Aesthetic labour of front-line employees in love hotels in the

Philippines

Ching, Celine Jeanne; Acuña, Charles Drake; Borazon, Elaine.

College of Home Economics, Hotel Restaurant and Institution Management, University of the Philippines Diliman,
Quezon City, Philippines

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Keywords: This study aims to analyze customer satisfaction in relation

Love hotel to aesthetic labour of front-line staff in love hotels in Metro
Aesthetic labour Manila, Philippines. A total of 205 successful responses
Physical appearance were collected from customers who have experienced
Communication
Customer satisfaction checking-in a love hotel in Metro Manila. Structural
equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses of the
study. The results show that communication affects
customer satisfaction, and communication mediates the
effect of physical appearance on customer satisfaction.
These findings can greatly help the management and
training of front-line employees in terms of communication
training.

1. INTRODUCTION

Aesthetic labour pertains to the traits and characteristics that an employee currently possesses
or acquires through time (Warhurst et al., 2000). According to Hurrell et al. (2013), these traits
and characteristics include an employee’s soft skills such as attitude, work ethic, communication,
decision making, interactions with others or interpersonal communication, and knowledge of
their own identity or intrapersonal communication. These factors directly affect interactions and
relationships between humans. In addition, customer satisfaction is also considered an important
factor under human relations in love hotels. In a study conducted by Oliver (1997), a customer
enters an establishment with a pre-purchased expectation of what he is looking for in the goods
or services he is acquiring. With these pre-purchase expectations, a customer can gauge the
quality of the goods or services acquired. This act serves as a measurement of customer
satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is greatly influenced by the front-line employees’ aesthetic
labour (Liu & Jang, 2009). These front-line employees of hotels and restaurants have to make
sure that they look good and sound right to encompass the establishments image (William &
Connell, 2010). According to the Hotel and Tourism Management Institute Switzerland (2015),
employees of hotels are expected to embody a set of skills and characteristics in order to look
presentable when interacting with guests for this establishes an initial and long-lasting
impression.

The love hotel industry in Japan is worth 4 trillion yen ($40 billion american dollars), and the
number of customers per year is around 500 million (Chaplin, 2007). A love hotel is a lodging
establishment that offers hourly rates and used for sexual pleasures (Collin English Dictionary,
1987). According to the 2016 annual survey (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018), nine percent
of the establishments in the Philippines that offer accommodation are long-staying and
short-staying hotels with a total number of 2,767 establishments. According to Ong (2013)
short-staying hotels in the Philippines are also known as “love hotels.” This industry is viewed
unfavorably in the country due to the catholic influence in the nation. Love hotels in the
Philippines have been looking for ways to change this negative reputation by providing a
different marketing approach that appeals to families and friends through advertising. Thus, by
targeting a different market, front-line employees of love hotels need to adapt to cater to this
change by improving the aesthetic labour in their daily operation. According to a survey
conducted in 2016 by the Philippine Statistics Authority (2018), as part of the 9% of
accommodating and food establishments, long and short-staying hotels hire 14.01% of
employees of the total population who work in the accommodation and food service industry. It
is also in the top three of the accommodation and food service industry in generating the highest
income with a total of 90.2 billion pesos, making the industry a significant contributor in the
growth of the Philippine economy. Improving service quality in love hotels through aesthetic
labour can help retain its competence in the lodging industry. With this study, aesthetic standards
in hiring and specific training programs can be identified to ensure the satisfaction of the
customers.

There have been numerous researches (Quach et al, 2017; Kneževic et al, 2015; Hall &
Broek, 2012; Pettinger, 2004; Kim & Baker, 2017a) regarding aesthetic labour in hotels,
restaurants, and the retail markets. Aside from these studies, there continues to be a growth in
research regarding customer satisfaction in these establishments. Customer satisfaction is greatly
influenced by the front-line employees’ aesthetic labour (Liu & Jang, 2009). These front-line
employees of hotels and restaurants have to make sure that they look good and sound right to
encompass the establishments image (William & Connell, 2010). However, there has been a lack
of research regarding the manifestation of aesthetic labour with regards to customer satisfaction
in love hotels. In an Asian review of the trends in the hospitality industry, love hotels were also
failed to be mentioned (Hing et al., 1998). To fill this research gap, the study aims to measure
how aesthetic labour of front-line employees affects customer satisfaction in love hotels. As this

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industry contributes to the economic growth of the country, there is a need to study love hotels in
order to help them further improve their customer service as customer satisfaction affects
business performance which can pertain to the increase of the profitability of the establishment
(Yeung, Chew-Ging, & Ennew, 2002). By studying some of the components of aesthetic labour
which can affect customer satisfaction, the love hotel industry can further improve their business
performance. This can also be used for reference by other researchers who are interested in
studying about short-staying hotels that has the same concept of ‘love motels’.

