Leadership Perceptions and Practices of Hospitality in Senior Care

Senior care providers are increasingly focused on hospitality to distinguish themselves from competitors. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perceptions of hospitality from leadership (i.e., administrators of nursing homes and assisted living facilities) and use of hospitality practices across settings and lines of service. Results indicated that hospitality practices readily exist in senior care settings (i.e., nursing homes, assisted living facilities), but may be referred to by names other than hospitality. There also appear to be more similarities than differences in practices across long-term care service lines (i.e., short- and long-stay nursing home residents, assisted living), suggesting that, regardless of provider type, hospitality in senior care is becoming part of the expected culture and cadre of services for residents. Overall, findings suggest hospitality practices are related to providers' census, payer mix, and organizational performance.