Why I Built InnTable: After 1,000 Hotel Nights, I Was DONE Being Handed Salads

Let me just start out by saying this article is different from anything I’ve ever published here. After years of reviewing other people’s hotels, other people’s airlines, and other people’s loyalty programs, today I get to write about something that’s MINE. It’s called InnTable, it’s live on the App Store right now, and full disclosure right up front: I built it, I own it, and I am the founder. Now let me tell you WHY.

Why Does Getting Handed a Salad Make Me So Angry?

Because after a thousand-plus hotel nights all over the world, the salad is what full-service hotels hand travelers like me instead of actual service. The idea for InnTable was born about seven years ago over exactly one of those salads — at the Sheraton Buganvilias in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

I was in a really nice Chinese restaurant inside the hotel, and I found myself having to explain to the waiter AND the chef — for the millionth time, it seemed like — what vegan was. And that no, just a salad would not work! I have been offered a salad so many times, in so many places, in so many different countries, and that’s not fair. I had a visceral anger every time another one landed in front of me.

But here’s the thing — sitting in that restaurant, I finally realized something that changed how I saw the whole problem: they truly did not know. They were wanting to help, and trying to help, but they just did not know HOW. Something happened in my head right there, and I thought of an app, or a program, or SOMETHING to help the hotel understand before I ever sat down. I even told the waiter about the idea, and his reaction stuck with me: “Yes — that’s a great idea, because we WANT to help.”

That was about seven years ago. I never forgot it, but I thought it was too big of a deal for me to do, so I let it sit on the back burner. A few months ago it finally hit me: I really CAN do this. So I did, period!

What’s Actually Unfair About How Hotels Feed Special-Diet Travelers?

The short answer: we pay full price for full service, and we get less service. A full-service hotel hands the table next to me a gourmet meal and hands me iceberg lettuce — and calls that “accommodated.”

Look, I understand that I’m the oddball out in most cases. There are far fewer of us than there are meat eaters. I am not asking for a miracle — but I at least want some CREATIVITY! You stay in a full-service hotel because you want full service. And excluding animal products is not a reason for them to give you less service than other people. It’s very easy once they know how to do it — you just remove this, maybe substitute that, and there you go!

And the part that really gets me: you earn club lounge access, you walk in hungry, and there is NOTHING in there you can eat. That’s unfair, period!

One more thing, because I’m critical but I’m always fair: the vegan and vegetarian “fad” has cooled off, and yes, some vegan restaurants are closing down. But those of us who don’t do this as a fad — this is just our lifestyle. We won’t change. And there are MILLIONS of us still checking into hotels every single night: plant-based travelers, Hindu and Jain vegetarians, gluten-free travelers, you name it. The problem never went anywhere.

What Happens When a Hotel Kitchen Actually Knows Ahead of Time?

Magic happens — that’s what. When a kitchen knows how you eat before you arrive, you stop being a problem to solve at the table and start being a guest they prepared for. I’ve lived both versions, and the difference is night and day.

The best example of my life was the St. Regis Mumbai. The butler there brings you coffee and snacks in the morning — and they made plant-based snacks just for me, just for that purpose. They went above and beyond, and I will never forget it. The W Istanbul, which I just wrote about, is another one — when a hotel decides to take care of you, it changes the entire stay.

I was grateful — moved beyond words, honestly. I thought it was the biggest deal in the world that they would do that for ME.

Notice what both of those stays had in common: the kitchen KNEW. That’s the entire idea behind InnTable — the difference between the salad and the butler is simply whether anyone told the kitchen before you walked in.

What Is InnTable and How Does It Work?

InnTable is a free iPhone app that sends a personalized, professional dietary brief to your hotel before you arrive — in the hotel’s own language — and confirms it was delivered. The hotel replies directly to you, so you check in knowing you’re covered.

It works in three steps:

1. Set your dietary profile once. Seven presets — Vegan, Vegetarian, Hindu Vegetarian, Jain Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, and Dairy-Free — plus stackable extras like Soy-Free and Shellfish-Free, free-text notes, and a cross-contamination setting so the kitchen knows how strict to be. You can also add trip-specific requests, like a plant-based dessert for a birthday.
2. Tell it your hotel. Forward your booking confirmation email and the trip builds itself — hotel, dates, everything. Then InnTable’s AI does a live, verified lookup for each property and gets your letter to the right people — typically guest services and the kitchen. Why both? Because in a full-service hotel, your diet doesn’t just affect the restaurant. It’s the wait staff, room service, the bar, the club lounge, in-room amenities, even the spa. When you’re plant-based, it touches EVERY aspect of your stay.
3. InnTable handles the rest. A detailed, professional letter goes out explaining exactly how you eat, what to watch out for, and even suggested local dishes the kitchen can adapt for you. Pro users get it bilingual — English for the manager, the local language for the kitchen. You get notified the moment it’s delivered.

