The Role of Hospitality in Ageing and Longevity: A New Frontier for Ageing in Place and Senior Living
A special issue of Journal of Ageing and Longevity (ISSN 2673-9259).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 512
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hospitality; senior living; food service; entrepreneurship; sustainability, tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will comprise selected papers that explore the role of hospitality in longevity and ageing, with the aim of closing the gap existing between these two worlds. The objective of this Special Issue is to examine and critically engage with hospitality theories and practices in order to explore how they can contribute to improving longevity and ageing, with the goal of promoting ageing in place and a better quality of life in senior facilities. This Special Issue welcomes papers both of a qualitative and quantitative nature that investigate innovative and creative ways to support ageing through hospitality-related opportunities.
On a global scale, an increasing number of governments and organizations are recognizing the need for hospitality in longevity and ageing, and, as such, are searching for possible solutions that could help them successfully manage longevity and ageing. Hospitality can play a crucial role in allowing people to age with a focus on improving health and wellbeing and providing dignity and enjoyment.
For many years, theories and practices of hospitality have been neglected in the context of caring for elderly people. As such, the time has come to explore the possible connections that exist between these two worlds, in order to create and deliver user-centered experiences to both clients and residents. We anticipate future experiences that reach above and beyond “just” meeting the needs of clients and residents, seeking those that allow for more individualized approaches instead.
We invite interested scholars from the fields of Hospitality, Tourism and Service management to contribute to this discussion, which will be essential in the improvement of the future as relates to the lives of countless numbers of people.
The papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer review procedure, with the aim of achieving a rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Merkle
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Ageing and Longevity is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- hospitality
- ageing
- longevity
- ageing in place
- senior living
- people-centred approach
- ageing-friendly
- dementia-friendly
- silver economy
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Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: Understanding the Ageing Consumer and designing product and services fit for purpose
Authors: Vessela Warren
Affiliation: Department of Management and Finance, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, WR2 6AJ, UK
Abstract: There is a global trend of aging population. Recent research from the Oxford University’s Institute for Population Ageing provides valuable insights into the ageing economy in terms of demographics, psychodemographics and purchase behaviour. The aging consumer has diverse needs, preferences, and purchase behaviours and taking these into account offers opportunities to develop product and services targeting this specific ageing segment. However, the field of new product development and services cape design for older adults is still underdeveloped. Given, the size of the ageing economy, various sectors including the hospitality sector need to consider into their strategic and innovation planning the different longevity trends and socio-economic factors. In particular, the hospitality sector can consider adapting service processes and provisions to meet the requirements of the elderly customer. The paper proposes to explore the role of designing innovative service system for the emerging segment of elderly customers and the barriers that prevent the adoption of certain products and services.
Title: Innovation in residences for the elderly: from retirement homes to experiential aging contexts. The Tertianum case study
Authors: Fabrizio Traversa
Affiliation: Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Affairs, SUPSI: Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana, 6928 Manno, Switzerland
Abstract: Hospitality has emerged as a key concept in the field of aging, with the potential to transform the way we approach senior care and aging in place. By emphasizing person-centred care, creating welcoming environments, and fostering meaningful connections, a hospitality-oriented approach can significantly enhance the quality of life for older adults. This paper explores two key aspects of hospitality in aging: its impact on well-being and the role of innovation. Firstly, it examines the evidence supporting the positive impact of hospitality on physical, emotional, and social well-being in older adults and secondly, it discusses the potential of innovative technologies, such as robotics or artificial intelligence to enhance hospitality experiences for older adults. The paper concludes with the example on how a Tertianum Group structure, and their philosophy, could be implemented in a senior living community to enhance hospitality and improve the overall well-being of residents.
