Who works in hotels?
One thing I've noticed is that in North America the sort of folks who typically work at hotels view their employment merely as a "job" as opposed to a "career." Perhaps it's because Americans have an obsession with upward mobility into the mythical middle-class so, as a result, there's some sort of stigma against having a "career" in service and hospitality. (A friend owns a fine dining restaurant and constantly complains about how hard it is to find an American applicant who actually knows how to serve or is willing to learn how to serve -- you know, how to set a table, how to pour a bottle of wine, etc.)
By contrast, if you look at hotels elsewhere, say in Asia, many, if not most, of the workers at upscale hotels are all 20-somethings who studied hotel management or hospitality in a vocational school, college or university. Most, at least front line workers, speak at least one, if not two, languages fluently or enough to converse and provide service.
With that said, I've also been fascinated by people-watching and trying to figure out just who works in a hotel.
Clearly for many working in a hotel is a career that allows them to start at the front desk or as an attendant in the executive lounge and work their up the ladder to a better job, perhaps some day as a hotel general manager. I doubt there are as many employees in similar positions at hotels in the United States who see their "job" at a Marriott or Crowne Plaza in Podunk, U.S.A. as a stepping stone.
Anyone have thoughts on this?