Hotels Entice Guests with Farmers Markets

Farm to table ingredients for hotel restaurants and spas has really taken off – hotel rooftop beehives offer fresh honey to grace breakfast tables and for tea times; herb gardens supply everything from rosemary, sage and lavender for the table and spa; they have their very own olive groves, vineyards and cattle ensure the freshest ingredients for hotel guests.

Now hotels are turning to nature’s bounty as the newest attraction and entertainment: farmers markets. Alain Ducasse was among the first to establish the concept, with his annual Market Day at Paris’ Plaza Athenee (next year will be his third). It’s held in the hotels’ courtyard, it’s intended to be a destination for foodies and gourmets, the market provides access to local purveyors selling everything from butter and cheese to fish, poultry and vegetables. Products are not for sale; the idea for purveyors to display pick-of-the-season produce and provisions and “rejoice in the celebration of sustainable food” they say.

Travel + Leisure reports that some U.S. hotels are bringing farmers markets to their lobbies. Examples include the Andaz Wall Street, which teams the Saturday market — anyone for fudge and chutneys – with cooking classes; Boston’s Charles Hotel with New England favorites including apple cider, roasted pecans and goat cheese; and the Canyons Resort Park City market boasts everything from roasted sweet corn and ice cream to cheeses, salsas and honey.