How to avoid hotels with bellhops in the USA

I've only seen them in higher-end hotels.

I don't understand why it will/should scare people away. It is good customer service, and some people like that.

IMO, bellhops and porters are really useful when you have a lot of bags, or heavy bags (more than one per person), or if you are elderly or handicapped.

They will get them out of your car or taxi, and watch them while you pay the taxi or go park your car.

If there is a porter and you do not want his service, just say something like: "Thanks, I will take care of my bags".

If you want their service, just tip 1 or 2 dollars per bag; more if they are extra heavy or need extra care.

... a "bellhop" ... is apparently an employee who expects to be paid separately for the "service" of accompanying the guest from the reception to their room.

Correct.

But it's possible that I've simply been lucky with the hotels I selected.

It has little to do with luck. You are most likely not splurging on very expensive hotels.

When booking a hotel stay online in the USA, is there something in particular one should look for to be sure it's not a place where one will be hit with hidden costs for "bellhop" services?

Don't stay at very upscale hotels. Or, if you want to / are forced to stay at an upscale hotel, just say "I got it man, thanks anyway" once or twice and they'll let you handle your own bags.

I'll generally have been able to lug my baggage

You're not the target market for bellhop services. The economics of hiring bellhops require a constant stream of well-to-do travelers who expect someone else to carry their bags.

The Bellhop / Bellboy

This position is a relic from a previous era. Originally, an older child or very young adult would fill this entry level position. The Desk clerk would ring a bell to summon them, and they would "hop" to it, hence the name. They were general labor, lugging, carting, and escorting, delivering messages and packages, and erranting on demand. Pay was poor. In some regions, the bellboy would also be a local urchin, and thus would have a wide ranging street knowledge, which the hotel and/or patrons could leverage to find good deals or discounts (usually relatives or friends), special services, and lesser known sites worthy of visiting. This 'extra knowledge' or 'local tips' was often rewarded by grateful patrons with change and spare cash. Frequent customers (or those that tipped well) would find that their reputation would spread and service could be decidedly faster and of higher quality than otherwise.

The Bellhop position clings to existence in certain high-end hotels, while other positions from the same era have fallen by the wayside as culture and economics have changed over time: The elevator operator, the "pit crew" at gas stations, the doorman, the butler, room service (food), shoeshine boys, newsies, and more. Some of these positions can still be found here and there, but are much less common with automation, changing values and culture and economics.

The media has long glamorized the generously tipping high roller, which may have something to do with the wide spread of the tipping phenomena in American culture. Even to this day, certain types of service staff (waiters, mostly) are paid significantly less in anticipation of their receiving tips; an ongoing debate and challenge.

Today's Views

In modern America, it is not considered impolite to refuse the service, if you can find it, and it is much less likely that they will be highly knowledgeable locals. In fact, it is increasingly rare to run into an establishment that has any. I don't know of any in my immediate area, nor the last four or five places I have lived in. Unless you are in the habit of frequenting really expensive places to stay, or are in a large city where competition drives the service, you are not likely to find one.

On the flip side, if they do happen to be a local with street knowledge, getting on their good side can only benefit you.

How to guarantee not meeting a bellhop

Call the hotel and ask if they provide that service prior to your booking a room at that hotel.

Trivago will let you see if the hotel has bellhop service but it's listed as Porter Service on that site. Find a potential hotel, click it in the listings, and then click Hotel Details. Porter service will be listed if the hotel has reported to Trivago that they offer the service. I don't know the details of how Trivago gets their data, but I suppose it might be possible that a hotel offers porter/bellhop service but just hasn't let Trivago know.

Your preferred hotel booking site might have something similar and if not, you can always use Trivago for a double-check before booking through your preferred site.

There's also the option of calling the hotel.

And was said in the previous answer, you always have the option of saying "No thanks, I'll get these myself" if a bellhop appears.

Basically any hotel that you stay in should have bellhop service in the US (even the lower end ones, so long as it's not a motel), but it is always optional. General tip for this ranges (from what I've seen) from about $2-$10, but a $10-$20 tip can make a huge difference in the quality of your stay (once a hotel brought an actual microwave to my room because I came in with leftovers and the bellhop saw me.) I'm not sure if I would consider it a hidden cost because the service itself is optional. You have to tip servers in restaurants more than that anyway.

Tl;dr - you should never feel obligated to use a bellhop, whether you see them or not, but if you do use one you should tip them.

Almost every hotel in the US will have a "bellhop" service. Normally though you have to ask for it. Generally while the service still exists, there is no longer a person that does it, and if you ask, one of the courtesy staff will come lug your stuff around for you. It's not common that people ask anymore, but if you have a hard time with your luggage then, you can always ask.

The day of my wedding I used the service because I had too many people's luggage to handle my self. Other then that I have never used it.

Now, if you use the service you should tip. Anything from $2 to $20 is normal, and it's more about how good of a job you think they did. But again the service is always optional, and generally has to be asked for.

Bit of a warning, In the US your expected to tip a lot of people. Basically anyone in service. Make sure you adjust your costs for that. Waiters, delivery boys, laundry service, the concierge, taxis, etc. all expect tips. 15% is the normal tip. I'm not fond of this policy, but it is what it is. Tipping is always optional, but almost always worth it.

For example, I always tip the concierge at the hotels I stay at (I general stay at the same hotels). When my wife and I went to see a concert, the concierge "helped" by ringing the room to let us know the cab was there, calling and arranging for the cab. Talking to the cab driver and making sure he knew where to drop us off. Arranging for the pickup, making dinner reservations for us. Arranging for the pickup there, and the return trip to the hotel. He then made sure we were last on the list of rooms to be cleaned so we could sleep in a bit, and still get our room cleaned. Tipping was well worth it. He made our little 4 day get away very relaxing and stress free. Even arranged with the rental car company delivery and pickup of the car at the hotel. Sure all of those things could be done by us, but we didn't have to.

Point is this. In the US you are expected to tip a lot. It's not mandatory, but is generally advised. Don't tip for bad service, tips at 10%-15% for acceptable service and 20%-30% for exceptional service. The bellhop service still exists in most US hotels, and if used should be tipped. The position of bellhop is rare, and your usually not going to see one unless you ask for it.