Abstract: A research project on work-life balance and Irish hotel managers by McLaughlin and Cullen (Managers and work-life balance: a case of Irish hospitality industry, Irish Management Institute, Dublin) noted high levels of presenteeism amongst focus group participants. This paper analyses the qualitative data obtained during this project with a view to identifying drivers of this finding and discusses possible consequences for hotel managers. Presenteeism is found to be embedded in narratives of managerial identity and in the management culture of the hotel industry. Three core rationales, which present at organisational and environmental levels, are proposed as forces that reinforce presenteeism as a managerial value in hotels.