Abstract
The experience of hospitality from a client perspective is ill-defined. A literature search reveals only
seven empirical studies into the experience of hospitality. One can conclude that there is a
difference in the experience of hospitality for older people versus younger people because offering a
hospitality experience adds more value to the well-being of older adults compared to younger
people. The research question What do older adults experience as hospitality? and the exploratory
character of the study implies a qualitative methodology. 33 Dutch clients, aged 60 years or older,
were interviewed. Different phases of coding—open, axial, and selective—were used for data
analysis. The results from this study include the words clients most associate with ‘hospitality’. The
initial findings indicate that the experience of hospitality among older adults is the feeling of being
at home and the feeling of being seen.