I stayed at Nestor Hotel, Ludwigsburg for five days. The room itself was very comfortable but what really let the hotel down was the lack of catering for vegans. The hotel had assured me at the time of booking that a vegan breakfast would be available for me, however that wasn’t the case at all. There were very limited options that were vegan, such as soya yoghurt, fruit, and tea. None of the food was marked as vegan. When I asked the kitchen staff, I was told different things by different members of staff. Some told me there was milk in all the bread and some emphatically told me the bread was vegan – who was I to believe? Nobody seemed to fully understand what ‘vegan’ means. I was pointed towards the salad. Who wants salad for breakfast? I ended up having a piece of fruit, a soya yoghurt and a cup of tea on most days. None of the cereals were marked as vegan (most cereals are not vegan). None of the hot food was vegan, aside from baked beans and mushrooms. Some staff said the bread was vegan, others did not, so I didn’t risk it. So, no bread, no cereals, and no hot food other than mushrooms. This was really disappointing, especially given that I had asked at the time of booking for a vegan breakfast and was assured I would have it. I told Reception about my problem twice. The first time I was assured someone would look into it and call me. I didn’t receive a call. The second time I just received an apology but no action was taken. I was still charged for a full breakfast for all 5 days. The constant struggle to try to find a member of kitchen staff who could simply give me accurate information, and the lack of a nourishing breakfast to start my days, really spoiled what would otherwise have been a comfortable stay. My advice to this hotel is: 1 – Please educate your kitchen staff about different dietary needs. They also need to know that gluten-free is not the same as vegan! 2 – Please provide labels in front of each food item, clearly displaying what it is, eg ‘vegetarian’, ‘vegan’, ‘gluten-free’. This is really basic information to provide your customers, many of whom have special dietary requirements.
翻譯