Transform Your Hotel’s Breakfast Experience: The Key to Winning Over Plant-Based Guests

A few veggie sticks, some hummus, and a slice of dry bread... Is this what plant-based breakfast options look like in your hotel? If so, it’s time for a change.

Your hotel breakfast should be more than just a way to start the day. It should be an experience that excites, delights, and energizes your guests. Yet, the reality for many plant-based travelers is often underwhelming, leaving them unsatisfied and unlikely to return.

With plant-based nutrition gaining momentum, it’s no longer enough to offer uninspired options. Guests are expecting more. So, how can you create a plant-based breakfast that wows your guests, drives loyalty, and gets them talking about your hotel?

Why Skimping on Plant-Based Breakfast Could Be Costing You

Imagine this: just one vegan guest a week, accompanied by a partner, decides to skip your hotel because of poor plant-based breakfast options. At an average room rate of €150/night, that’s a potential loss of €300 per week, €1,200 per month, and €15,600 per year. And as plant-based eating becomes more mainstream, this trend is only growing!

The truth is, as sustainability and conscious eating rise in importance, guests who feel underserved will take their business elsewhere. In today’s competitive hospitality landscape, no hotel can afford to leave rooms unoccupied—especially for something as easy to fix as the breakfast menu.

How to Turn Your Plant-Based Breakfast into a Guest Magnet

Ready to turn things around? Here’s how to make your plant-based breakfast a highlight every guest will rave about:

1. Embrace Variety and Creativity

A plant-based diet isn’t about sacrifice—it’s about innovation. Scrambled tofu, smokey tempeh bacon, freshly baked bread, sweet bites, warm waffles, and pancakes—there are endless options to make your plant-based breakfast just as exciting as any other.

Forget boring veggie sticks and hummus. Elevate your breakfast with creative options like plant-based cheese, vegan sausage platters, and indulgent treats that even non-vegan guests will love trying out of curiosity.

Pro Tip: For a streamlined kitchen operation, consider organizing your standard buffet as plant-based, with clearly labeled animal products available separately. This ensures everyone enjoys the same high-quality selection while minimizing confusion.

2. Make Plant-Based Coffee a Delight

It’s not enough to have a carton of plant-based milk sitting by the cereal station. Imagine a guest pouring cold oat milk into hot coffee—resulting in a lukewarm, disappointing experience. Avoid this by providing a milk frother at the coffee station, allowing guests to enjoy a perfectly frothed, hot cappuccino with plant milk.

Pro Tip: If you have two coffee machines, dedicate one to plant-based milk options (like oat or soy) and label them clearly. And if you choose oat milk, make sure it’s gluten-free to accommodate all dietary needs.

3. Clear Labelling is a Must

Guests, especially those with allergies, want to know what’s in their food without having to ask staff every time. Clear, attractive labels with allergens listed are essential. Avoid naming foods ‘vegan,’ which can carry unnecessary baggage—call the food by its signature flavors or ingredients to convey the message positively. For example, instead of “Vegan Sausage” as the title of a dish, simply write “Smoked Sausage” and include a visible vegan or plant-based label beside it.

Attention: When sourcing bread, pastries, cereal or muesli, be sure to check for hidden animal products like milk powder. This applies to items like margarine and drinking cocoa as well.

Turn Your Breakfast Into a Competitive Advantage

By elevating your plant-based breakfast offering, you’re not only increasing guest satisfaction—you’re positioning your hotel as a sustainable, forward-thinking leader. With the rise of ESG and CSRD reporting requirements, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by integrating plant-based ingredients isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for your bottom line.

A thoughtfully crafted plant-based breakfast can become a key competitive advantage, driving repeat bookings and referrals. Market your hotel as ‘vegan-friendly,’ attract new guests, and increase revenue by catering to the growing community of vegan, health and sustainability conscious, and flexitarian travelers.

Your Next Step? Hire a Vegan Hospitality Consultant

Creating an outstanding plant-based breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require expertise. That’s where we come in. At Vegan Hospitality, our consultants specialize in helping hotels like yours design creative, delicious, and sustainable plant-based menus that guests love.

Whether you’re ready to revamp your breakfast or take your entire menu in a new direction, we’re here to help. Contact us today to discover how we can transform your offerings—and turn your hotel into a destination for plant-based guests.

Are you proud that your hotel is already vegan friendly? Find out if your hotel qualifies for Vegan Hospitality & Tourism Certification.

This article was written by Anna Karle, Certified Vegan Hospitality Consultant based in Stuttgart, Germany