Our History
Four decades of building community, sharing knowledge, and advocating for the healthcare hospitality imperative.
A grassroots idea that became the only organization of its kind in North America.
In the early 1980s, a small group of people running hospital hospitality houses recognized something important: they were doing similar work in communities across the country, facing similar challenges, and largely doing it alone. There was no professional network, no shared resource library, no gathering place for people in this specific and meaningful field.
That recognition led to a meeting. In 1985, a 25-member steering committee gathered at the Hospital Hospitality House of Saginaw in Michigan, supported by a startup grant from the Wickson-Link Foundation. From that meeting, the National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses took shape, with its first offices in the basement of the Saginaw house that helped bring it to life.
The goal was straightforward: help existing hospitality houses connect with one another, share resources, and strengthen their operations, while also working to support the development of new houses in communities that needed them. It was a membership organization built by practitioners, for practitioners.
A timeline of growth
The first offices
The National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses held its first offices in the basement of the Hospital Hospitality House of Saginaw in Michigan, the same house that helped bring the association to life.
Formal incorporation
Bylaws and articles of incorporation were adopted, and the organization was formally established as the National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses.
First dedicated staff
The association hired its first staff person to administer operations, marking the transition from a purely volunteer-led organization to one with dedicated professional support.
Education takes root
The first formal education course in hospitality was introduced at the annual conference, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become the Certified Hospitality House program.
National Healthcare Hospitality Week established
The first Hospital Hospitality House Week was established, creating an annual moment to shine a national light on the work of hospitality houses and the patients and families they serve.
First website launched
HHN launched its first website, extending its reach beyond print directories and in-person conferences and opening the door to broader connection with members and the public.
25th anniversary
The association celebrated 25 years at the annual conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, hosted by the SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals, reflecting on a quarter century of growth and community.
A new name for a broader mission
The association's name changed from the National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses to Healthcare Hospitality Network, Inc., better reflecting the full scope of the membership and the mission.
Adapting through a pandemic
COVID-19 tested every HHN member house in ways no one anticipated. Many closed their doors temporarily for the first time. HHN pivoted quickly, holding its first virtual annual conference and finding new ways to keep the community connected during one of the most challenging periods in the organization's history.
40 years of healthcare hospitality
HHN marked its 40th anniversary, celebrating four decades of connecting hospitality houses, supporting the people who run them, and making the case that access to lodging during medical treatment is part of the care.
Still growing. Still essential.
What began in a basement in Saginaw is now the only professional membership association in North America dedicated specifically to healthcare hospitality housing. HHN's membership spans houses of all sizes, serving patients and families navigating cancer treatment, transplants, pediatric care, veteran health services, and much more.
The challenges that brought those first 25 people together in 1985 haven't gone away. Hospitality house leaders still operate with lean teams, high emotional demands, and a mission that doesn't pause. What has changed is the depth of the community behind them. HHN exists to make sure no one doing this work has to figure it out alone.
The existence of a healthcare hospitality house in a community should be seen as a necessity, not an amenity.
Be part of what comes next
HHN's story is still being written. If your organization provides lodging and support to patients and families, we'd love to have you in the community.