Class Acts. Rachel Sherman

confided to me that she felt her colleagues were “cliquey.” Over time I became more comfortable with the workers in my immediate area, who did have fairly warm relations. However, they interacted only minimally with workers from other parts of the hotel. They said hello in the cafeteria but often did not know one another's names. Most workers ate lunch with other workers from their department, especially those of the same ethnicity. Upper-level managers also usually shared a table. Because most workers were older and had partners and children, they rarely socialized with one another off the clock except at hotel-sponsored events.

      I discerned no overt animosity among ethnic groups or between white workers and workers of color, though there was more affinity among workers who shared a language. White workers mingled companionably with their coworkers of color at the desk and the front door, but they complained about the limited English skills of some back of house workers, who for the same reason were somewhat marginalized in public gatherings such as training sessions. I was also struck by a tendency among some Asian and Asian American workers in the front of the house to make and laugh at jokes about Asians (especially mimicking stereotypical accents) that seemed fairly racist and to welcome white workers’ participation in these jokes. Chinese and non-Chinese workers alike laughed about the “Chinese mafia table” in the cafeteria. In these ways race and ethnicity were marked, but did not seem to be a source of open conflict.

      Overall, then, managerial decisions about hiring and promotion, job specialization, a well-developed corporate culture, and reliable managers helped to constitute hierarchical relations between workers and managers and fairly distant relations among workers. These elements, especially the highly elaborated standards and rhetoric of accountability, also contributed to a professional demeanor among workers and a consistent adherence to the standards of luxury service. The Royal Court, in contrast, developed a regime of lateral authority and friendly authenticity.

      FLEXIBLE INFORMALITY AT THE ROYAL COURT