Hospitality Connect: The Role of Local Hospitality Businesses in Connecting Lives and Building Communities, 2022-2023

The pandemic has had a notable impact on the physical, mental and social health of older adults (Age UK., 2021), a group who were disproportionately affected by social distancing measures (Pantaris et al., 2020). This has coincided with an unprecedented financial shock to the hospitality sector (Hutton et al., 2022), with government figures suggesting this industry shrank by more than 40% in 2020 relative to 2019. This project helps support social connections and ‘build back better’ by focusing on a group (older adults) and sector (hospitality) who were both disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Cafes and pubs are venues for sociality and companionship, often perceived as connecting individuals and groups in beneficial ways (Rosenbaum et al., 2007; Dunbar, 2016). This research aims to develop our understanding of current and potential opportunities for the hospitality business to play an influential role in supporting social connections. This project takes a qualitative approach, conducting go-along interviews with older adults (aged 65+), hospitality businesses and policy influencers to investigate how engagement with hospitality services could help older adults from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds become more socially connected.