they help. A holiday tip of $10 to $80 per concierge is enough, according to CNNMoney, although if you live in a big city, you may want to tip more.

It's important to remember that tipping customs can vary in other countries. In Japan, for example, tipping any member of a hotel's staff would be considered rude, Gottsman says. Information on local customs can often be found in travel guidebooks. Taking a few minutes to explore the subject before your trip can help avoid an embarrassing situation or misunderstanding.