Hosting while being hosted: A perspective of Hungarian migrant hospitality workers in London, UK

Labour mobility in the hospitality industry involves a wide range of affective processes. Emotional responses in challenging situations for migrant hospitality workers significantly affect their social interactions and working efficiency. This paper explores the impact of emotions upon hospitality employees’ evaluation of their experiences while working in the UK. The empirical research focussed on hospitality employees’ emotions and perceptions about the host country in the different phases of migration. Further, migrants’ adjustment capacities and emotional responses in challenging situations were analysed. In 2011, 78 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Hungarians who had post-accession working experience in the hospitality industry in London, UK. Results suggest that migrant hospitality employees’ emotional responses related to the mismatch between anticipated and lived experiences have a key role in social interactions and on their working efficiency. The practical implications of this study are for recruiting agencies and hospitality industry employers on how to alleviate migrant workers’ emotional difficulties and how to enhance their working efficiency.