Vegan mantras don’t exactly abound, but here’s one to remember:
Checking in at a hotel? Check out their menu first.
As a well-informed VEGWORLD reader, you know that traveling for business or enjoyment can be difficult when hotels don’t offer vegan food choices. Happily, in keeping with the burgeoning growth of plant-based lifestyles, more and more are doing so.
But now there’s even better news: Some of the world’s largest hotel chains are featuring plant-based meals at their properties all over the globe.
Here are just some of the growing numbers of these hip hostelries:
Interstate Hotels and Resorts
Managing more than 500 hotels around the world including Hilton and Courtyard by Marriott chains, Interstate launched a vegan/vegetarian dining program in early 2019 that spans all of them.
Featuring 27 vegan and vegetarian dishes, their menu offerings include Corn Risotto, Eggplant Meatballs with Zucchini Noodles, Nashville Eggplant with Mac and “Cheese” and Wilted Kale, Pastrami Beets, Tuscan Avocado Toast (Are you hungry yet?), and…wait for it…Zucchini Squash Spaghetti with Spigarello Hazelnut Pesto! These dishes clearly reflect the hotel chain’s commitment to well-crafted and delicious vegan and vegetarian food.
Interstate management’s commitment to plant-based offerings is underscored by its expressed understanding of the movement’s global value and importance: “More consumers today look to meat-alternative options for reasons supporting heath and wellness, the environment, and animal welfare.”
Courtyard by Marriott hotels and inns have also partnered with Beyond Meat to offer the company’s products in dishes served in its Bistro Bar at more than 1,000 of its properties across North America. With over 1,000 locations, there’s likely to be one near you at home or on the road. Drop in to sample their special Beyond Burger or the chain’s signature Beyond Meat© Roasted Red Pepper Flatbread.
Four Seasons Luxury Hotels
Yes, I said “luxury.” The Four Seasons is just as serious about their luxurious vegan dining as they are about the quality their guests find throughout their hotels. They’ve started small, however, offering the Folia vegan menu first at the Cabana Restaurant as well as in select rooms and suites. Now that’s what I call Room Service!
But Wait — Don’t Forget Vegan In-Room Amenities!
You read that right: Increasing numbers of hotels are now offering those little bottles of shower gel, shampoo, cream rinse, and moisturizer in vegan form. Three high-end hotel chains, InterContinental, Conrad, and Grand Hyatt, make these quality amenities available to their guests in many parts of the world:
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts provides vegan amenities by Agraria, offering the Lemon Verbena line at all their 170 properties worldwide.
At Conrad Hotels & Resorts, vegan guests can select amenities from the Tara Smith Collection, which proudly declares that its products are “tested on film stars, not on animals.” The products are also certified by The Vegan Society.
Grand Hyatt hotels provide vegan guests with in-room amenities from the June Jacobs Spa Collection. In addition to the usual small-bottle offerings, you can also enjoy a facial cleansing bar and a luxurious body balm.
Next time you travel, look to these and other vegan-aware hotels and inns to respect your veganism and, literally, cater to it. Bon voyage!