Mandatory Tip!
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 10/2/11
I bought a package on Living Social which included a stay at the Strong House Inn, a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant, wine, and chocolates. When we were driving to the inn,we couldn't find it and drove around for a bit before calling the inn and asking for better directions. The owner was kind of rude about it and then when we showed up, he berated us for not making reservations at the restaurant the gift certificate was for, and implied we arrived late (we got there at 7pm.) The room was beautiful and the breakfast was pretty good. At check out, the owner told us how much the tax for the room was- which we were expecting, and then said, "And you haven't tipped yet. How much would you like to tip? The minimum is $32 and the recommended is $64." I was totally surprised, and because I was caught off guard, I opted for the $32 instead of challenging her. I have stayed at many bed and breakfasts before and this had never happened. We tipped the restaurant on the pre-gift certificate amount and left a few dollars in the room for whoever cleaned it. While the room was great, and the food was good, the way the owner demanded the $32 'tip' out of the blue really put a bad taste in my mouth.