Worker body-art in upper-market hotels: Neither accepted, nor prohibited

Abstract

In line with previous research in the field of aesthetic labour, this article explores the tensions generated in upper market hotels by the increasing popularity of body-art. Using the findings of personal interviews with general managers, the research reveals how worker body-art is manifested in this highly aesthetic form of organisation and what the managerial responses are. Unlike previous studies, this article argues that aesthetic requirements in this type of hotels are the same at both the front and back of the house. Unexpectedly, most of the hotels participating in the study have employees with visible tattoos and piercings on their payroll. This is attributed to external social and labour-related forces that induce managers to bypass or soften up aesthetic standards.