This research will be beneficial to the owners, recruitment team, and training team of love
hotels in identifying what satisfies customers in terms of aesthetics of front-line employees. This
study also aims to contribute to the literature of the Expectancy-Disconfirmation theory by
studying in a different setting in the hospitality industry, specifically love hotels. As a pioneer
study for aesthetic labour in love hotels, future researchers can use this research to expand the
scope of the study.

2. HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT

Aesthetic Labour and Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory

According to Pettinger (2004), the term “aesthetics” means having beauty and attractiveness.
Aesthetic labour are the abilities and characteristics that must be possessed by employees of
service-related industries (Warhust et al., 2000). It is the process done to prepare the employees
to look good and sound right (Warhurst & Nickson, 2007). Aesthetic labour includes the effort of
paying attention to how the front-line employees dress, physically look, and sound (Nickson et
al., 2005). According to Hurrell et al (2013), aesthetic labour is also part of the employee’s soft
skill which does not rely on technicality and logic. Aesthetic labour is considered as one of the
abilities needed by employees to work on human relations.

According to the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory (Oliver, 1997), customer satisfaction

is measured by the pre-purchase expectations that a customer possesses. This theory states that
customers base their purchasing power depending on their pre-purchase expectations of the
products or services. The customer’s expectation becomes the standard level of satisfaction.
Once the goods and services have been experienced, the outcome will be compared to the
expectation. If these expectations are met, there is a presence of customer satisfaction. However,
when expectations are not met, there are two types of disconfirmation: positive or negative. It is
positive when expectations are met or exceeded. However, it is negative when expectations are
not met.

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 Liu and Jang (2009) stated that the aesthetic labour of front-line employees affects the
behavioral intentions of the customers. It is also said that being beautiful and attractive is directly
associated with having high social value (Callan et al., 2007). Good appearance, based on the
research of Tsaur, Luoh, and Syue (2015), is critical in service quality as it can result to guests
having positive feedback. Therefore, customers who are looking for quality products and
services expect to encounter aesthetically pleasing employees based on the
Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory. According to Gremler and Gwinner (2002), aside from
providing service and information, rapport-building is also essential for aesthetic labour in order
to induce positive customer satisfaction and feedback. They defined rapport-building as the
creation of a good and positive interaction between employee and customer.

2.1 Physical appearance of front-line employees affect customer satisfaction

According to Madera et al. (2007), people with attractive appearance are often perceived as
reliable and authentic. In a study conducted by Luoh and Tsaur (2009) in a restaurant setting, it is
found that customers deem the service quality positive when the employees facing them are
physically attractive. This perception of beauty and attractiveness equates to better service
quality. In a research conducted by Quach, Jebarajakirthy, and Thaicon (2017), most of their
respondents stated that the appearance of the employees serving them affects how they evaluate
their service quality. One of their interviewees stated that professional looking employees look
more reliable in dealing with customer issues.

Hazlett and Hoehn-Saric (2000), and Mehrabian and Blum (1997) stated that people normally
experience a positive emotional response whenever they encounter an attractive person. In
addition, the physical appearance of employees appeals to the senses of customers leading them to
create positive service interactions (Pettinger, 2004). Thus, it is hypothesized that:

H1.1 Pleasant physical appearance of front-line employees of love hotels positively affects
customer satisfaction.

2.2 Communication of front-line employees affect customer satisfaction

According to William and Connell (2010), aesthetic labour is more than just ‘looking good’
or having the ‘right look’; ‘sounding good’ and ‘sounding right’ is also an essential attribute for
employees to be aesthetically pleasing. Good communication skills is also a component in
rapport-building which induces customer satisfaction (Gremler & Gwinner, 2000). According to
Solomon et al. (1985), there is a presence of interaction between a customer and an employee
whenever communication takes place. This interaction is when customers assess the level of
customer service provided by the establishment (Bitner et al., 1997).

