Thriving together: How hospitality can support older people to age well in the community

These SMEs often provide the backbone of a thriving society - serving local residents and playing a vital role in community initiatives and events.

However, the significance of its social contribution to older people’s lives is yet to be fully understood.  

There is an opportunity for hospitality venues to be transformed into age-friendly spaces that could improve the health and wellbeing of older adults through increased social connection and help them to age well in their own communities.   

Hospitality at the heart of communities

Hospitality is all about offering a welcoming experience.  

There is huge potential for settings like community-based pubs and cafes to be used as social hubs that cater for the needs of older people, and people of all ages, by facilitating social interactions and connectedness.  

This is especially important for those who might otherwise spend most of their time alone.  

Hospitality Connect

The Hospitality Connect project, supported by UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge, sets out to explore how to mobilise the hospitality sector to help older adults become more socially connected and feel more confident in their communities.  

We interviewed more than 20 older adults and ten representatives from hospitality businesses and policy influencers to explore how engagement with hospitality services could help older adults from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (East London vs. Surrey) to become more socially connected.  

The findings reveal that hospitality venues hold a significant role in the daily lives of older adults, serving as crucial social hubs for many.  

However, factors such as geographic location (urban vs rural), socio-economic status, ethnic and cultural background, age, and health status can either facilitate or inhibit older people in their use of different cafés and pubs.

The Welcome ALL Toolkit

Together with older people and other stakeholders, the Hospitality Connect project co-created the Welcome ALL Toolkit to help hospitality SMEs become more age-inclusive through implementing the 5 As.  

These are listed below along with examples of some of the recommendations included in the toolkit: 

1 - Accessible venue with friendly welcome for all

• Greet customers with a welcoming smile and try to remember names and seating preferences of regular customers  
• Invest in a portable ramp that ensures easy access for all. 

2 - Attentive service for all

• Offer a table-service option  
• Have staff wear name badges and encourage them to make gentle introductions that will facilitate positive employee-to-customer interaction. 

3 - Accessible menu and appropriate product choices for all

• Offer large-print menus and a choice of small as well as regular size portions  
• Cater for special dietary requirements without extra charges.  

4 - Affordable price for all

• Accept cash payment  
• Offer group discounts to make your venue a stop-over or meeting place for locals. 

5 - Age-inclusive atmosphere for all

• Pay attention to sound and lighting to make sure customers can hear each other and can read the menu easily
• Provide daily newspapers to create a conversation topic. 

The Welcome ALL Toolkit provides a step-by-step guide (from Starter to Dessert) for community-based hospitality venues to become more age-friendly.  

It also helps hospitality venues to benefit from the growing spending power of the 50+ consumer and improve their business resilience by retaining older customers and generating new business through community connections.  

Implementation timelines are included in the toolkit to help motivate businesses to try out the different recommendations through projected return on investment values.

We are now starting work with at least three cafes and pubs in Guildford and London to test and monitor the usage of the toolkit.  

This will allow us to gather evidence and evaluate the benefits of adoption for the participating businesses as well as their older customers from the community.  

The toolkit is also being translated into other languages, Chinese and Italian currently, and a Spanish version will be ready by October 2025.

To learn more about Hospitality Connect, check out this short film here.  

If you’re interested in participating in Age-inclusive Hospitality, contact [email protected]