While I agree that tipping is a private issue, one has to understand how it works here in the USA. Other countries, I cannot say. I am also not familiar with hotel/villa staff in regards to this topic but I know that when we go on a cruise, I search out the steward and give him/her my requests and immediately hand him or her a $20 bill. This has always made for my ice bucket for my "beverages" being filled, those beverages not being confiscated and my stateroom cleaned very shortly after I leave it. Now when it comes to servers at restaurants, that is a totally different story. I know this from fact because my son is a server at a nationwide chain restaurant. Restaurants can get away with paying the servers much less than the minimum wage. For example here in Florida the minimum wage is $8.25 but servers get paid $5.23 per hour. The restaurant will report to IRS that they make at least the difference up in tips even though the work done setting up and closing down are paid at $5.23 per hour. Oh and from their tips they have to share them with the bartender (if at a restaurant with alcohol), busboys, hostess and expediter. So even though other countries may not have a tipping policy, it is not the norm here. In Florida we get a lot of tourists from the world over and unfortunately the tourists that don't tip or tip very poorly make the servers amount of compensation very very low. I understand that to be a service person is their job but we need to understand that the business owner pays as little as they can to protect their bottom line. I'd be very happy to have the prices at restaurants and hotels be increased to give the employees minimum wage so I wouldn't feel obliged to leave a tip. My rule of thumb is I will tip a minimum of 20% (pre-tax) unless the service was horrendous. There is a standing joke in the restaurants and it is, "What's the difference between a (resident of whatever country) and a canoe? The canoe will tip."