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 This study focuses on the two types of communication: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal
communication, according to Mead (1934) and Vygotsky (1962), is a vital part in strategizing
interpersonal behavior which includes customer interactions. Language has been used to create a
social construct where people exchange symbols to understand one another (Mead, 1934;
Vygotsky, 1962). According to Jenkins (2009) language is therefore a key component in verbal
communication. In today’s world, being multilingual is considered an asset. When having
interactions between people who speak multiple languages, English is usually the first choice of
people. Customer satisfaction and service experience are affected by the choice of language a
front-line employees use (Kraak & Holmqvist, 2017).

Nonverbal communication is a process in which people’s actions are expressed in other ways
aside from words, these include expressions that portray feelings, and other attitudes (Hickson &
Stacks, 1993). According to Kim and Baker (2017a), body language is also considered as an
important factor in sending messages during customer-employee interactions. When people
communicate, it is said that nonverbal communication such as body language is mostly used
(Agarwal & Garg, 2012). In evaluating customer satisfaction, apart from verbal communication,
nonverbal communication is also used by the guests or customers. (Magnini et al., 2013). The
use of both verbal language and body language are crucial in determining the customer’s
perception of the service encounter (Kim & Baker, 2017a). Thus, it is hypothesized that:

H1.2: Proper communication of front-line employees of love hotels affects customer satisfaction.

In a study conducted by Naumann, Vazire, Rentfrow, & Gosling (2009), it is seen that a
person with superior physical appearance is viewed as someone who is reliable and prosperous.
However, physical appearance is not enough to confirm someone’s true identity and character.
This can only be confirmed through interaction which involves communication. According to the
research of Quach, Jebarajakirthy, and Thaicon (2017), physical appearance of front-line
employees have a psychological effect on the customers. Customers have an initial perceived
judgement of front-line employees based on how they look. However, physical appearance can
only take effect on customer satisfaction when there is communication between front-line
employees and customers (Kim & Baker, 2017b). In order for customers to acknowledge the
physical appearance of the employees, the staff must be able to communicate with customers.
This implies the importance of communication in customer service. Thus, it is hypothesized that:

H1.3: Proper Communication of front-line employees of love hotels mediates the effect of
physical appearance on customer satisfaction.

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Figure 1 shows the proposed conceptual research for the study based on the
Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory, It is hypothesized that: (1) Pleasant physical appearance of
front-line employees of love hotels positively affects customer satisfaction, (2) Proper
communication of front-line employees of love hotels affects customer satisfaction, (3) Proper
Communication of front-line employees of love hotels mediates the effect of physical appearance
on customer satisfaction.

Figure 1: ​Research Conceptual Framework

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 Sample and Procedure

The study used a convenient sampling survey method to collect responses from customers
who have experienced staying in love hotels in Metro Manila at least once. Metro Manila was
chosen for the study site since big players of the love hotel industry are located in the area (Hotel
SOGO, n.d; Victoria Court, n.d) For legality purposes, only those participants whose ages are
eighteen and above (18+) was considered for the data. Quantitative and qualitative
questionnaires were created to collect data. A total of six employees of managerial positions in
love hotels in Metro Manila was collected for the qualitative. A total of 252 customer
respondents were initially collected for the quantitative questionnaire. After a test for outliers
using Mahalanobis distance ​(Mclachlan, 1999)​, 47 respondents were removed from the data set.
A total of 205 successful respondents were collected for the study.

3.1.1 Qualitative Measure

A qualitative questionnaire was first created to gather information regarding the nature of the
love hotel business and information regarding the training of front-line employees in relation to

5
physical appearance and communication. This was distributed to 6 employees of managerial
positions in love hotels in Metro Manila. The questions regarding physical appearance asked in
the questionnaire were: (1) what physical characteristics do you look at when evaluating
potential applicants? (2) what are the requirements that employees need to maintain in terms of
physical appearance (e.g. uniform, hygiene, make-up)? Questions regarding communications
were: (1) what verbal and non-verbal communication skills are important for your employees to
execute? (2) What are the reasons for having these requirements? Questions regarding customer
satisfaction was: how do you measure customer satisfaction?

