Philippine Hotel Industry Steps Up on Plant-Based Dining as More Groups Announce Commitments | Manila — Walk into a hotel restaurant in the Philippines today, and chances are the menu looks a little different than it did a few years ago. More vegetables taking center stage. More dishes built around grains, legumes, and fresh local produce. More guests asking not just what tastes good, but what their meal means for their health and the world around them. Across the country, plant-based dining is quietly becoming part of what Filipino travelers expect when they sit down to eat, with four of the country’s leading hospitality groups having announced in recent months new commitments to increase the use of plant-based foods across their properties.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and Bellevue Hotels and Resorts each committed to achieving 30% plant-based menu offerings across their Philippine properties by 2028 and 2026, respectively, while Dusit Hotels and Resorts set the same 30% target across its five major properties. Meanwhile, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts rounds out the group with a commitment to 20% plant-based menu offerings across all its dining establishments by 2028. Together, the four announcements reflect a hospitality sector that is increasingly treating plant-forward dining not as a niche offering, but as a core part of how hotels serve their guests.
“Shangri-La properties in the Philippines are advancing their plant-based journey, with a joint commitment to ensure at least 30% of their food and beverage offerings are plant-based by 2028—expanding choice for guests while supporting a more sustainable future,” Shangri-La’s Philippine properties stated in a joint statement on its new policy.
“As part of Bellevue Hotels and Resorts’ broader sustainability and wellness initiatives, we are proud to commit to offering at least 25% plant-based menu options across all Bellevue properties by the end of 2026,” noted Jojo Lizarondo, Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at Bellevue Hotels and Resorts. “We recognize the growing importance of providing more sustainable and health-conscious dining experiences to our guests, while continuing to innovate within Philippine hospitality.”
“Our commitment to expand plant-based offerings to 20% by 2028 across our diverse properties celebrates both sustainability and the rich plant-based traditions in Filipino cuisine,” added Franco Martin “Panky” Lopez, Corporate Culinary Head of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts. “As the largest homegrown hospitality chain in the Philippines, we recognize our responsibility to lead meaningful change in how our industry approaches food sustainability while continuing to deliver exceptional dining experiences that reflect our cultural heritage.”
“As we expand our presence in the Philippines, we recognize the responsibility we carry to grow sustainably. Our commitment to serving 30% plant-based food across all properties is a meaningful step in reducing our environmental footprint while continuing to offer exceptional culinary experiences,” said Shubham Chandra, General Manager of Dusit Thani Manila and Area General Manager of Dusit Thani Philippines Inc. “Sustainability is no longer a choice, it’s an imperative, and at Dusit, we are proud to be leading that charge.”
These four announcements build on a wave of commitments already made by other hospitality groups. Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, Eco Hotels Philippines, Winford Resort and Casino, The Ascott Limited Philippines, IHG Hotels and Resorts, and Okada Manila each announced their own plant-based menu targets over the prior eighteen months. Taken together, they position the Philippines as the leading country in Southeast Asia in advancing sustainable and plant-based foods in the hospitality sector.
For many hotels, the menu is where a sustainability strategy becomes something guests can actually see, taste, and choose. Plant-based dishes are lower in cholesterol and higher in fiber, giving guests a genuinely healthier option. They also have a much smaller environmental footprint, with plant proteins producing far fewer greenhouse gas emissions than animal proteins and requiring significantly less land and water. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has also found that plant-based foods generate less food waste than meat and dairy.
“The pace at which Philippine hotel groups are making these commitments is a strong signal that plant-based dining is becoming a baseline expectation in hospitality, not an optional add-on,” said Marielle Lagulay, Sustainability Program Manager at Lever Foundation, the international NGO that collaborated with each of these hospitality groups in developing their new policies. “From international brands to homegrown hospitality groups, we are seeing a genuine shift in how the industry thinks about food, and the Philippines is emerging as a real leader in this space across the region.”
