This study examines the relationship between emotional labour and burnout and the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on this relationship. The survey was conducted at several tourism and hospitality organizations in Florida, USA. The results show that both acting strategies of emotional labour relate positively to burnout. Tests of moderation show that emotional intelligence reduces employee burnout. These findings contribute to the literature on emotional labour by incorporating emotional intelligence as a moderator, and provide some guidance for human resource practitioners about potentially beneficial training and recruitment activities. They also have implications for customer relationship management.