Quick summary: A shifting paradigm reveals that approximately 45% of German travellers prioritize regional cuisine when choosing a destination, transforming hotel restaurants into primary travel motivators that champion sustainability and authentic food culture. By granting creative freedom to chefs who utilize short supply chains, local farming partnerships, and plant based fine dining, boutique resorts are successfully aligning hospitality with modern environmental expectations. This evolution illustrates a meaningful trend in public policy and global commerce towards sustainable tourism, demonstrating that integrating ecological responsibility with high quality craftsmanship can significantly enhance consumer well being and regional economic value.
A recent study indicates that around 45% of Germans consider local cuisine when choosing a travel destination. For many travellers, food has become a decisive factor in selecting both accommodation and region.
Hotel restaurants, once viewed mainly as a basic service, are increasingly becoming attractions in their own right, with guests booking stays specifically for culinary experiences.
Concepts focused on ingredient quality, regional sourcing, and authentic local identity are growing in popularity. Short supply chains, seasonal produce, and sustainable practices are now closely tied to guest expectations in hospitality.
Within this shift, chefs at sustainable boutique hotels, resorts, and hideaways are taking on a more prominent role by creating dining experiences that reflect both local culture and environmental responsibility.
Chefs driving sustainable hospitality
Properties within the Green Pearls network illustrate this trend. Their chefs are given creative freedom, access to regional products, and opportunities to develop sustainability-focused culinary concepts through seasonal ingredients, collaboration with local farmers, and mindful resource use.
Aggeliki Charami and vegan fine dining
Aggeliki Charami serves as head chef and executive chef at Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel, LA VIMEA Vegan Hotel, and the OMNIA plant-based restaurant.
She has earned multiple awards for her work at Paradiso Pure.Living, where she helped transform the property from a vegetarian-to-vegan concept into a fully vegan hotel.
Her cuisine combines local influences, varied textures, fermentation techniques, and elements of her Greek heritage. At LA VIMEA, she adopts a lighter culinary style. The OMNIA restaurant also attracts visitors independently of hotel stays, demonstrating how vegan cuisine can serve as a destination concept rather than simply an alternative dining option.
Giuseppe Schimmenti and zero-mile cuisine
Giuseppe Schimmenti, head chef at ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA, focuses on zero-mile cuisine by sourcing ingredients from the surrounding area, including locally produced fish, herbs, olive oil, and citrus fruits.
His menus reinterpret traditional Sicilian recipes and techniques through a contemporary approach inspired by personal memories of family meals. The dishes are designed to communicate the region’s heritage, craftsmanship, and food culture, making cuisine a central part of the travel experience.
Berni Aichner and flexible regional dining
Berni Aichner serves as PRENN° Culinary Director at OLM Nature Escape, where he leads the restaurant concept that defines the aparthotel’s culinary identity.
In 2026, Gault&Millau named OLM Nature Escape Hotel of the Year in South Tyrol, recognising its blend of architecture, sustainability, and cuisine.
Aichner, who previously trained with three-star chef Norbert Niederkofler, bases his philosophy on Slow Food principles and regional ingredients. Rather than fixed menus, he offers flexible dining experiences tailored to eco-aparthotel guests, including themed evenings and events such as Cooking with Reinhold Messner. These events also attract external visitors and strengthen the hotel’s brand identity.
Sascha Förster and immersive dining
Sascha Förster is executive chef at Klosterhof Alpine Hideaway and Spa, where he focuses on immersive culinary experiences.
One of the hotel’s signature offerings is the Secret Forest dinner, an intimate fine dining event held at select and sometimes hidden locations for a limited number of guests. Menus are based on seasonal local ingredients, making each event unique.
His GenussArt menu also allows guests to choose between regionally inspired and plant-based dishes, creating a more personalised dining experience. Such events increasingly serve as travel motivators for food-focused visitors.
Cuisine as a defining element of travel
The examples reflect a broader movement within sustainable hospitality, where chefs are shaping hotel identities through cuisine that highlights regional origin, craftsmanship, and philosophy.
As culinary experiences become more influential in travel planning, hotels are placing greater emphasis on authenticity, sustainability, and regional value chains as part of their long-term positioning.
Chefs are emerging as central figures in this evolution, with cuisine continuing to play a major role in creating memorable travel experiences.