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‘No, We Don't Provide That Service’: The Harassment of Hotel Employees by Customers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2001

Yvonne Guerrier
Affiliation:
South Bank Business School, South Bank University London, Southwark Campus, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK
Amel S. Adib
Affiliation:
South Bank Business School, South Bank University London, Southwark Campus, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK
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Abstract

Whilst hotel management's rhetoric encourages staff to provide the best possible service by satisfying customers' needs, front line staff find themselves bearing the brunt of any abusive and sexual behaviour from customers. This article analyses the experience of harassment of hotel workers by customers. The specificities of the hotel space, the elusive sexuality that exists within the hotel, and the issue of ethnicity in relation to imbalances of power between the staff and the guest are all discussed using examples of harassment of hotel workers in a variety of workplaces and work roles. The article also explores how hotel workers deal with incidents of harassment, the complex ways in which they resist, and management reaction to harassment of their workers.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 BSA Publications Ltd

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