Relationship Between Sexuality and the Modern Hospitality Industry

Sexuality in the Hospitality Industry

The hospitality industry in the UK is big business, and sexuality is an important part of this business. If we define the hospitality industry as "hotels and a myriad of leisure and catering operations of different kinds" (Mills), then the hospitality industry in the UK brings in around 50 billion pounds each year. This is around 10% of Britain's total consumer expenditure each year. In addition, the hospitality industry employs about 70% of the individuals within the wider tourism industry (Mills).

The hospitality industry encompasses airlines, cruise liners, railways, restaurants, hotels, department stores, pubs, and leisure centers. Given that the hospitality industry encompasses such a wide range of business types and caters to such a large consumer basis, there is a wide opportunity for the appearance of sexuality within the industry.

In order to better understand the role of sexuality in the hospitality industry, it may be helpful to better understand the definition of sexuality itself. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines sexuality as "the quality or state of being sexual," and "expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive." This definition clearly seems limited, and of little real use in understanding sexuality in the hospitality industry. Perhaps sexuality is better defined for these purposes as "related to sexual feelings or intent."

Sexuality in the hospitality industry in Britain is certainly apparent, but it often takes a back seat to the famous examples of sexuality in the United States. America is famous for its use of sexuality in advertising and the larger hospitality industry. One only has to think of events like Spring Break in Daytona Beach to understand the power of sexuality, as wet t-shirt contests and the like run rampant. Even old-school institutions like Hooters restaurant in the states offer sexuality as part of their menu, with waitresses in tight clothing, and a clear emphasis on cleavage. There has even been the emergence of a Hooters-type airline opening in the United States, where flights are "staffed by a crew of two pilots, 3 flight attendants, along with Hooters Girls on every flight" (Hooters Air).

While sexuality in the hospitality industry in the UK may not be quite as blatant as in America, it certainly does exist. The UK may have an image as a sexually repressed country with a stiff upper lip, but this does not necessarily come to bear in the larger hospitality industry, where sexually plays an important role.

One relatively innocuous example of sexuality in the hospitality industry is the portrayal of many hospitality-related goods and events in a "romantic" light. Hotels are often promoted as "romantic getaways" that allow a couple privacy and quiet, romantic environment. Often, flowers, massages, and romantic dinners play an important role in the use of sexuality (as romance) within the hospitality industry. Further, entire holidays are built up around the romantic theme, including Valentine's Day, and the promotion of romantic events and products for personal wedding anniversaries and honeymoons. Here, sexuality is used in the hospitality industry in a socially sanctioned and publicly acceptable manner. The advertisement of the romantic component of hotel stays or restaurant dinners is unlikely to be objectionable to much of the larger buying public. As such, romance is an important and profitable component of sexuality in the hospitality industry that is sanctioned and accepted by society as a whole.

Other components of sexuality in the hospitality industry are less well-known, and certainly not sanctioned by larger society. These include the use of certain hotels and hotel rooms for activities like prostitution, and the use of many buildings as strip clubs and houses of prostitution. Pubs that offer topless entertainment and waitresses also fall into this category. Perhaps on the fringe of this more blatant use of sexuality in the hospitality industry are otherwise "reputable" pubs and nightclubs that offer "ladies nights" where male strippers like Chippendales appear. While this last example depicts sexuality as focused toward female consumers, the large portion of illegal and more blatantly sexually-oriented services and events in the hospitality industry are focused almost entirely at men. This is changing, certainly, as more women frequent strip clubs as a form of entertainment, but the primary focus of most of this type of industry is male.