No one is forced to pay a tip when going to a hotel or a restaurant. Depending on the friendly service you receive or the food you've enjoyed you happily tip the waiter or the bellboy or the room maid. Many guests are often generous with their tips. However, service charges normally added to hotel or restaurant bills are mandatory, and have nothing to do with what a guest gives out to individuals. If the service charge is a part of the Hotel Owner's calculation, then add it to the general cost and don't mislead the customers by giving it a wrong name. If not, transfer the money on to where it belongs.

What makes people like Artha Beed ("Service Charged" #18) think that service charge should be limited only to areas linked to food and beverage? Every employee directly or indirectly serves a guest, be they in housekeeping, engineering, front office, laundry or the administrative department. Each employee contributes his or her share in the smooth running of the business, and so does not deserve to be excluded from their share of bonuses and distribution of service charge.

Having myself worked in 5-star hotels both in Kathmandu and in West Asia as an Executive Secretary, I had no contact with hotel guests, but while working in West Asia, every month I too received my share of service charge with my salary. Managers and Department Heads were exempted, and everybody right down to the cleaners and dishwashers received the same amount of service charge. We didn't receive a fixed amount, but depending on the occupancy of the hotel, the amount we received fluctuated.

Hotel employees in Kathmandu going on strike demanding their share of service charge have all my sympathy and I can only wish them success. You have a right to your share of the service charge, but make sure that when it does eventually come into force it is not just for those in the food and beverage department.

Deb Shova Kansakar Hilker
Juenkerath, Germany

As it already exists in other countries, why can't our hotel workers also not be allowed a service charge? Let's give them small financial support to survive in this expensive world. Tourists generally give them not less than 10 percent as a tip, so why not make it legal and standard.

(Name withheld on request)
via Internet