‘The lowest rung’: Women room attendants’ perceptions of five star hotels’ operational hierarchies’

Abstract

Hotel room attendants play a significant role in the overall performance and success of hotels. This study presents women room attendants' perspectives of working in what they perceive is the lowest level of a hotel's operational hierarchy, and their experience of the power relationships inherent in these bureaucratic structures. A qualitative, constructionist grounded theory methodology was used, underpinned by a socialist-feminist, critical theory epistemology. Interviews were conducted with 46 room attendants from five 'five-star' hotels on the Gold Coast region of South East Queensland, Australia. Emerging from this study was the conceptualization of women room attendants' daily work experiences at the lowest level of the operational hierarchy. Despite their conspicuous presence, women room attendants perceive themselves as near invisible through non-acknowledgement by hotel management and other staff due to their position at the lowest level of the operational hierarchy. This article contributes to theoretical research on employment experiences in hospitality, particularly on hotel operational praxis and methodologically presents the perceptions of women room attendants through embodiment of their particular voices. Keywords Hotel hierarchies; Room attendants; Grounded theory; Invisibility; Gender