3.1.2 Quantitative Measure

The questionnaire for the customers contained a total of 30 questions. Twelve of these
questions focuses on physical appearance, 11 questions focuses on communication, and seven
questions focuses on customer satisfaction. The questions for the questionnaire were modified
from two studies as seen in Table 1. Items used to measure physical appearance and
communication were modified from Richard Hall & Diane van den Broek (2012);
Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur & Wei-Hsin Tang (2013), while customer satisfaction questions were
modified from Chen and Chen (2010); Otto and Ritchie (1996). Based on the qualitative survey
gathered from employees of managerial positions, questions were modified to fit the study.

Table 1 ​Predictor Measures

Predictor Questions (Q) Source

Physical Q1 Modified from ​Richard Hall & Diane van den

Appearance Q2 Broek (2012); Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur & Wei-Hsin
Q3 Tang (2013).
Q4
Q5
Q6
Q7
Q8
Q9
Q10
Q11
Q12

Communication Q13 Modified from ​Richard Hall & Diane van den
Q14 Broek (2012); Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur & Wei-Hsin
Q15 Tang (2013).
Q16
Q17
Q18

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 Q19
Q20
Q21
Q22
Q23

Customer Q24 Modified from Chen and Chen (2010); Otto and
Satisfaction Q25 Ritchie (1996).
Q26
Q27
Q28
Q29
Q30

3.2 Statistical Treatment of Data

Cronbach alpha criterion of 0.7 was used to measure the internal consistency of the items
used for each construct (Nunnally, 1978). The variance inflation factor (VIF) was used to test
any presence of multicollinearity of the data (Kaplan, 1994). Mahalanobis distance was used to
find the multivariate outliers in the data set ​(Mclachlan, 1999).

Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) and AMOS software were used to
analyze the data of customer satisfaction. A measurement model of the study was created using
confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesis.
Lastly, Hayes method was used to test the mediating effect of communication on physical
appearance to customer satisfaction (Hayes, 2013).

4. RESULTS

4.1 Respondents Characteristics

A total of 205 successful respondents were gathered from customers of 11 love hotels in
Metro Manila, Philippines. The percentage of male respondents was 54.63%, while 45.37% were
female respondents. The bulk of the respondents were from ages 18-34 which comprises a total
of 76.585% of all respondents. Table 2 shows the demographic profile of the respondents.

Table 2 ​Demographic description of the respondents (n = 205)

Variable Feature Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender Male 112 54.634

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 Female 93 45.366

Age (in years) 18-24 61 29.756

25-34 96 46.829

35-44 38 18.537

Above 45 10 4.878

Total 205 100

4.2 Reliability and validity of scales

To ensure the reliability of the instrument, Cronbach alpha criterion of 0.7 was used
(Nunnally, 1978). Cronbach Alphas of the measure are all greater than 0.7, indicating an internal
consistency (see table 3).

Table 3 ​Cronbach’s number of variables

Variables Cronbach’s Alpha Number of Items

Physical Appearance 0.942 12

Communication 0.908 10

Customer Satisfaction 0.943 7

4.3 Confirmatory factor analysis results

The results of the confirmatory analysis show that the model has a good fit (CMIN/DF > 2.0,
RMSEA < 0.08, CFI > 0.9, see table 4)

A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was done to check for goodness of fit. The CMIN/DF
(Carmines & McIver, 1981), RMSEA (Stieger, 1990), and CFI (Daire, 2008) values were
analyzed for this process. The data set showed no multicollinearity upon checking the variance
inflation factor (VIF), which are all < 10 (Kaplan, 1994). Discriminant validity was established
since all interconstruct correlations are less than 0.90 (Fornell & Larcker, 1981; Gold, Malhotra,
& Segars, 2001)

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Table 4 ​Model fit

Confirmatory Factor Structural Equation

Analysis Model

CMIN/DF 1.813 1.813

RMSEA 0.063 0.063

CFI 0.957 0.957

DF 321 321

Chi-square 581.990 581.990

P-value 0.000 0.000

4.4 Structural Equation Model Results

A structural equation model (SEM) was created after confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to
check any significance in the relationships between the independent variables to the dependent
variable. Identical variables were gotten for the model fit which can be found in Table 4.
Mediation analysis was done using Hayes method.

Based from the results (see table 5), physical appearance does not significantly affect
customer satisfaction (β = 0.054, p > 0.05), communication significantly affects customer
satisfaction (β = 0.529, p < 0.001) and communication mediates the effect of physical appearance
on customer satisfaction (β = 0.533, p < 0.05).

