Hong Kong-based Ovolo Hotel Group claims it is the world’s first hotel group to offer a vegetarian-led cuisine, and its executives said the move makes sense from both an economical and sustainable standpoint.
Executive Chairman Girish Jhunjhnuwala, who founded the firm’s initial serviced-apartment offerings in 2002 and the Ovolo Hotel Group in 2010, said its commitment to “ethical eating and conscious cuisine” has been bolstered by its “Plant’d” and “Year of the Veg" campaigns in which hotels across the group promoted vegetarian and plant-based cuisine.
The family-owned business operates four hotels and three restaurants in Hong Kong, and eight hotels and seven restaurants across Australia, in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.
All these assets began their journey to full vegetarianism in 2020, a process that is continuing.
In addition, the group runs the By Ovolo Collective, a four-hotel collection that includes Nishi Apartments in Canberra, The Sheung Wan by Ovolo and The Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong, and Mamaka Kuta Beach in Bali, Indonesia.
Those four hotels do serve meat dishes.
Earlier this year, Dave Baswal was appointed CEO of Ovolo Hotel Group. Like Jhunjhnuwala, he was brought up in a vegetarian household where he was exposed to “alternative and more sustainable choices from a very young age."
"From our family, we learned the art of experimenting and were shown there are many vegetarian options to not only better your own health, but the environments, too," Baswal said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the executives' food and beverage beliefs.
They said the pandemic has inspired them to take the lead from the successful operations of the group's vegetarian restaurants, Veda and Alibi.
According to Baswal, Ovolo’s food and beverage guidance is three-pronged:
- "Environment — The need to treat the environment with love and respect, to be self-sufficient, self-sustainable and locally sustainable;
- "Vegetables — The group’s determination to be part of the change it wants to see in elevating vegetarian dining and celebrating the very best of indulgent vegetarian cuisine;
- "Wellness — To capture business from a huge attitude shift towards vegetarianism over the past couple of years as people globally become more educated and aware of vegetarianism’s health implications and the environmental unsustainability of consuming meat."
“Ovolo Group has the unique opportunity to lead as an enabler, providing guests with healthier choices often before they search for it. Our carefully curated menus put the well-being of our guests at the forefront, and while a long-term choice, it has a tasty short-term gain,” Baswal said.
While the group has received positive feedback on its bold move, Baswal said he felt that “it’s important for us to educate the public about the benefits of going vegetarian, and highlighting vegetarian food can still be indulgent, flavorful and hearty, without the need for meat.”
“The Year of the Veg/Plant’d has proved sustainable financially,” Baswal said.
He acknowledged “significant savings in food costs” but that longer preparation time with chefs becoming “more purposeful in their presentation” has offset some of the total savings.
With seasonal vegetables being readily available and far more cost effective than buying meat and seafood, the cost saving solution lies in finding ways and means to utilize the entire vegetable in cooking and in reducing food waste.
“And organically, we are improving the health of our environment and ourselves at the same time,” he said.
Satisfying Palates
Baswal said the firm’s changing and developing menu allows for creativity and happy guests.
“[We] thrive in doing things a little differently, and it’s incredible what can be achieved where there is no creative barrier. … We have always been confident in our flavors and menu.
“Going fully vegetarian was a bold strategic move to showcase that these same flavors can be applied to non-meat dishes as well. We have a team of world-class chefs who have perfected this initiative to satisfy a range of palates,” he said.
Dishes such as the Southern fried chick'n burger and Peri chicken employ alternative ingredients to replicate the taste of meat.
“The concern of food-group limitation has entirely reversed, and we now see our venues flourish with inventive dishes used with sustainable resources,” Baswal said.
“Culinary culture is magnified by sharing new experiences and sparking conversation, and Ovolo has created a strong reputation for leading the way. We surprise and delight … and know people are willing to try new things,” he said.
He said he has witnessed increased curiosity for plant-based alternatives that he believes will only grow with time.
He said the firm’s vegetarian-led philosophy is available in its “Veg Pledge Playbook” document on its website.
Growing Tall
Waves of COVID-19 restrictions in the Asia-Pacific region also resulted in peaks and troughs in occupancy at Ovolo's hotels.
“In Australia, Bali and for the early part of 2020-21, we had to focus on a lot of staycations since there was no international travel allowed during that time. We remained creative in all our hotel offers while also putting a lot of focus on promoting and pushing our restaurants, as food was something a lot of people turned to,” Jhunjhnuwala said.
“Hong Kong was a more interesting market as it has stayed completely closed to international travel throughout the pandemic. Two [of our] properties in Hong Kong have partnered with Dash Living to become long-stay properties,” he said.
Jhunjhnuwala said that with the reopening of Australia, both domestic and international travel have increased, and the new Mamaka in Bali reached 100% occupancy within a few weeks of opening in October 2021.
Buoyed by the success of its Australian properties, more growth in Australia is high on Baswal and Jhunjhnuwala’s list.
“We are open to all opportunities and hope to complete our presence in Australia by expanding into Western Australia and Southern Australia (states) as we do not operate in those areas yet, eventually expanding into New Zealand as well,” Baswal said.
Future targets also include Southeast Asian cities such as Bangkok and Singapore, and European assets are also a possibility.
Along with expansion, Jhunjhnuwala said environmental, social and governance will be "an integral part of the future."
“Businesses cannot ignore it for too long, as guests, employees and investors will all demand this moving forward. … At the same time, wellness is another huge focus that has been a result of the pandemic. We believe it isn’t just a trend, but a movement that’s here to stay. It is increasingly ingrained into our ethos and will continue to play a part in our offerings,” he said.