The Nature of the Hospitality Industry: Present and Future Managers' Perspectives

This study examines the distinct characteristics of the hospitality industry through use of personal interviews with general managers of leading hotels, and focus groups among hospitality management students. The managers commonly characterized the industry from an outward perspective focusing on industry features such as the relatively extensive and deep host-guest relationship, as well as the on-going tension between opposing trends and aspects, such as progress vs. stagnation, ordinary vs. extraordinary, and hospitability vs. profitability. Alternatively, the students adopted a more inward perspective of the industry, emphasizing hospitality work attributes; such as the intensive teamwork and solidarity among hospitality employees, along with mixed and contrasting images of variation vs. repetitiveness, hospitableness vs. emotional labor, and hard labor vs. alternative lifestyle.