Table 5 ​Hypothesis Results

Hypothesis Standard T-value Supported / Not Supported

Regression (lower - upper)
Weight

H 1.1 Pleasant physical appearance 0.054 0.068 Not Supported

of front-line employees of love
hotels positively affects
customer satisfaction.

H 1.2 Proper communication of 0.529*** 7.215 Supported

front-line employees of love
hotels affect customer
satisfaction.

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 H 1.3 Proper Communication of 0.533** (0.217 - 0.924) Supported
front-line employees of love
hotels mediates physical
appearance affect on customer
satisfaction.

** Significant at p = 0.001
*** Significant at p < 0.001

5. DISCUSSION

This study shows that communication significantly affects customer satisfaction (β = 0.529, p
< 0.001). When proper communication skills are shown by front-line employees of love hotels,
this positively affects the satisfaction of the customer. The result of the study by Gremler and
Gwinner (2000) shows that good communication is required in rapport-building which is the
creation of a positive interaction between customers and front-line employees. This can be
further supported by Mead (1934) and Vygotsky (1962), whose studies show that
communication is critical in employee-customer interactions.

Proper communication of front-line employees of love hotels mediates the effect of physical
appearance on customer satisfaction (β = 0.533, p < 0.05). The study by Quach, Jebarajakirthy,
and Thaicon (2017) shows that a customer will have an initial perceived judgement of a
front-line employee based on their physical appearance. However, the initial perceived
judgement of the physical appearance does not equate to customer satisfaction. On the other
hand, the research of Kim and Baker (2017b) shows that physical appearance can only affect
customer satisfaction when there is communication.

This study supports the claim of the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory (Oliver, 1997)
which states that customer satisfaction is measured by the pre-purchase expectation that a
customer possesses. The customer’s expectations become the standard level of satisfaction
during their stay. This study focuses on 2 components of aesthetic labour, specifically
communication and physical appearance as a basis of customers expectations. Expectations of
the customers from the employees of love hotels include the constructs of this study namely
communication and physical appearance. If these expectations on employees’ communication
and physical appearance are met or exceeded, there is a presence of customer satisfaction.

6. IMPLICATIONS

The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory explains that a customer has pre-purchase

expectations of the services or goods he is availing (Oliver, 1997). This study adds novel insight

10
to the already existing Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory by adding a new industry,
specifically love hotels, into the coverage of the theory.

The findings of this research study suggest that managers of love hotels should focus more
on the communications aspect of the front-line employees’ training instead of their physical
appearance. In the Philippines, love hotels are still considered taboo in the country, and its staff
are trained to cater to this taboo culture. Communication in love hotels are minimal according to
managers, because this creates interactions with guests which is discouraged. However, the
findings show that proper communication affects customer satisfaction. Better communication of
the front-line employee will result to a higher level of customer satisfaction. Kim and Baker
(2017a) stated that both verbal and nonverbal communication affect the perception a customer
has on the service encounter. Managers should use this information to change certain practices
and training for front-line employees. In love hotels, eye-contact is highly discouraged.
However, the study shows that nonverbal communication which includes eye-contact is a
variable that significantly affects customer satisfaction.

Proper communication of employees of love hotels in Metro Manila mediates the effect of
physical appearance on customer satisfaction. This being said, the management can control the
type of employees it chooses to deploy in the front-line in regards to physical appearance, but
with the proper knowledge of how they can use their physical attributes to better their
communication skills. With the right training of verbal and nonverbal communication, front-line
employees of love hotels can impact the way customers view the establishment and increase
overall customer satisfaction. Therefore, for management to increase their customer satisfaction
ratings, certain changes to the training of front-line employees must be done. Communication
training should also be emphasized further. This includes both verbal and nonverbal
communication training. Each establishment and company have their own images to uphold, and
training that is targeted towards what is important. Certain protocols of speech control is also
present and different for each establishment. However, all these establishments should prioritize
training the nonverbal aspect of communication, and change the notion of “no eye-contact”
between front-line employees and customers. Physical appearance on the other hand does not
significantly influence customer satisfaction, however physical appearance is mediated by
communication to affect customer satisfaction. Nonverbal communication includes physical
appearance, facial expressions, and body language that significantly affects customer
satisfaction.

