Traveling as a vegan has gotten easier than ever, especially given that numerous restaurants around the country are jumping into the vegan movement. Yet the concept of a fully vegan hotel is a relatively new phenomenon that goes beyond the food we eat, expanding to animal-free bedding, furniture, cleaning products, and guests’ complimentary soap and shampoo.
Hidden gems like the Stanford Inn in Northern California have been running a vegan operation for 40 years, but as travelers continue to call for more transparency, higher sustainability standards, and ethical business models, more vegan hotels and resorts are popping up to meet these demands.
For those who need to get away, here are seven vegan hotels and resorts from Hawaii to upstate New York.
What makes a hotel vegan-friendly?
The accommodations listed below are immensely vegan-friendly, pet-friendly, and eco-conscious. However, while there may not be a vegan bed and breakfast or luxury resort in every travel destination, some lodging is more vegan-friendly than others.
When looking for a hotel, the first thing we do is look at the “Experiences” or “Specials” tab. For example, St. Julien in Boulder, CO isn’t exclusively vegan, but it does offer a Very Vegan experience that alerts the hotel to take every measure to ensure your stay is in alignment with your lifestyle, from the food to the mini bottles of hand lotion.
The next telling sign of a vegan-friendly hotel is the inclusion of a dedicated vegan menu at one of the property restaurants. The Peninsula in Beverly Hills offers a fully plant-based menu for dinner as well as consistent vegan options on its breakfast and lunch menus.
Where is the best place for a vegan vacation?
While the list below is limited to vegan hotels in the US, it’s important to point out that the travel and tourism industry is becoming more vegan-friendly all over the world. Santorini, Greece, for example, became home to a new vegan boutique hotel in 2021. And in the same year, a new family-run, boutique vegan hotel opened in Costa Rica. For more on vegan-friendly resorts all over the world follow our guide here. More of an Airbnb kind of traveler? Check out VegVisits for vegan vacation rentals throughout the US and abroad.
7 vegan-friendly hotels in the US
If you want a domestic getaway, there are many options in the US. From quiet bed and breakfasts to inclusive resorts, pack your bags and let these hotels dictate where you book your next vacation.
Heart Core Hotels
1 Volcano Eco Resort in Hilo, HI
As part of the Heartcore boutique eco-hotel group, this all-vegan, adults-only retreat gives sustainability-minded travelers peace of mind. The property has a zero-waste mentality and uses pure Hawaiian rainwater recycled on-site. All single-use plastics have been banned and only biodegradable cleaning products are used.
The resort is located between the city of Hilo and Volcano National Park, making it an ideal spot to get away and relax or do some adventure. The property serves a complimentary vegan brunch every day and offers an outdoor spa, zen garden, and morning yoga. At some point, you will need to leave to get food—brunch is the only option for now—but think of it as an opportunity to explore the sights and eats the Big Island has to offer.
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Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile
2Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile in Kanab, UT
Whether you’re volunteering at the nearby Best Friends Animal Sanctuary or just passing through, Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile gets a gold star in its vegan-friendly offerings. The rooms are designed with pets in mind and are perfectly suited for hosting a sleepover with a dog or cat from the sanctuary—vegan actress Mayim Bialik recently stayed here with her two sons and an adorable pitbull named Ariadne. Plus, the bathroom amenities are animal- and cruelty-free, and each room features a large-scale photograph of a sanctuary animal. And while there’s not a dedicated restaurant, the hotel does have a mercantile that offers guests vegan snacks, beverages, and complimentary breakfast. If you want to eat out, you’re within walking distance of a surprisingly high number of vegan-friendly restaurants in this small town of Kanab, largely due to the vegan bent of Best Friends’ founders.
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St. Julien Hotel & Spa
3St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder, CO
Health and wellness are a focus for this eco-conscious resort, which is no surprise considering it’s located in one of America’s most active and athletic cities. That’s one reason the hotel offers a Very Vegan Package at various times during the year that includes two vegan cocktails, a vegan spa treatment, and a $50 food and beverage credit. Be sure to dine at Jill’s Restaurant & Bistro, an on-site eatery with enough vegan options to keep things interesting (hello, vegan yakisoba noodles and blackened tofu). If you’re staying for the weekend, arrive a bit early to take advantage of the First Friday Vegan Buffet which is held from 11:00am-2:30pm the first Friday of every month.
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Stanford Inn by the Sea
4Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, CA
This eco- and pet-friendly resort with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean may be one of the most established vegan resorts in the United States. The Stanford Inn is the home of the highly acclaimed vegan restaurant The Ravens, which sources organic ingredients from its gardens and serves complimentary breakfast every morning. At night, the restaurant turns into a fine-dining experience (and you can rest assured that all food waste is composted, and glass, cardboard, and paper are recycled). Every afternoon, the resort also offers free desserts and coffee or tea. To round out your physical and mental well-being, Stanford Inn offers a large menu of wellness classes, including those focused on cooking and gardening. Additionally, you might encounter real animals, either those who are guests or the rescued animals who reside on the resort’s property.
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Dreamers Welcome
5 Dreamers Welcome in Wilmington, NC
This art-filled, cozy oasis in the historic Wilmington downtown area functions as a B&B that goes above and beyond for vegans and their dogs. All of the furnishings and bedding are vegan, as are the hand soaps (black charcoal made in Puerto Rico) and toiletries (vegan Castile soap products). When you arrive, you’ll receive a map with staff recommendations for vegan-friendly establishments in the neighborhood, and every morning, guests enjoy a complimentary vegan breakfast with dishes such as quinoa porridge and cherry pistachio scones. Its vegan kitchen also serves other breakfast dishes you can purchase, as well as boxed lunches and special dinners. Feel like getting your wellness on? Book an in-room massage or take an on-site yoga class. Or just hang out on its old front porch with your pup.
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Park Lane Guest House
6 Park Lane Guest House in Austin, TX
True to its word, Park Lane Guest House may be the greenest little hotel in this vegan-friendly city. The cottages are solar-powered, the complimentary coffee is fair-trade, chemical cleaners are never used, and bath amenities aren’t just organic but also cruelty-free. And every morning, guests wake up to vegan options such as ginger lemon and rosemary buckwheat waffles or breakfast tacos—a staple in Austin—filled with veggies. You can even try the organic grapefruit picked straight from Park Lane’s trees.
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Gray Barn
7 The Gray Barn at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls, NY
What vegan wouldn’t want to stay at the Gray Barn where a private tour of Woodstock Farm Sanctuary is included with every stay? Plus, the lounge area offers beautiful views of the Shawangunk Ridge and the pasture where the sanctuary’s rescued goats graze. You do need to become a member of Woodstock to stay here, but the base membership costs only $40 and with that, you’ll get a five percent discount on your stay. You can then slumber in one of five bedrooms (you’ll have your own bathroom and terrace), each named after an animal at the sanctuary. Every morning at this non-profit hotel, an organic vegan breakfast is served in the communal space. Because this is an all-vegan organization, guests are asked not to bring any non-vegan food into their rooms.
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Karen Asp is a VegNews digital writer, regular contributor to numerous other publications (like Forks Over Knives, Eating Well, Sentient Media, O and Real Simple), author of Anti-Aging Hacks, and a vegan lifestyle coach and educator in Indiana.
