Home Publisher's Point of View Greenview Explores ‘Honey-Sweetened Hospitality’ in New Report

Greenview Explores ‘Honey-Sweetened Hospitality’ in New Report

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It is more than five years now since I first posted an article about beekeeping on the Green Lodging News website. That article referred to The Fairmont Washington, D.C. and its three rooftop hives that included 105,000 Italian honey bees. There are now almost 20 articles on our site that mention beekeeping. I wrote a column about the topic in 2010. It included some beekeeping best practices. For example, did you know that if you are going to have hives on your property, you need to have at least two hives and they should not all be oriented in the same direction?

I bring up honeybees this week because Greenview just released a study on beekeeping entitled, “Honey-Sweetened Hospitality.” (See related guest column.) In the study Greenview attempts to quantify the beekeeping phenomenon in our industry—particularly in urban locations. They identified 55 hive hotels globally. Eighteen properties responded to their questions about beekeeping. Most of the urban hotels have rooftop hives. According to Greenview, the hotel with the highest documented hive is the Residence Inn & Courtyard By Marriott New York/Central Park, which opened in late 2013 and is the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere. The bees live 723 feet (220m) above the ground on the 67th floor. Fairmont now has over 22 beekeeping hotels worldwide, making them the hotel company with the highest number of properties with beehives.

In their report Greenview explains why honeybees are important and what is threatening their survival. Greenview found that more than 75 percent of surveyed hotels contracted a third-party beekeeper to care for and maintain the hives on property. The remaining hotels manage hives by themselves.

Greenview found that all survey respondents creatively make use of their harvested honey as a tool of engagement with guests, staff, and the community-at-large. Some have found ways to use honey in cocktails and other beverages. Some offer it for sale in an on-site retail establishment. At the InterContinental New York Barclay, in addition to culinary benefits, the bees act as a conversation piece that educates the hotel’s younger guests on sustainability. The hotel has created a unique ‘Barclay the Bee’ character and hosted a special event with The Honeybee Conservancy.

Twenty-eight percent of survey respondents said they make money from the hives, 39 percent break even, and for 33 percent it is an expense.

The report includes a list of known urban hotel locations with hives and offers suggestions on how to get started in beekeeping. Be sure to check out the new Greenview report. And, if your hotel is not listed in the report but it is has active hives, drop Greenview a note. They can be reached at jenni@gviewadvisors.com.

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