Plant-forward dining is no longer a niche experiment in Asia-Pacific hospitality. A growing number of hotel groups are setting public, measurable targets for plant-based menu composition, and the pace of commitments suggests the category is becoming a regional expectation rather than an optional add-on.
Take the Philippines. Here, four hospitality groups have announced plant-based targets in recent months. Brands operating in Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea and Hong Kong are moving forward with similar commitments.
Thailand, with its large and diverse visitor base, has a strong position to follow. In fact, consumer interest appears to be moving in the same direction: Sustainable Food Business has found that 84% of Thai residents believe plant-based foods to be healthier and more sustainable than conventional animal proteins, and 87% seek to increase their consumption of such foods in the year ahead.
Combined, the commitments show a clear and growing trend, one the hospitality industry is increasingly unwilling to miss out on.
A Growing Momentum Across Asia
Plant-based dining gained its modern momentum in Europe and North America, where vegan and vegetarian movements and commercial meat alternatives brought the category into mainstream conversation. Asia, however, has long had a strong plant-forward food culture, shaped by religious traditions and everyday cooking.
In places such as India, vegetarianism is widespread, and across East and Southeast Asia, vegetable- and tofu-based dishes have always been central. Now, however, plant-forward dining is becoming a norm across the wider Asian market, not only among vegetarians, but among hotel guests and restaurant diners who simply want fresher, more varied meals.
Artyzen Hospitality Group has committed to ensuring at least 30% of menu items are plant-based across its hotels by the end of 2027, in partnership with Lever China. The group’s commitment began at its Macau and Hengqin properties and has since expanded to its wider portfolio, with a stated ambition to extend the standard globally by 2029.
In the Philippines, four hospitality groups announced plant-based targets in recent months. Shangri-La committed to at least 30% of food and beverage offerings being plant-based across its Philippine properties by 2028. Bellevue committed to at least 25% plant-based menu options across all its properties by the end of 2026, Dusit set a 30% target across its properties, and Megaworld committed to 20% across all dining establishments by 2028.
The Philippine announcements also followed earlier commitments from Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, Eco Hotels Philippines, Winford Resort and Casino, The Ascott Limited Philippines, IHG Hotels and Resorts, and Okada Manila.
Scale is also being reinforced by certification. For example, Friend of the Earth and Friend of the Sea now require certified restaurants to ensure at least 30% of menu offerings are plant-based, alongside animal welfare criteria. Currently, 500+ restaurants hold the Sustainable Restaurants certification.
Protein Diversification at Scale
Plant-forward commitments are also appearing beyond hotels, in retail, food manufacturing and quick-service dining. SaladStop! Group, which operates more than 80 outlets across Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong, is targeting at least 60% of its protein from plant-based ingredients across its shops. Legumes, seitan, nuts, seeds, and mushrooms already feature across its menus.
The region’s own benchmarking shows where the opportunity lies. The Asia Protein Buyers 100 report assesses 100 of Asia’s largest listed food retailers, manufacturers, restaurant chains and hospitality groups. Its summary finds that 33% of companies already offer some form of plant-protein, and it identifies protein diversification as a theme where companies that set clear targets and report progress stand out. Operators that publish targets now are positioning themselves ahead of a benchmark that investors and regional buyers are increasingly tracking.
Hotel groups are reaching the same conclusion. Marriott International’s Asia-Pacific Future of Food 2027 report says plant-forward dining is accelerating across the region, and Marriott will introduce its APEC Plant-Forward Program across the region in 2027, which it describes as one of the first major global hotel groups to build plant-forward dining into its operational foundation.
The approach that makes this commercially attractive is protein diversification within existing dishes. Rather than building a separate vegan menu, operators can swap or supplement protein in recipes guests already order, which lets them capture the growth without disrupting the core menu.
Thailand in the Spotlight
Thailand sits at the center of this shift for a particular reason. Its hotels and restaurants serve guests from across the world, from neighboring markets in Asia to long-haul travelers from Europe, the Americas, Australia and the Middle East. Each of those guests brings different expectations of food, and a Thai property that gets plant-forward dining right can speak to all of them at once through the cuisine they already come for.
Rosewood Hotel branches in Bangkok and Phuket, which are expanding with Thai-inspired plant-based dishes made from local ingredients, show what that can look like in practice. Meanwhile, Deevana Hotels & Resorts has committed to achieving a 45:55 split in the weight of plant–based and animal-based protein purchased across its hotel properties by 2030.
The trend is growing, and Thailand is one of the places where it will be seen most clearly. Operators who act now will not only meet changing guest expectations but also help define what plant-forward dining in Asia looks like for the next decade.
