Ovolo Hotels is launching the ‘Year of the Veg’ – becoming the first hotel group to go completely vegetarian across all its restaurants, bars, and food services for an entire year. Inspired to act on climate change and environmental conservation, the designer hotel collection is phasing out meat to focus on creating compelling plant-based cuisine instead.
[October 2020] Ovolo Hotels is launching the ‘Year of the Veg’ – becoming the first hotel group to go completely vegetarian across all its restaurants, bars, and food services for an entire year. Inspired to act on climate change and environmental conservation, the designer hotel collection is phasing out meat to focus on creating compelling plant-based cuisine instead.
With more consumers choosing to reap the benefits of plant-based and vegetarian cuisine, Ovolo decided the time was ripe to leave animal products behind; World Vegetarian Day on October 1 proved the perfect moment to launch “Year of the Veg”.
The shift in direction embodies Ovolo’s philosophy of connecting with its customers’ demands. Now, guests and diners will be able to nourish their bodies with meat-free meals, which are packed with fresh, locally-sourced produce and embrace the ideals of ethical eating.
For Ovolo in Hong Kong, the movement towards vegetarianism began at Veda at Ovolo Central. When it opened, Veda was Hong Kong’s first vegetarian hotel restaurant and its delicious, innovative cuisine quickly won fans and accolades, heralding the city’s movement towards healthier, more conscious consumption through plant-based cuisine.
Having laid the groundwork with Veda, Ovolo Hotels is seizing the opportunity to cater to Hong Kong’s sustainably-minded gastronomes by turning 100% vegetarian. Komune, the lively all-day dining destination at Ovolo Southside is cutting meat from its menus, and the hotel will soon debut an exciting new restaurant concept that will be fully vegetarian, too.
The movement will extend to Australia, with Ovolo’s Australian locations also going plant-based for the year. Monster Kitchen & Bar (Ovolo Nishi, Canberra), ZA ZA TA (Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane), and Mr Percy (Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour, Sydney) are also debuting exciting new all-vegetarian menus to celebrate “Year of the Veg”. They’ll join Alibi Bar & Kitchen, at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, which set the standard as the first 100% plant-based hotel restaurant in Australia and New Zealand.
To further the plant-based cause, Ovolo is also revamping its room service menus. For “Year of the Veg”, guests will be able to enjoy an array of tantalising vegetarian dishes in the comfort of their design-forward Ovolo guest room.
Commenting on this bold new direction, Ovolo Group’s Founder and CEO, Girish Jhunjhnuwala, says, “Dining out – enjoying quality food and wine with good company – is one of life’s greatest pleasures. We want to be conscious about what we’re consuming and practice sustainability as much as we can because we believe this can have an enormous impact on the environment and humanity at large. To that end, we’re evolving our food offerings so that our guests can continue enjoying great dining experiences in a more sustainable manner.”
Committed to finding ways to reduce their environmental footprint, “Year of the Veg” is just the latest in a series of eco-friendly initiatives that Ovolo Hotels has implemented over the last year. This includes eliminating single-use bathroom amenities made of plastic, replacing plastic straws with environmentally-friendly alternatives, and using reusable woven bags for slippers. After going vegetarian across all their restaurants, Ovolo will continue to incorporate sustainable and ethical practises throughout their properties as much as possible.
All Ovolo Hotel venues will offer vegetarian menus from Thursday, 1 October, also known as World Vegetarian Day.
-ENDS-
**To give guests complete freedom for their bespoke celebrations, “Year of the Veg” does not include Conferencing & Events at Ovolo Hotels or By Ovolo Collective hotels, as they are distinctive individual concepts.**
Press Images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hbgxcc4wys8dm6e/AABIX1g6gFJ_C-6T1pduJgHqa?dl=0
For further information, please contact:
Dominique Backhouse, Companion Communications
E. Dominique@CompanionCommunications.com
T. +852 90881096
Caroline Pitt, Companion Communications
E. Caroline@CompanionCommunications.com
T. +65 92739011
About Ovolo Group:
The Ovolo Group was founded by entrepreneur Girish Jhunjhnuwala and first entered the real estate market in 2002; it expanded into the hotel industry in 2010. Ovolo Hotels quickly became one of Hong Kong and Australia’s most dynamic independent owner-operated hospitality firms by providing guests with the best in effortless living across hotels and food and beverage outlets.
The Ovolo Group is a collection of contemporary hotels that keep you connected to the little luxuries you love, all effortlessly included. The company prides itself on being in touch with the modern traveller by offering award-winning interior designs, detail-driven comforts, complimentary value-added services like the mini bar, breakfast, and Wi-Fi, along with cutting-edge technology - all done in signature Ovolo style. At the 2019 HM Awards, Ovolo Hotels was acknowledged for Hotel and Accommodation Excellence, receiving the accolade “Hotel Brand of the Year”.
A proud Hong Kong brand, the Ovolo Group remains a family-owned and privately-operated business operating four hotels and three restaurants in Hong Kong, and seven hotels and five restaurants across Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. Ovolo is also developing a new hotel in the South Yarra neighbourhood of Melbourne, Australia.
The Ovolo Group also includes the By Ovolo Collective, a distinctive collection of four hotels, each of which offers guests unique, special experiences. The collection includes Nishi Apartments in Canberra, Australia, Mojo Nomad Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, The Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. A fifth hotel, Mamaka Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia, will launch in late 2020.