When joining the hospitality industry about ten years ago, I believed that every day would feel like a vacation. These were my initial thoughts when I first got an opportunity to begin my career in the hospitality and hotel sector. It was on a Thursday morning when I walked into this gorgeous lobby of the multinational world-class hotel, which gave me numerous ideas on how it would actually be to work there. The instant conclusion was a great atmosphere, meeting respectable people in society, and great perks! Working in the hospitality industry has provided me with numerous opportunities that have enabled me to grow on a personal and professional level. However, it is an experience that has also opened my eyes regarding the level of harsh realities and ugly scenes that characterize the sector but are often hidden beneath the surface.
To begin with, hospitality and hotel life, especially fancy hotels and nightclubs, tend to have this aspect whereby there is constantly something happening somewhere to someone at some time, whether an employee, colleague, or guest. This means that the industry is quite chaotic, especially for workers, and therefore, demands a lot of effort and sacrifice from them. One of my main takeaways is that the hospitality industry is full of life, demanding actions, and wild stories, and also is based on a great deal of variety and never-ending drama. As a person working in the sector, one should always be ready to expect the unexpected. Some of the things encountered make the experience exhausting, but at some in a good way. This means that the industry has a lot of things that go on behind the scenes. People who only visit or spend minimal time in the sector see the hospitality industry as surrounded by beautiful environments, content guests, ever-smiling and friendly workers, delicious meals and drinks, and first-class services. However, my ten years in the sector have helped me learn that there is more than meets the eye. Almost everything in the hospitality industry extends far beyond what the customers and the outside world can see. People working in the industry usually undergo enormous challenges in their quest to ensure that everything runs perfectly and that the needs of the customers are met effectively. Being a worker in the hospitality industry has taught me that the only thing that matters is that customers are satisfied with the products and services provided to them and, in return, spend a considerable amount of money and resources, which will result in more revenue and profits for the owners. As an employee, your well-being and welfare tend to be one of the least concerns for management and owners.
The hospitality industry is a thrilling and exciting experience for workers, but it also subjects them to working conditions that do not meet the required standards. Despite the hospitality industry being one of the fastest developing sectors globally, it faces a unique workforce challenge related to high rates of employee turnovers (Abdou et al. 2). My experience is that the sector demands a lot from employees but does not offer them with working conditions that match what is needed from them. This is not a problem that is unique to small hotels; rather, it is a challenge that is prevalent throughout the hospitality industry. I am saying this based on my experience of working in various fancy hotels, restaurants, and private member clubs, with my last job being at Soho House, Chicago (it is a members’ club and hotel based in Illinois). As a result, the complexities, contradictions, and challenges I have witnessed and seen employees indicate what happens throughout the hospitality and hotel industry.
I have spent most of my time in the hospitality industry, where I was usually providing services related to serving. One of the things I observed is the high prices for various services and products provided to guests and customers. In one of the hotels where I usually worked, the price of an avocado toast used to be $ 22. This means that these organizations are usually left with a lot of profits. However, the most astonishing aspect is the poor standards of food offered to employees to the extent that some hotels (I have worked in) usually fed employees with nasty leftovers, and we had to eat in the basement. It is a sector where customers usually indulge in massive luxuries, but behind closed doors, the staff who serve them are required to contend with poor wages and questionable working conditions. In 2021, I remember that two employees were sacked with immediate effect after one of the managers overheard them complaining about the cold foods offered to staff.
On the other hand, uniforms in the hospitality industry usually serve as both a symbol of professionalism and a means of identity. However, in most hotels and clubs, uniforms tend to have bizarre twists that go unnoticed.Servers and bartenders are usually required to wear uniforms that are appealing to guests who visit the premises. That may seem all right, but I have worked in places where employees, especially ladies, are asked to wear clothes that are seductive and body-revealing to the customers. This was used to make customers, especially men and youth, visit the hotels regularly and spend a lot on drinks and food. I even worked under a manager who would ‘reward’ employees who looked more attractive (short skirts and body revealing) and also allowed customers to touch them without resistance. The hotel industry usually provides a platform for a hostile environment whereby employees are prone to persistent unwelcome remarks, being taunted sexually, being addressed in seductive tones, questions about one’s personal life, suggestive sounds, obscene gestures, pinching, and touching, among others (Vettori and Angelo 4). It is a sector whereby servers and bartenders will be all smiles while serving their customers but will cry when they reach home due to their workplace experiences. In essence, there is a huge gap between the image projected by servers, patrons, and bartenders and the reality faced by employees in the hospitality industry.
Behind the glamour of the hospitality industry lies the culture of greed and exploitation. Most establishments operate within a system that prioritizes profit margins over the well-being of its workforce. Most of the policies are designed to maximize efficiency but, at the same time, usually leave employees overworked and underpaid. When working in the sector, there are days, especially on weekends, when I find myself sleeping for four or fewer hours a day. For example, a shift may be required to run from 8 am to 6 pm, but a large flow of customers forces one to work until midnight. As a result, the sleep time will be around 2 am, and he has to report to the job by 8 am the next morning. Faces of smiling workers characterize the industry but suffer from the inside, while the managers are driven by the relentless pursuit of profit at any cost. It is a sector that is driven more by profit margins rather than genuine hospitality.
In this sense, my tenure in the hospitality industry has been a journey marked by both thrilling and happy moments and agonizing experiences. However, the fact is that it is an industry whereby the gritty realities are usually hidden behind closed doors. For guests, it is a sector that offers serene environments and excellent services, but for employees, it is all about dealing with and overcoming the various complexities and contradictions that characterize hospitality. My experiences taught me that relevant stakeholders in the hospitality industry have a lot to do to ensure that the same ‘hospitality’ is provided to employees.
Works Cited
Abdou, Ahmed Hassan, et al. “The impact of hospitality work environment on employees’ turnover intentions During COVID-19 Pandemic: The mediating role of work-family conflict.” Frontiers in Psychology 13 (2022): 2283.
Nain, Akshay. “A study on major challenges faced by hotel industry globally.” International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts 6.1 (2018): 561-571.
Vettori, Advocate Stella, and Angelo Nicolaides. “Sexual harassment at the workplace in the hospitality industry.” African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure 5.2 (2016): 1-15.
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