Dive Brief:
- Capitalizing on the trend of patient travel, real estate developers are building hotels near major medical facilities, according to The New York Times.
- These hotels may offer special amenities targeted to medical consumers, such as on-site labs for bloodwork, pool lifts, extra electrical outlets or varying table heights to accommodate patients in wheelchairs.
- Some hotels find willing referral partners in neighboring hospitals, while others build directly on hospital property.
Dive Insight:
The hotel phenomenon reflects two trends. Medical centers have increasingly been designed with hospitality in mind, such as single-patient rooms and furniture that looks more traditional than clinical, and hotel-hospital partnerships are a clear extension of that idea. However, these partnerships are also the latest example of how providers are shifting their focus from healing the sick to public health and community care. By partnering with other organizations, hospitals and medical centers can combine medical, social, and behavioral health services and better address patients’ non-medical needs.
Economic pressures on hospitals and patients are combining with medical tourism to create a growing niche for hotels located on or near hospital campuses.
The New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are just two examples of facilities with patients who travel from across or outside the country for medical treatments. Having accommodations available nearby benefits hospitals by freeing up beds or simply making it more convenient for patients to obtain follow-up care.
The Cleveland Clinic took this idea a step farther by adding the Rosewood Hotel to its campus; this 152-room hotel is actually connected to the clinic and intended only for hospital patients. Baptist Health South Florida and Hilton broke ground last week on HiltonMiami/Dadeland, a 150-room hotel designed using best practices from both healthcare and the hospitality industry. The hotel will feature 34 rooms tailored specifically to guests who need a longer stay.