I've lot track of how many times I've gone to Washington in the past year, but I've made it a point to visit at least six different Marriott properties. It wasn't until I checked into the Crystal Gateway that I discovered that DC bellhops are organized.

Normally I have one or two bags for a weekend stay, but I did some shopping on the way here and had a few extra bags. I grabbed a trolley and piled my stuff onto it. A bellhop came over to help and managed to bang the trunk door on the cart. "I'll take if from here," I told him. Not that I needed help anyway. I have a driver's license, fer Pete's sake, I think I can handle a push cart. The guy told me he'd get in trouble if I went into the hotel with a cart and no bellhop. "Huh?" What kind of nonsense is this? I told him I'd have a few words with the desk staff about this and went inside. The bellhop dashed ahead and told the staff that I insisted on going alone. Interesting.

When I questioned the guy manning the desk, he explained that the bellhops were unionized and that guests couldn't take a cart to their room without one. He implied that this was a DC area thing, not confined to this hotel. I was flabbergasted. Once upon a time, bellhops carried your bags and got a tip for their service. They were eventually replaced by handy bag trolleys that pretty much provided the same service for free. Somehow, this bunch have locked down a service that consists of pushing a cart, which you could very easily do on your own, get paid and expect a tip. Now, I'm not anti-bellhop. I know there are plenty of people who need an extra hand getting to their room, but there are plenty who can manage a cart on their own.

The moment I left the desk with my cart, a bellhop was standing right there waiting to push it for me. I struggled with my response. Tell them I think the situation is ridiculous and they won't be getting a tip, or make them carry my bags the old fashion way and earn that tip, or something else. In the end, I picked up my bags saying "Fellas, there'll come a day when I'm old and feeble and will need help carrying my bags, until then, I can manage on my own."

Yes and DC isn't alone, the majority of the major cities (think urban-downtown areas) in the USA are unionized in many hotel positions

In a restaurant to you go to the service area grab the glasses and water pitcher and pour your own water.And then do you carry your own food from the kitchen to your table?

You grabbed one of the tools these fellas use to make a living-and then cheated them out of a couple of bucks.Bad form IMO.

If I have more than a rolling bag and a tote(my usual amount of luggage)I let the bellhops do the heavy lifting=small price to pay and it helps the economy.

I agree with the OP. Bell staff are great when you need their assistance, and I'll gladly tip accordingly. But things like rolling luggage carts should be expected hotel amenities like self parking and roll-away beds. If I want to self-serve, I should be able to. If I want to a pay a little more for extra service, I should be able to.

I'd bet the hotel has a rule that guest cannot use the carts, noly employees. And I'd also bet this has more to do with liability issues surroudning the carts than with union issues.

Wow, what a remarkably bad analogy. Shall I expand on it for you? I hope you don't polish your own shoes because despite the fact that the hotel puts a polishing tool in your room, if you were to actually use it, you'd be cheating a shoe shiner out of a couple of bucks. I hope you don't shave yourself in the morning 'cause you're denying a barber money to put food on his family's table. Do you dress yourself? Think of all the valets out of work due to your selfishness!

Now, if you want a reasonable analogy, try this on for size. You make your own bed in the morning and hang your towel to dry. You put the "No service" sign on the door because, well, you don't want anyone servicing your room. The cleaning staff comes in anyway because it's their job. Annoyed?

No-sorry but the razor is my own-I bought it.I would never think of going into barber shop and using their tools to shave myself.
The shoe shiner is placed in the room for my use while I am a guest-I do not go into a shoe repair store,use their equipment and shine my own shoes.
Those are analogies fitting your actions.
Why would anyone think the luggage carts are there for guest to use themselves in a full service property?
You used the hotels equipment without authorization,got called on it,and tried to save face by proving you were still man enough to tote your own bags

And luggage carts have been used by bellmen since the turn of the century in hotels-Do you have visions of hired guides toting your bags on their backs?
Your comment"or make them carry my bags the old fashion way and earn that tip"suggest that.

In all my years in the industry I have yet to find a hotel with such a rule for liability reasons, in fact I've yet to see a liability situation arise from a guest using a luggage cart

Um, because they don't need any special training? Because they're cheap and plentiful? Because they're the exact same luggage carts we see in nearly every other US hotel? Because in all my years of traveling, I've used luggage carts a few thousand times in hundreds of hotels around the world and was never once forced to use a bellhop?

No good reason listed above.
Can you just imagine the chaos that would ensue if everyone took this attitude?
Would love to see someone try this in one of the big hotels in Vegas!They would make the dressing down you(rightfully)received in DC look like a sunday school lesson.

These same carts are found all over less than FS hotels (RI, SHS, etc), unmanned, for guests to use so the liability angle is ridiculous.

Unions create "rules" for one reason only, and that's to protect a gig thats probably long obsolete to keep union dues flowing up to the top. Toll takers come to mind. Every try to plug in a laptop in a small booth on the floor of a unionized trade show? You'll need a Union Electrician to plug in a power strip and duct tape it down. And that will be $100 last time I did one.

That said, I did read in someone's travel etiquette column that it was bad form to take a cart when bellhops were available. When traveling with family and their over packing of bags, I'll gladly spring for $5 or so.

A manager at the Marriott Custom House in Boston gave us the liability line when refusing to allow us to use a cart. We had a LOT of luggage and they only allow you to be in the loading zone for a very limited period of time. We wanted to get it all loaded up before retrieving the car. No go. They did relent and give us a little extra parking time without charging us the ridiculous parking fee.

Sheila

I'm not familiar with this MVCI property but it would be unique for it to have bell service but given that it's an urban location I could understand them offering the service

I've used the carts at many properties myself, mostly lower end without bellman at all, so trying to grab one for personal use doesn't seem out of the ordinary. However, once I found that it was for the bellman's use and not for guests, I would have decided to either use it or carry my own. I have to agree that trying to take it yourself after being told it was for their use it a bit like grabbing a golf cart from security to drive around a resort

I don't think that is appropriate - putting another person through hardship for your benefit/amusement. A simple "I'll carry them myself, thanks" would be proper.

Bellmen are unionized at Wardman Park and the Mayflower only in the Marriott portfolio in the DC area. They are most definitely not unionized at Crystal Gateway.

As a hotel employee who had to sit with a guest in the emergency room for several hours because a bell cart careened across a driveway and slammed a taxi door shut on her leg, I can assure you it is at the very least in part for liability reasons.