From restaurant to minibar, hotel food is getting healthier

— -- It's becoming almost impossible to get a junk-food fix at many major hotels, as they steadily give their restaurant menus Whole Foods-style makeovers.

Many are rolling out menus with smaller portions in response to a growing demand by travelers to offer healthier food.

And some hotel groups are playing up their healthier food options with menus that describe organic vegetables, seafood, meat and dairy produced without chemicals.

The changes come amid growing concerns about obesity. A study out in May from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts U.S. obesity will soar up to 42% of the population by 2030, if unchecked.

Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University's hospitality school, says hotels also can cut costs by bringing down portion sizes. But the biggest benefit is they can lure more customers by building its identity around this issue.

"When business travelers are asked about things they dislike most, 'not enough sleep' and 'eating more unhealthy' ranks right up there after the awful experience of travel itself," he says. "This a way to try to respond to that shift market share."

Meeting special diet needs

And it's no longer enough for hotels to offer just vegetarian food options. Now some of their menus are going gluten-free, dairy-free and macrobiotic to cater to Americans' special diets.

Food allergies affect about 5% of children and 4% of adults in the U.S., according to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"This is a subtle message that we are attentive to health issues," Hanson says. "It brings with it an image that is very positive to the traveler, especially older travelers like Baby Boomers who are increasingly focused on health issues."

Hotels are paying special attention to the gluten-averse customer. About 3 million Americans have celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that interferes with the digestion of gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. Experts say many more don't have the disease but still can't tolerate gluten.

There were $8.4 million in sales of gluten-free products last year among retailers that tracking firm Nielsen monitors nationwide.

"There is a much stronger effort and focus to call items out that are gluten-free," says Brad Nelson, corporate chef of Marriott International.

Even the hotel minibar is getting a healthier and sometimes more exotic upgrade. M&M's and potato chips are being replaced by fat-free snacks, aloe vera pulp juice and Parmesan herb chips in some hotels.

PHOTO GALLERY:Hotel minibars get an upgrade

The upgrade reflects changes in the tastes of their clientele and a desire to make more money from midnight-snacking guests.

"They're using their mini-bars as an extension of the property's personality, so they're stocking them with items that add to the mystique and experience," says Glenn Haussman, executive editor of HotelInteractive.com.

Hard to revamp on big scale

Until now, global hotel brands have taken small steps to revamp their menus to meet travelers' demands for food that's free of chemicals and antibiotics.

That's partly because it's hard to run a global purchasing program with suppliers that may be too small to meet a hotel group's needs, says Marriott's Nelson, who led the charge to eliminate trans-fats from the menu in 2006.