Ahead Hotel: Vegan Wellness and Sustainability in Germany, Part 1 of 2

As you drive from Berlin to Hamburg, which, by the way, tied in fifth place for “The 15 most vegan-friendly cities in the world,” you will find the charming Ahead Hotel nestled in the heritage castle named Burg Lenzen, on the banks of the River Löcknitz, offering close to 40 hotel rooms and four buildings designated for accommodation, gastronomy, conferences and yoga.

We were delighted to have a conversation with the hotel manager Mr. Jonas Mog, who in July 2021, took over administrating the historic site. Mr. Mog, a vegan himself, oversees operations at this vegan hotel, where no efforts are spared towards eco-friendliness, wellness and sustainability. “Actually, [out of] my own conviction. I have been vegan for approximately eight years. I buy organic products, and have been working in the hotel sector for many years. And then it made sense to fulfill the dream of owning a hotel that would use no animal products, of course.

We have a total of thirty-nine rooms here and about twenty employees working for us. The whole spectrum ranges from accommodation to food, from breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake to dinner, and we also offer space for conferences, weddings, meetings, and events. Furthermore, we have a wellness area with sauna and massages, and we also offer classes like yoga and meditation.”

“Of course, there are always a few (people) who are skeptical, who have not yet come into contact with the topic of veganism, but there are also very many who are curious and who visited us and said that they ate vegan for the first time. Some of them are now inspired to eat less meat, to consume fewer animal products.

We've received an incredibly positive response here from the local press, from newspapers, radio stations and television in Germany. There has been an incredible amount of feedback. And also, online in social media we've received an incredible volume of messages.”

We are certain that vegan and not-yet-vegan visitors alike more than appreciate a wonderful stay, guilt-free of the suffering caused to the animal-people and to nature.