Margate, a seaside town on England’s southeast coast, is getting a vegan hotel fit with a restaurant and a rooftop terrace.
The owner, Paul Blayne, is transforming a former bookstore on 21 High Street into the five-bedroom hotel. Blayne already owns Beet Bar, a vegan café located in the back of the building. He also runs Beet Beds, a two-bedroom bed and breakfast, according to KentOnline.
“We had opened two rooms and soon realized with having the vegan food in the bar, it wouldn’t be too much of an ordeal making them vegan,” he told the media outlet.
Blayne said everything in the hotel down to the bed covers and pillows would be vegan. “So doing away with feather pillows and having all-vegan toiletries. It’s great for vegans but also doesn’t push out those who aren’t,” he explained.
Due to lockdown measures amid the ongoing pandemic, work on the new hotel has been put on pause. Blayne says he is hopeful he will be able to start working on the hotel again soon.
Vegan Travel
As interest in veganism grows, restaurants, supermarkets, and other businesses are offering plant-based products to meet the growing demand. The travel industry is no different.
When lockdown measures lift and travel picks back up again, for those who want to hop on a plane, airlines like Aer Lingus, Air France, British Airways, United, and Virgin Atlantic offer inflight vegan meals.
The online service Happy Cow assists travelers with finding vegan food options in restaurants nearby. Veggie Hotels and Vegan Hotels both offer resources on finding vegan lodging.
All-vegan hotels are cropping up around the world. Scotland-based Saorsa 1875 is an 11-bedroom boutique hotel “designed for vegans, vegetarians, and the plant-curious.” Surrounded by two acres of gardens and woodlands, the hotel’s menu features plant-based, locally-sourced, and seasonal ingredients.
Ano Mera—a quaint village located in Mykonos—is also getting its very first fully vegan hotel this summer. Koukoumi Hotel will feature a relaxing spa and offer Mediterranean-inspired, all-vegan cuisine. The menu will boast a number of raw vegan meals. Many of these will feature ingredients sourced from the hotel’s fruit and vegetable garden.