7. Conclusion, Limitation, Recommendation, and Future Directions

This study shows that customer satisfaction is significantly affected by communication of

front-line employees. Communication also mediates the effect of physical appearance on

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customer satisfaction. Hence, it is important for love hotels to train their employees to improve
on their communication skills.

There are two limitations to this research study. First, the study only looked at two variables
of aesthetic labour which are physical appearance and communication. It is recommended that
other factors that affect customer satisfaction be looked at. Other factors of aesthetic labour can
also be studied upon, such as employer partiality and employee encumbrance. Second, the scope
of the study only involves customers and employees of managerial positions in love hotels in the
Philippines. Researchers may look into conducting a similar study in countries that have the
same business concept of love hotels.

8. Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Ma. Corazon Reyes, PhD, a professor from the La Salle
College of St. Benilde, for connecting us to managers of love hotels to interview them, and for
helping us get many respondents for the study. We would also like to thank Mr. Ralph Royeca
and Ms. Vanessa Marquez for showing us their study and letting us use it to guide us in writing
this research.

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14
INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE

1. ​What physical characteristics do you look at when evaluating potential applicants? What are
the reasons for having such standards?

2. What are the requirements that employees need to maintain in terms of physical appearance
(e.g. uniform, hygiene, make-up)? What are the reasons for having such requirements?

3. What verbal communication skills are important for applicants to have? (E.g. can speak
Filipino and English well) What are the reasons for having such standards?

4. What are some verbal communication skills that are important for your employees to
execute? What are the reasons for having such requirements?

5. What nonverbal communication skills are important for applicants to have? What are the
reasons for having such standards?

6. What are some non-verbal communication skills that are important for your employees to
execute? What are the reasons for having such requirements?

7. What do you teach newly hired front-line employees? (Rules, SOP, Training)

8. How do you measure customer satisfaction?

15
CUSTOMER SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Respondent,

We are from the University of the Philippines, Diliman and currently conducting a Research
Study entitled “The Aesthetic labour of Front-line Employees in Short-Staying Hotels”. It studies
about the effects of aesthetic labour on customer satisfaction, employer’s partiality, and
employees’ burdensome. Through your valuable response, this will be used in validating our
paper and will help us formulate appropriate proposed actions and recommendations.

Thank you and rest assured that all these information will be treated in high confidentiality.

Part A: Please read and answer the questions carefully. You may put an (x) on the item
that corresponds to your answer.

Gender:
( ) Male
( ) Female

Age:​ _____

Which of the following motels/short staying hotels in Metro Manila have you been to?
(Check all that apply)
( ) Sogo Hotel
( ) Nice Hotel
( ) Icon Hotel
( ) Astrotel
( ) My Inn
( ) Victoria Court
( ) Daisy Motel
( ) Rosal Motel
( ) Orchids Motel
( ) Dhalia Motel
( ) Mariposa Motel

16
 Part B: Based on your previous motel/short stay hotel experiences, please put an (x) on the
box corresponding to your opinion regarding each statement. The highest rate is 7 while
the lowest rate is 1.
7 - ​Strongly Agree
6 - ​Agree
5 - ​Moderately Agree
4 - ​Neutral
3 - ​Slight Disagree
2 - ​Disagree
1 - ​Strongly Disagree
As a customer, I observed Strong
Strongl Agre Neutr Slight Disagr
the following from the Moderate ly
y e al Disagr ee
front-line staff: ly Agree Disagr
Agree ee
5 ee
7 6 4 3 2
1

General tidiness and

personal hygiene

Clean-shaven beard (male)

No visible blemishes (No

pimples, blackheads, etc)

A neat hairstyle

Natural hair color

Proper make-up

Proper uniform

Appropriate accessories
(E.g. watches, earrings,
rings)

Fair skin complexion

No visible skin
discoloration

No visible tattoos

Proportional height to
weight ratio

17
Appropriate words said to
the customers

Proper intonation

Modular voice

Fluency in English

Fluency in Filipino

Proper posture

Proper smile

Proper gestures when

greeting

Proper hand gestures when

talking

Proper eye-contact to
paying customers

Appropriate distance from

the customers

Strong
Strong Moderat Neutr Slight Disagr
Agree ly
ly ely al Disagre ee
As a customer, I would: Disagr
Agree Agree e
6 ee
7 5 4 3 2
1

Feel welcome when i see

the staff smiling

Say positive things about

the motel/short stay hotels
to others

Consider checking-in again

Feel that staff are willing to

accomodate me

Feel that the hotel has my

18
best interest at heart.

