Hospitality & Society - Volume 2, Issue 3, 2012

By investigating the social dynamics of home in one of the enduring communities of Cairo, this article reveals the way ordinary people construct and consume their private and public domains on a daily basis. It reveals what is central and what is marginal in the cognitive idea of home. This article adopts an interdisciplinary strategy of investigation, utilizing sociological and anthropological data to read and visit spatial practices in the home. Building on historical as well as contemporary accounts of residents and families, the concept of home is envisioned as a spectrum of social spheres that is liberated from the physical determinants of space, hence revealing a new domain of part-time spaces and dynamic spatiality. The emergent idea of home intertwines work, domesticity, recreation and hospitality in an interplay of space–activity–time relationships. Homes of old Cairo have proved to be responsive to continuous change, and have evolved dynamic forms of the temporal settings required for accommodation of emerging home-based professional activities such as hospitality, home-workers and care-homes.

Work–home balance issues have become a very important challenge for both management and employees in the twenty-first century. The purpose of this article is to examine work–home balance practices from a management perspective in the Irish hotel industry. There is a dearth of research in relation to work–home balance practices in the hotel sector. The study included a sample of all hotels in Ireland. It found that the needs of the organization are paramount with profitability considerations being the main driver of work–home practices and benefits. While the majority of managers agree that people work best when they can balance their work and home life there is evidently a gap between theory and practice. Work–home balance is now a critical issue for the hospitality industry and it is imperative it comes to terms with the long working hours culture and related issues, which impact negatively on work–home balance. The interdependent relationship between home and work needs urgent attention as this not only impacts on the quality of working life but on the individual and on the greater good of society. Management would do well by broadening their perspective, not just considering the needs of the organization but also the employee’s home life. Doing the latter will redound to the benefit of the organization, as happy employees result in greater productivity as shown by the literature. This study has also highlighted that trade unions can also be more proactive in relation to work–life balance practices. So far they have adopted a laissez-faire approach and they could provide leadership to both managers and employees on such a critical issue for both personal well-being and the well-being of the organization and society.

This grounded theory study investigates the perceptions and attitudes of mothers towards their children selecting future careers related to work in the home and/or in hospitality. This research note presents findings on a qualitative study with 25 Australian women exploring mothers’ perceptions of hospitality and the home as a career and profession. Previous studies have found that parents play an important role in career selection of their children and that the decision to choose a hospitality career often began in the home. The findings suggest that mothers were supportive of their children selecting a hospitality career if that is what they wanted. It also found that mothers understood this line of work in different ways, with ‘career’ connoting a person’s life trajectory and ‘profession’ being associated with education. These participants recognized the intrinsic value of the work in the home and hospitality and their contribution to society, but acknowledge that society generally does not value this work. In this sense, the mothers’ perceptions reflect broader societal perceptions of hospitality work, but suggest avenues for revaluing work in the home. Because the findings in this study are unique to Australia, there may be value for further research internationally.

‘Domesticity’ is discussed in different everyday experiences, such as intimacy, familiarity, hospitality and care. Home responds to the human need to find an affective and stable centre in a global world where one can remain anonymous. ‘Home’ means ‘shared intimacy’ between people with whom we have deep ties. For this reason, ‘domesticity’ refers to a dimension rather than relational space and is not the same as simply comfort, but the result of a style of living that is experienced in a full and original way in the family. The home is also openness and hospitality. Authentic hospitality is not simply physical and spatial objects in order to receive someone, but it means welcome and the ability to meet the other.

HOSPITALITY OF THE MATRIX: PHILOSOPHY, BIOMEDICINE AND CULTURE, IRINA ARISTARKHOVA (2012) New York: Columbia University Press, 248 pp., ISBN: 978-0-231-15929-6, p/bk, $29.50/£20.50, ISBN: 978-0-231-15928-9, h/bk, $89.50/£62.00

RICHARD GASSAN, STEPHEN NEPA, ALEXIA YATES AND MOLLY W. BERGER

HOTEL DREAMS: LUXURY, TECHNOLOGY, AND URBAN AMBITION IN AMERICA, 1829–1929, MOLLY W. BERGER (2011) Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 318 pp., ISBN: 978-0-8018-9987-4, h/bk, $60.00