When considering a move to a retirement community, there are many things to consider: the location, amenities, lifestyle, care options, and maybe most importantly, comfort and well-being of the residents. One sometimes-overlooked feature that can enhance the experience of current residents and their loved ones — and help close the deal with prospects — is the retirement community guest suite: a dedicated space within a retirement community that is made available for temporary accommodations.
Let’s take a closer look at what a guest suite is, how they are used, and why they may be an essential feature to consider when choosing a retirement community.
What are retirement community guest suites?
Guest suites within a retirement community are private, fully furnished accommodations that are typically available for short-term use by residents’ family members or friends, or by other guests of the community.
Unlike a traditional hotel room, these suites are usually designed to offer a more home-like experience, with the added comfort of being within close proximity to residents of the retirement community. A guest suite might include amenities such as a kitchenette, a comfortable seating area, private bathroom(s), and often even access to the retirement community’s services and amenities, such as dining options, fitness center, and more.
At its heart, the primary purpose of a guest suite is to provide a welcoming, comfortable space for visitors while they share time with their loved ones in the retirement community. Bear in mind: Some independent living residences within a retirement community have additional bedrooms for company to stay, but others don’t have a spare bedroom, sometimes making it challenging to host overnight company.
And for residents living in assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing care, their living quarters are often even smaller. A guest suite can eliminate the need to worry about finding a nearby hotel or other accommodation arrangements.
How guest suites are utilized
For retirement communities that include a guest suite, it can be used for a number of purposes.
Visits from residents’ loved ones
Retirement community residents often have friends and family spread out across the country … or even internationally. When these loved ones travel, they may want to stay for several days in order to maximize their visit. Guest suites allow them to stay close to their loved one, without having to coordinate short-term housing logistics or stay in off-site accommodations.
Access to these suites can therefore be an attractive amenity for retirement community residents. Whether their loved one is visiting for a special occasion, holiday, or just to share quality time together, a guest suite can act as an extension of the resident’s home. This helps keep their sense of family, tradition, and autonomy intact.
Guest suites can also be a cost-savings opportunity. They may encourage independent living residents to opt for a smaller, less expensive one-bedroom unit while still enabling them to have occasional out-of-town visitors stay close by. The cost of a night in the guest suite will also usually be quite economical as compared to the price of a comparable hotel room — or may even be free of charge.
These on-site short-term stay accommodations can be especially helpful for visitors of residents living in a long-term care setting, such as a continuing care retirement community’s (CCRC or life plan community) assisted living or skilled nursing care unit. Indeed, in such cases, having a loved one stay close by can be beneficial to the resident, and for the support person, the convenient, comfortable, economical on-site accommodations can alleviate a common source of stress while they nurture their connection with their loved one.
Accommodating special community guests
There are occasions where the retirement community itself may have on-campus visitors. This could be community administrators who are in town for meetings, or it might be other invited visitors, such as a guest speaker or even an entertainer.
We at myLifeSite have been fortunate to be graciously invited to stay in numerous retirement communities’ guest suites over the years when we’ve been on campus to speak at marketing events or meet with administrative staff. When we are able to arrive the day before the event and stay on-site, it allows us to get a better sense of the community.
We’ve stayed in many guest suites that were outstanding. They were clean, comfortable, and inviting. The TVs worked, the walls were in good shape, the bathrooms were clean, and the thermostat was operable. Some will leave beverages and snacks, such as a fruit and cheese tray, in the refrigerator, which is a particularly nice touch. These positive experiences are indicative of what a prospect might expect should they decide to move to these communities.
Hosting prospective residents
For people who are considering various retirement communities, it can be tremendously beneficial for them to spend as much time on the communities’ campuses as possible. This will give them a true feel for what it would be like to live there full-time.
Many communities will allow future residents who have deposited on a residential unit to utilize some of the community’s services and amenities. This might include things like using the pool and fitness center or dining in the on-site restaurants. Spending this time on campus lets residents-to-be begin to get comfortable in the community, meet current residents, and generally acclimate to what life will be like when they eventually move there.
But if a retirement community has a guest suite, it can be highly beneficial for prospective residents to stay on-campus for several nights. This type of “immersion” within the community will give you a true sense of what it will be like to live there. And it can be quite eye-opening — for better or worse — as we at myLifeSite have experienced in our own stays (discussed above).
The guest suite can be a reflection of a retirement community’s management and if they pay attention to details. For instance, if management takes the time to ensure the guest suites are tidy and comfortable, then hopefully it’s a good indication that they also focus on keeping the entire community well-kept.
On the other hand, if a guest suite stay leaves something to be desired — maybe the cleanliness of the room is lacking or the level of service provided by the staff is ho-hum — it might serve as a red flag about how satisfied you can expect to be with the community in the long-term.
It’s a great way to try before you buy!
By myLifeSite|
Note: RWC has two guest apartments and a guest cottage.