Arbuckle and Keaton play a pair of incompetent bellhops who are constantly careless with guest's luggage and slack on the job.

One morning a new customer, who resembles Rasputin the Mystic, arrives at the hotel asking for a shave and Arbuckle, being a skilled barber, is happy to oblige.

Variety gave an unqualified positive review of the film: "Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's latest screen comedy, released this week, 'The Bell Boy,' is excruciatingly funny...

"[3] The reviewer also mentioned the "long-haired, bewhiskered individual", stating that the character was dubbed "Jassrutin the Mad Monkey", a likely reference to Rasputin.

Al St. John as the hotel clerk, Buster Keaton as the assistant bell boy and Alice Lake as the manicurist are a trio whose acting ability is equaled only by their disregard of life and limb.