HOTEL DINING Fare that fits dietary trends

Marriott is even offering a reduced-calorie margarita.
NEW YORK (AP) -- In his new book, "Hotel Secrets From the Travel Detective" (Random House, $14.95), NBC "Today" show travel editor Peter Greenberg recalls a time when hotel restaurants were "quite literally the last resort in the resort. ... You went there when you were too tired to go anywhere else."
But today, he adds, "not only are the guests eating in hotel restaurants, but people in the surrounding community are going there to eat as well."
As hotel food has improved, it's changed to adapt to the latest trends in healthy eating. This spring, for example, a number of hotel chains are updating their menus to reflect dietary preferences for low-carb foods.
In April, Sheraton will introduce "Lo-Carb Lifestyle" menus at 200 of its properties, featuring snacks like the "No Chip Dip," which has veggie scoopers (asparagus, peppers and celery) for a creamy spinach-and-artichoke dip, and "No Buns Allowed Burgers" -- beef patties served with cheese, onions and coleslaw. The hotels are even offering to cater low-carb weddings.
Marriott's "Fit for You" menus, introduced in December, also take their cue from the Atkins diet, with high-protein and low-carbohydrate dishes, but the menus include low-cholesterol and low-fat choices as well. "Fit for You" food is also available for events, with high-protein, low-carb snacks such as cheese and nuts offered during coffee breaks at meetings. In the Marriott bar, you can even order low-carb cocktails such as the "Lean Margarita," which uses a syrup made from a no-calorie artificial sweetener instead of sugar.
Hyatt's on the low-carb bandwagon as well, with menus offering smoked salmon quesadillas and other high-protein dishes. A new menu of nine dishes is being offered at 100 Hyatts across the country to complement the hotel chain's "Cuisine Naturelle" menu, introduced 10 years ago to emphasize low-fat and low-calorie foods.