A bellhop (North America), or hotel

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., a locom ...

(international), is a hotel employee who helps

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

s with their

luggage Baggage, or luggage, consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transport, transit. A modern tourist, traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, sma ...

while

checking in ''Checking In'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of ''The Jeffersons'' that aired for four episodes on CBS from April 9 to April 30, 1981. Synopsis In the seventh season finale of ''The Jeffersons'', " Florence's New Job" ...

or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform, like certain other page boys or doormen. This occupation is also known as a bellman and bellboy () in North America.

Duties

The name ''bellhop'' is derived from a hotel's front-desk clerk ringing a bell to summon a porter, who would '' hop'' (jump) to attention at the desk to receive instructions. It is short for bell-hopper, and the word's first known use was in 1897. The bellhop traditionally is a

boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is usually described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy ...

or adolescent male, hence the term ''bellboy''. Bellhops interact with a variety of people each day, and duties often include opening the front door, moving luggage,

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

ing cars, calling cabs, transporting guests, advising directions, performing basic

concierge A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives and helps guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the e ...

work, and responding to guests' needs. While carrying luggage, they escort guests to their rooms. In some countries, it is customary to tip a bellhop for their service.

Uniform

The typical bellhop uniform comprises a distinctive hat and jacket. Versions of these items are sometimes worn as fashion. A bell-boy hat or cap is a small round or oval brimless cap with a crown about 2–3 inches in height, resembling a squat can or drum. The bell-boy hat is based on a 19th-century military drummer boy's cap. A bell-boy hat usually features a chinstrap, and is trimmed to match the rest of a bellhop's uniform. As a fashion item, the style was popular in the late 1930s and 1940s for women, when it could be dressed up with veils, military trimmings or a snood (a decorative hairnet). The chinstrap would then be worn to the back – under the skull – to help secure it to the head. A bellhop's hat is also frequently seen in the logo of the Belgian comic character Spirou, as the character is depicted as being a bellboy. The typical bellhop jacket is modeled on uniforms traditionally worn by 19th-century military dress uniforms, especially those worn by drummer boys. It consists of a very fitted waist-length jacket with a band collar, often double-breasted and trimmed with fancy braid or piping, and rows of close-set brass buttons. The cuffs of the jacket often have similar decoration.

Duties

Uniform

See also