Feel satisfied with the

services provided

Recommend the
motel/short-staying hotels

19
EMPLOYER SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Respondent,

We are from the University of the Philippines, Diliman and currently conducting a Research
Study entitled “The Aesthetic labour of Front-line Employees in Short-Staying Hotels”. It studies
about the effects of aesthetic labour on customer satisfaction, employer’s partiality, and
employees’ burdensome. Through your valuable response, this will be used in validating our
paper and will help us formulate appropriate proposed actions and recommendations.

Thank you and rest assured that all these information will be treated in high confidentiality.

Part A: Please read and answer the questions carefully. You may check (x) the item that
corresponds to your answer.

Position: __________________________________________________
Number of Employees: ​O 0-25 O 25-50 O50-75 O75+

Is there a prescribed uniform for all employees?

( ) Yes
( ) No

What is the company’s reason for having a uniform?

( ) For the staff to look neat and presentable
( ) To standardize appearance
( ) To fit the company brand/image
( ) others

The employees avail of the uniforms:

( ) At a discount
( ) At no cost
( ) At full price

How many sets of uniform are provided?

( ) 1 set
( ) 2 sets
( ) 3 and more

20
Are employees sanctioned if they do not conform to the uniform policy?
( ) Yes
( ) No

If yes, How are employees sanctioned?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Allowance(s) is/are provided by the company for the following:

( ) Make-up
( ) Cosmetic care
( ) Grooming products
( ) Accessories
( ) Others _________________________________________________________

Are employees sanctioned if they do not conform to the physical appearance policy?
( ) Yes
( ) No

If Yes, How are employees sanctioned?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

21
 Part B: Please put an (x) on the box corresponding to your opinion regarding each
statement. The highest rate is 7 while the lowest rate is 1. (HIRING)
7 - ​Strongly Agree
6 - ​Agree
5 - ​Moderately Agree
4 - ​Neutral
3 - ​Slight Disagree
2 - ​Disagree
1 - ​Strongly Disagree
As an employer, I observe Strong
Strong Moderat Neutra Slight Disagr
the following from Agree ly
ly ely l Disagr ee
applicants in hiring: Disagr
Agree Agree ee
6 ee
7 5 4 3 2
1

General tidiness and

personal hygiene

Clean-shaven beard (male)

No visible blemishes (No

pimples, blackheads, etc)

A neat hairstyle

Natural hair color

Proper make-up

Appropriate accessories
(E.g. watches, earrings,
rings)

Fair skin complexion

No visible skin
discoloration

No visible tattoos

Proportional height to
weight ratio

Knowledge on appropriate
words

22
Proper intonation

Modular voice

Fluency in English

Fluency in Filipino

Proper posture

Proper smile

Proper gestures when

greeting

Proper hand gestures when

talking

Proper eye-contact

23
 Part C: Please put an (x) on the box corresponding to your opinion regarding each
statement. The highest rate is 7 while the lowest rate is 1. (WORK REQUIREMENTS)
7 - ​Strongly Agree
6 - ​Agree
5 - ​Moderately Agree
4 - ​Neutral
3 - ​Slight Disagree
2 - ​Disagree
1 - ​Strongly Disagree
As an employer, I Strong
Strongl Moderat Slight Disagr
observe the following Agree Neutral ly
y ely Disagr ee
from the front-line staff Disagr
Agree Agree ee
during work: 6 4 ee
7 5 3 2
1

General tidiness and

personal hygiene

Clean-shaven beard
(male)

No visible blemishes (No

pimples, blackheads, etc)

A neat hairstyle

Natural hair color

Proper make-up

Proper uniform

Appropriate accessories
(E.g. watches, earrings,
rings)

Fair skin complexion

No visible skin
discoloration

No visible tattoos

Proportional height to
weight ratio

24
Appropriate words said
to the customers

Proper intonation

Modular voice

Fluency in English

Fluency in Filipino

Proper posture

Proper smile

Proper gestures when

greeting

Proper hand gestures

when talking

Proper eye-contact to
paying customers

Appropriate distance
from the customers

25