Letters: A tip on tipping, improved passport service and living abroad Houseekeepers deserve tipping Regarding "Marriott Has a Tip for Aiding Housekeepers" by Jill Schensul, Oct. 26: Hello, travelers? The housekeepers are among the most important personnel at the hotel. I have traveled here, there and everywhere, and they can help make or break the stay. When your tip, you have their attention. Many perks come your way. I meet with them the first day and let them know of my desires. Ask for the same housekeeper daily. Always extra bottled water, dreamiest down pillow, extra duvet cover or blanket, the suite bathrobes and slippers even if you are in a double room, all the lovely bath products (extras to take home), extra towels and washcloths, extra goodies at night, and candles and flowers. She will never forget to clean your room and will leave it extra-inviting and organized! A pleasure to return to. All this for something that should be done and is greatly appreciated; tip according to the room price so you are in a comfortable, affordable place for you. Thirty-five years ago I left a pair of diamond studs on my bed stand in a hotel in San Francisco, and the housekeeper found them and they were returned (I always think it was because I tipped). And remember "tips" stands for "tip to insure proper service." Gail Provizer Beverly Hills I have worked hard all my life. I even cleaned apartments for $35 each when I was in college. So I know how much each dollar means. But now that I am semi-retired, I can afford to "pass it around" a bit. I have been leaving one dollar for each day at the hotels. Recently, I left a hotel and forgot to leave a tip for the housekeeper. So I mailed a $5 bill to the hotel, with my dates and room number and asked them to take care of it. I stay at that particular hotel several times a year and know most of the staff, so I am confident the $5 found its way. When I see the housekeeper doing double duty (taking care of the breakfast, for example), I give an additional dollar a day. Your reader who gives $5 a day has me thinking about increasing the amount, although $5 is a bit high in my opinion. Tom Conway Thousand Oaks When will the hotel industry start doing what the cruise lines have been doing? Adding the option of charging housekeeping tips to the bill at the end of the stay would allow those who don't carry cash with them to "do the right thing." L. Findel Malibu Passport express After reading about the new passport office in Van Nuys ("Heads Up on Passports" by Catharine Hamm, Sept. 21), I went there and was very pleased with the service. There was a very large room with five or six employees at desks. There was a "floater" taking photos, making photocopies and answering questions. I waited maybe 20 minutes, and my application was efficiently handled. This was a vast improvement over the long lines and single person handling passports at the Hollywood Way post office in Burbank. I highly recommend this new option. Janet Kevlin Burbank Curious expats I was surprised to read in the Nov. 9 Letters column the comment from E. Kapuya of Los Angeles. The writer seems to think that middle- and upper-class people who choose to spend time living in a foreign country must be "bored" with their lives. If these people have the means to enjoy submerging themselves in the culture and daily life of a country other than their homeland, might it not be because they are curious, intelligent people who wish to broaden their knowledge of the world and its peoples? I doubt that boredom is a general motivating factor in people's search to understand inhabitants of other countries and learn more about their politics, behavior, work and play habits. Phyllis Rosenhaft Laguna Woods