There’s also a Dining Card in the app — your dietary needs stated plainly and translated for the destination, ready to show at restaurants, room service, anywhere.

And because no traveler eats every single meal at the hotel: once your letter is sent, your trip shows nearby restaurants that fit YOUR dietary profile — not a generic list, YOUR diet. There’s also a button right on the home screen so you can search restaurants around you wherever you happen to be standing.

This is what elite hotel guests have always had — someone who calls ahead so the property is ready for them. If you don’t hold high status with anybody, this is how you get the hotel preparing for you anyway. Not only the food — it puts you front of mind with the people taking care of you. Am I promising you an upgrade? Absolutely not! But a hotel that’s expecting you treats you differently than a hotel that’s surprised by you.

What Does an InnTable Letter Actually Look Like?

Here’s a real example of the brief a hotel receives — this is the heart of the app. Notice it’s professional, it’s specific, and it gives the chef ideas instead of just restrictions. Scroll through the whole thing:

A real InnTable letter (sample guest, Tokyo): page one goes to management, page two is the kitchen & service brief. There’s even a print button.

Every letter carries a unique InnTable reference number, exact requirements based on locked diet rules — so a vegetarian letter never wrongly says “remove dairy” — and suggested local dishes the kitchen can adapt. If your loyalty program information matches the hotel, that goes on the letter too, so they know exactly who’s arriving. And the hotel replies directly to YOU.

What Does InnTable Cost?

The app is free to download, and the free plan includes 3 hotel letters per month in English — no credit card required. Pro unlocks unlimited letters, bilingual translation, full local dish guidance, and delivery tracking.

Why Is It Called InnTable — and Where Is It Going?

Inn means hotel. Table is what you eat on. That’s it! I’m big on analogies, and I always look for a short name where you can understand what it means the second you hear it. It rolls off the tongue, and it says exactly what I mean it to say.

It started as a simple idea — send a letter to the hotel — and it is growing into a true super app for the plant-based and special-diet traveler. The next update is already submitted to Apple and should be live within days, adding trip tools right where your hotel and restaurants live: a label scanner — scan a barcode or snap a picture of a product label at a convenience store in any foreign language, and it tells you whether YOU can eat it based on YOUR diet — and a currency converter tied to your hotel’s country, so if your trip is in Japan, you instantly know what a dollar gets you. And I have many, many, MANY bigger things planned. But the heart of InnTable will always be that detailed brief to the hotel. That’s the part nobody else does.

What Do I Want Hotels to Know About InnTable?

Honestly? I want to know what YOU think. I built the brief for the chefs, the food & beverage teams, the VIP coordinators — anybody who has anything to do with what the guest eats. I made it as detailed as possible so it explains everything.

I worked in the hotel industry myself before I spent a thousand-plus nights on the other side of the desk — and when you’re staying in them, you’re on the other side. Things may have changed since my industry days, so I genuinely want feedback from the people receiving these letters: what works, what doesn’t, what to add, what to tweak. I want this app to be absolutely perfect — for the guest AND for you. Hotels can reach me directly at hotels@inntable.com.

Because that’s the real point here: this is a win-win. I’m not building a weapon to beat hotels over the head with. I’m building the tool that lets the kitchens that WANT to help — and most of them do — actually do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is InnTable free?

Yes. The app is a free download on the Apple App Store, and the free plan includes 3 hotel letters per month in English, the Dining Card, and basic local dish guidance — no credit card required. Pro is $4.99/month or $19.99/year at the limited Founding Member rate ($39.99/year regular).

What diets does InnTable support?

Seven built-in presets: Vegan, Vegetarian, Hindu Vegetarian, Jain Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, and Dairy-Free — plus free-text custom notes and a cross-contamination sensitivity flag for kitchens that need to take extra care.

How does InnTable find the right person at my hotel?

The app does a live lookup for each property and sends your letter to the best available contacts — typically guest services and the kitchen, since dietary needs affect everything from room service to the club lounge. You’re notified the moment your letter is delivered.

Does the hotel have to respond to my InnTable letter?

No — InnTable confirms your letter was delivered and opened, but whether and how the hotel replies is up to the property. In my experience, the hotels that want your business respond. The letter makes sure they CAN.

Is InnTable available on Android?

Not yet — InnTable is iPhone-only at launch. Android is on the roadmap.

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So that’s InnTable — seven years from a salad in Puerto Vallarta to the App Store. If you’ve ever had to explain your diet at a check-in desk, download it free and let your next hotel know you’re coming. And tell me what you think in the comments — about the app, about your own hotel food horror stories, all of it. I read every single one.

Thanks for reading, and PLEASE, TRAVEL MORE!