Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is Buzzing for Bees
In 2008, Fairmont saw an opportunity to help combat Colony Collapse Disorder by placing honeybee hives on hotel rooftop gardens and other onsite locations. To date, Fairmont has more than 40 honeybee apiaries and wild bee hotels at properties around the world, in addition to several on-property herb and vegetable gardens that contribute to overall pollinator health.
As the first luxury hotel brand to develop onsite honeybee programming, Fairmont is now considered the leading hotel company in this space. In 2014 the brand began building bee hotels to provide wild mason bees a safe place to rest their wings between long journeys. Bee hotels are wooden structures that are uniquely designed to attract bees that are already found in the surrounding environment.
Below are just a few examples of how Fairmont properties in North America have celebrated National Pollinator Month and continue to maximize their efforts to ensuring healthy pollinator populations for generations to come.
“BEE” A BEEKEEPER AT FAIRMONT WASHINGTON, D.C., GEORGETOWN
Fairmont Washington, D.C. Georgetown has just launched a VIP “Bee a Beekeeper Package” that features all of the essentials guests need to become a beekeeper, available until October 2018. Package highlights include: overnight accommodations for two in a suite; a curated tour of the hotel’s rooftop apiary; specialty BeeTinis cocktails; a private session with a local beekeeper to learn how to “Bee a Beekeeper”; two tickets to Mt. Vernon; packets of flower seeds for attracting pollinator bees; and more. Each package booked will include a donation to the DC Beekeeper Alliance and a gift certificate for Draper’s Super Apiaries, Inc.
FAIRMONT WATERFRONT'S 'BEE & BEE' POLLINATOR HOTEL
In June 2015, Fairmont Waterfront helped Hives for Humanity fill their new pollinator hotel - the ‘Bee and Bee’ located in the hotel’s 2,100 sq ft rooftop garden. Each component tells a local story - the wood for the structure was generously donated by the Haida nation, fire bricks were collected from the Downtown Eastside, the logs were gifted from the city from fallen trees in Stanley Park; burlap was from East Van Roasters; the branches, bamboo and plants were all collected from urban gardens across the city and the bumblebee nests were woven by volunteers using scavenged ivy, wool and leaves. This habitat is part of Burt’s Bees Canada and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts WILD FOR BEES national program - installing 21 uniquely built bee hotels across Canada, seven of which are located at Fairmont Hotels.
Fairmont Waterfront is offering guests the chance to explore their rooftop apiary and organic garden with their Bee Butler, Nick Mackay-Finn, and learn why honey bees and pollinators are so important with the Bee Green Package. The package includes luxury accommodations, dinner for two in ARC featuring the 3 course Pollinator Menu, a private tour of the rooftop apiary with the Bee Butler or a member of his Bee Team, and a jar of rooftop honey and a mason bee house to take home. In addition, $10 from each room sold will be donated to Hives for Humanity to support the Pollinator Corridor Project.
BUZZING BEEHIVES AT FAIRMONT SAN FRANCISCO & FAIRMONT SONOMA MISSION INN & SPA
In partnership with Marshall’s Farm, Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa have installed honey beehives in the hotel’s gardens in order to help support the bee population. Fairmont San Francisco has proudly established nine hives that produce several hundred pounds of honey, which is used in soups, salad dressings, pastries and as an accompaniment to the hotel’s time-honored afternoon tea service.
For summer 2018, Fairmont San Francisco is featuring its fifth Honey Beer Series offering in partnership with Local Brew Co. The "Honey Tart" is a dry Spring Honey Pale brewed with a fruity yeast strain that dries out the beer for a delightfully refreshing tart Pale with notes of honey, pineapple and vanilla. At Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, guests can help the environment and save with the Bee Sustainable Package available through December 31, offering 10% off the daily rate, a $50 dining credit, and each stay contributes $10 to the Pollinator Partnership.
FAIRMONT THE QUEEN ELIZABETH SUITE COMES WITH ITS OWN BEEHIVE
The beekeepers at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth were surprised and delighted when 25,000 swarming bees landed on the roof adjacent to an executive suite on the 20th floor of the hotel. Jean-Mark Léon, Executive Sous-Chef and Head Beekeeper was called to the rescue to guide the bees and their queen into their new home. The hotel is now home to seven active beehives, located on three different roof sections. Guests staying in the Plateau Suite will have a front row seat to observe the bees at work in front of their living room window. The new beehive is thriving and the colony produced extra wax that inspired our team of chocolatiers. They created a unique chocolate piece paying tribute to the importance of bees that featured the beeswax honeycombs. It is on display at Marché Artisans, the hotel’s popular “Grocerant” (Gourmet grocery + Restaurant).
WELCOMING POLLINATORS AT FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK
In 2016, Fairmont Royal York partnered with one of Canada’s leading designers and lifestyle experts, Janette Ewen, to completely revitalize and redesign the rooftop. With Janette’s fun, whimsical design touches, the outdoor space has become more beautiful and accessible for beekeepers, gardening chefs and visiting guests. The apiary, herb and vegetable garden continue to be an enduring part of the hotel’s commitment to provide local and sustainable products for guests. Each summer, the apiary is home to more than 350,000 Honey Bees, six Queen Bees, and six hives: Honeymoon Suite, Home Sweet Comb, Royal Sweet, Stayin’ A Hive and the V.I. Bee Suite.
This year, in celebration of pollinator week, Frank Rea of Forget Me Not Flowers created a spectacular lobby display complete with cherry blossom trees and accents of bees and monarch butterflies for Fairmont Royal York’s guests to enjoy.
FAIRMONT MAYAKOBA’S MIRACLE “MELIPONA” BEES
At Fairmont Mayakoba, beekeepers cultivate rare "Melipona" bees which produce a type of honey known for its medicinal properties. The bees are native to the Yucatan and are stingless. In addition to incorporating the honey in recipes, this special honey is used in treatments at the Willow Stream Spa and as a key ingredient in local Mayan products available at the spa boutique. Interesting fact: About 5,000 Melipona bees living in beehives produce approximately two pounds of honey per year.
Bees are one of the most effective pollinators on the planet, and Fairmont properties around the world have honeybee apiaries and wild bee mason hotels to help this important pollinator. Guests can book the Bee Sustainable offer at participating properties around the world and receive 10% off the flexible daily rate, a $50 dining credit per stay, and a $10 donation to the Pollinator Partnership, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to pollinator research and advocacy.
About Fairmont
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is where occasions are celebrated and history is made. Landmark hotels with unrivalled presence, authentic experiences and unforgettable moments have attracted visitors to Fairmont and its destinations since 1907. The Plaza in New York City, The Savoy in London, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai are but a few of these iconic luxury hotels, forever linked to the special places where they reside. Famous for its engaging service, grand public spaces, locally inspired cuisine and celebrated bars and lounges, Fairmont promises a special brand of thoughtful luxury that will be remembered long after any visit. With a worldwide portfolio of more than 75 hotels, Fairmont also takes great pride in its deep community roots and leadership in sustainability. Fairmont is part of AccorHotels, a world-leading travel and lifestyle group which invites travelers to feel welcome at more than 4,300 hotels, resorts and residences, along with some 10,000 of the finest private homes around the globe.
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