Sober October is a month-long commitment to stop drinking. For some, that commitment is a continual life choice. To learn more about sober travel, I invited Alex Brown on Talking Travel.

Founder and president of Recover Hospitality, Brown is a third-generation hotelier and also a person in addiction recovery. In 2017, after Brown sold his family’s 5-star boutique hotel, he began focusing on addiction problems in the hospitality business. Soon he expanded his concentration to include consumers.

From the business end, Brown’s goal was figuring the balance and right services for restaurants and hotels. For the consumer, Brown wanted to certify those businesses which accommodated sober consumers.

With nondrinkers making up 46 percent of Americans, Brown wants to see restaurants and hotels offer more alternatives. He works to create safe environments for patrons. While he admits airlines are a tougher challenge, it is one he is embracing and hopes to affect change there, too.

Brown discussed the possibility of hotels offering alcohol-free rooms, just as they offer smoke-free rooms. Guests in recovery and even others who wouldn’t want to be tempted might prefer minibars featuring nonalcoholic options.

While mentioning a few of his favorite destinations, Brown spoke of a few especially catering to nondrinkers. He also listed some of his favorite mocktails.

Through his work, Brown is creating more space for nondrinkers and also new revenue streams for hospitality businesses. Brown’s work gets highlighted in Sober October, but he proves all year that travel, dining and entertaining can be just as special and fun without alcohol.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, podcaster