What Hospitality Companies Are Borrowing From Senior Living Architecture and Design
Throughout the years, hotels and restaurants have been a source for senior living community design inspiration. Now, that inspiration is beginning to flow in the opposite direction.
As senior living architects and designers have forged ahead in these areas in recent years, hotels in 2023 are taking notice. And they are taking inspiration from senior living designs in areas such as hospitality, socialization, accessibility and sanitization — all with the goal of being more cognizant of an aging population.
“In our hospitality [practice], we’re stealing things from senior living — who would have thought that that could happen?” said Banko Design Founder and Principal Melissa Banko on a recent Senior Housing News architecture and design webinar. “We’re seeing things that, in our senior living communities, the hotel industry hasn’t gravitated to yet.”
The reason why is that the senior living industry has made great strides in recent years to cater to the incoming boomer generation. And in doing so, it has laid a blueprint for other industries to follow, from hospitality to multifamily.
Senior living leading the way
For years, Steven Levin, managing member of CapEx Solutions, has walked into high-end hotels and wondered: “Why can’t this be a senior living community?” But in recent years, some high-end senior living communities have met — and even exceeded — the standards set by storied hotel chains like the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton.
