Internet Not Prepared for What One Hotel Guest Tips Staff With

When staying at a hotel, it is customary to tip the staff that carry your bags or bring your dinner—but one hotel worker has caused amazement by revealing the unusual way one guest tips him.

Adam Donovan, an employee at a hotel on the Isle of Wight, a small island off the south coast of England, recently revealed how a guest who has been staying for around six months has repeatedly tipped him using Pokémon cards.

"He has to date tipped me eight cards, which range in age," Donovan told Newsweek.

Each card has been graded, which is a process used by people collecting or looking to sell at a later date, preserving the quality of the card.

"The fact he gave them away really makes the experience so nice to receive something that at one point probably was truly sentimental to him," the hotel worker said.

The most recent card gifted to Donovan is, to the best of his understanding, a promotional card from the second Pokémon movie released in 2000. The holographic design and hieroglyphs on the card have captivated Donovan, prompting him to share his story with others on Reddit.

On the popular r/pics subreddit, Donovan shared a picture of the card and explained how he received them as tips. The post has over 50,000 upvotes and thousands of comments from people who expressed their amazement.

"So rad. I worked in hotels for a bit and would have loved to get trinkets like this. Dope," said one commenter.

Another Reddit user wrote: "One of these days he is gonna slip you the wrong card and you can pay your mortgage."

Others even worked out the rough resale value of the card according to the internet.

"$60-70 tip. I'd be really happy," said one comment.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game was first introduced in Japan in October 1996 by Media Factory. Fervor for the cards quickly spread across the globe, and in the U.S. the first packs debuted in January 1999.

As more Pokémon cards were introduced, collecting them became a hobby that could be seen as a valuable investment and some cards gained serious monetary value. This is determined by demand, a card's rarity and the condition of a card. Rare Pokémon cards have been known to sell for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

"The response has been overwhelming," Donovan said.

As many expressed their fascination with the unique tips, some also inquired about the mental well-being of the tipper.

In response, Donovan took the initiative to sit down with the guest over a cup of tea to discuss the matter.

"He shared that being away from home so much is tough, but it was nice that a Reddit post resulted in around 50 strangers wanting to know that his mental health was in a good place," Donovan said.