The hospitality and tourism sector is a large and rapidly expanding industry worldwide, and can rightfully be described as a vehicle of globalisation. Hotels are among the cornerstones of the industry often drawing workers from the most vulnerable segments of multicultural labour markets, accommodating and entertaining tourists and business travelers from around the world. This book explores the organisation of work, worker identities and worker strategies in hotel workplaces, as they are located in heterogeneous labour markets being changed by processes of globalisation. It uses an explicitly geographical approach to understand how different groups of workers experience and respond to challenges in the hospitality industry, and is based on recent theoretical debates and empirical research on hotel workplaces in cities as different as Oslo, Goa, London, Las Vegas and Toronto. A multi-scalar analysis is taken where concrete worker bodies and their physical, emotional and embodied labour are seen in relation to, among other aspects: the regulation of national and regional labour markets, city governments with global city ambitions, and global corporate actors and labour migration patterns. The book sheds light on the hotel workplace as a hierarchical and fragmented social space as well as addressing questions on worker mobility, the fragmentation of work, scales of organisation and how workers can help shape the regulation of their industry. This timely volume brings together contributions from international academics and is valuable reading for all those interested in hospitality, tourism, human geography and globalisation.

The hospitality and tourism sector is a large and rapidly expanding industry worldwide, and can rightfully be described as a vehicle of globalisation. Hotels are among the cornerstones of the industry often drawing workers from the most vulnerable segments of multicultural labour markets, accommodating and entertaining tourists and business travelers from around the world. This book explores the organisation of work, worker identities and worker strategies in hotel workplaces, as they are located in heterogeneous labour markets being changed by processes of globalisation. It uses an explicitly geographical approach to understand how different groups of workers experience and respond to challenges in the hospitality industry, and is based on recent theoretical debates and empirical research on hotel workplaces in cities as different as Oslo, Goa, London, Las Vegas and Toronto. A multi-scalar analysis is taken where concrete worker bodies and their physical, emotional and embodied labour are seen in relation to, among other aspects: the regulation of national and regional labour markets, city governments with global city ambitions, and global corporate actors and labour migration patterns. The book sheds light on the hotel workplace as a hierarchical and fragmented social space as well as addressing questions on worker mobility, the fragmentation of work, scales of organisation and how workers can help shape the regulation of their industry. This timely volume brings together contributions from international academics and is valuable reading for all those interested in hospitality, tourism, human geography and globalisation.

United Methodist Women’s Reading Group Selection “What can I do about the environment? What has God said about the environment?” Most books about climate change only address one of these questions. Those from a religious perspective do not address what individuals can do to help society transition from fossil fuels, other than changing personal behavior. Readers know instinctively that will not suffice, and so are left feeling the situation is hopeless. In contrast, books that primarily address environmental issues fail to reach people motivated more by faith than science, leaving out many who could constitute the tipping point for full American engagement on the issue. Borrowing an approach from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership, which brought together both secular and religious arguments for ending segregation, this book addresses physical evidence of climate change while demonstrating through biblical teachings the religious imperative for preserving our inherited world. The compelling biblical case for creation care is grounded in environmental teachings Jesus knew, primarily in the Hebrew Scriptures. Topics addressed include air pollution, treatment of the land, preserving biological diversity, and treatment of animals, and each is connected to contemporary issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, care of the needy, the extinction of species, and factory farming.

The tourism industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with more people from all cultures and nationalities choosing to spend their leisure time traveling and visiting new locations. To exploit this burgeoning market, tourism agencies must carefully consider the desires and goals of travelers from around the world. The Handbook of Research on Global Hospitality and Tourism Management contributes to the body of knowledge on travel and tourism by presenting a global view of the hospitality industry, including theoretical research into industry trends as well as case studies from around the world. This handbook provides travel agents, owner-operators, and students and researchers in the hospitality industry with the latest research, findings, and developments in the field. Within this handbook of cutting-edge research, readers will find chapters and cases on topics such as travel and tourism in a global economy; local, glocal, and international hospitality; challenges in environmental management; cultural cuisine; and destination management, among others.

Exploring the hospitality of God, and its implications for human thought and action, this book examines the concepts of hospitality as cognitive tools for reframing our thinking about God, divine action, and human response in discipleship. Hospitality is imagined as an interactive symbol, changing perspectives and encouraging stable environments of compassionate construction in society. Human rights are of crucial importance to the wellbeing of the people of our planet. But there is a sense in which they will always be an emergency measure, a response to evils as they are happening. The authors argue that a hospitable comparative theology reaches out to bring Christian hospitality into the dialogue of world religions and cultures. It will respect the identity of particular groups and yet will strive for a cosmopolitan sharing of common values. It will respect tradition but also openness to reform and re-imagining. It will encourage convergence and development in a fluid stream of committed hospitalities.

In this book, theologian Letty Russell redefines the commonly held notion of hospitality as she challenges her readers to consider what it means to welcome the stranger. In doing so, she implores persons of faith to join the struggles for justice. Rather than an act of limited, charitable welcome, Russell maintains that true hospitality is a process that requires partnership with the "other" in our divided world. The goal is "just hospitality," that is, hospitality with justice. Russell draws on feminist and postcolonial thinking to show how we are colonized and colonizing, each of us bearing the marks of the history that formed us. With an insightful analysis of the power dynamics that stem from our differences and a constructive theological theory of difference itself, Russell proposes concrete strategies to create a more just practice of hospitality.

Why write about hospitality? In a world full of problems, run-away technologies, and violence, why focus on something as basic as hospitality? The answer is twofold: (1) We believe that hospitality, like kindness, really does matter; and (2) we believe that hospitality is becoming a lost art. All of us know something about hospitality. We remember the smell of our Italian grandmother's spaghetti sauce on Sunday afternoon. We recall the pink bakery boxes with the white string that cluttered the kitchen counter in the homes of our Polish aunts. And on a deeper level, some of us remember the images of Mother Teresa of Calcutta carrying a dying person into her home to care for him. And for sure, these smells and sights speak of hospitality. But in our often hostile world, our culture is getting worse at understanding and living out a true sense of welcoming. Despite the best efforts of Martha Stewart, sincere hospitality is getting more difficult to live. What Martha Stewart and the folks at HGTV and the food network are teaching us is the art of entertaining, not welcoming. We have written this book to encourage ourselves and others to take a fresh look at how well we are doing being true hosts. Every person, family, ministry, business, and church community needs to evaluate their efforts honestly and not simply presume they are receiving an "A" for "awesome" when it comes to anticipating the needs of others. Read, reflect, re-evaluate, and re-commit to turning our world of hostility into a world with a new spirit and understanding of hospitality. We welcome you to Kindness Matters and we hope that what we share in this book, and the discussion it may provoke, will matter to you and your family. May the world be a better place because we have welcomed each other into our hearts.