I think it depends on the situation. Most of the time, I have one small carry-on type of suitcase or a backpack and yeah in those situations I prefer to go straight to front desk and room without being bothered about someone taking my stuff. This time around, I was in the middle of a 3 week stay in Japan, traveling with my wife and struggling with two very large suitcases and a backpack. The bellguy/hotel employee in the lobby was "pretending" to inspect the cleanliness of the automatic sliding glass door, while I struggled past him with the 2 large suitcases and backpack and having to go up to the front desk area (which is not on the first floor). One of the few times I wanted help and none was given. Everybody else in the hotel were friendly though.