Marriott Gets Into Wellness Trend With Kale-Packed Vending Machines

Toss the potato chips and Dr. Pepper. Bring on the kale and quinoa.

That’s the guiding principle over at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare, which now has a lobby vending machine stocked with detox salads including organic kale with quinoa and fennel; greek yogurt with berries; and antibiotics-free lemon pepper chicken.

The vending machines are Marriott’s effort to introduce healthier products for guests and part of a larger hospitality trend. For example, InterContinental introduced wellness-themed brand EVEN and JW Marriott’s Nightly Refresh program offers aromatherapy oils and nutritional snacks.

Marriott is testing the concept at Chicago Marriott O’Hare for five months in partnership with Farmer’s Fridge whose founder Luke Sanders said he developed the concept after realizing that travelers had difficulties finding healthy food choices when on the go.

Selections in the vending machine at the Chicago Marriott O’Hare range from $3 to $12. Farmer’s Fridge currently has a dozen such kiosks operational in the Chicago area.

Interestingly, Marriott came up with the idea of installing vending machines with healthy food from its crowd-sourced TravelBrilliantly.com campaign, which is geared toward developing new products and concepts.

Anjana Kallarackal, winner of Marriott’s 2013 TravelBrilliantly.com co-creation contest, submitted the idea, Marriott states.

While some travelers may see the vending machines as a nice alternative for a quick meal or snack, let’s see if children pester their parents for one of those detox salads.