TORONTO — The Fairmont Royal York is building buzz around its pilot pollinator bee hotel.
Created to address the declining population of pollinator bees, which are responsible for pollinating flowering plants, fruits and vegetables, the special hotel is packed with nesting materials such as fallen branches, wood and twigs. It’s part of a collaboration with Burt’s Bees’ Wild for Bees campaign, along with the help of Sustainable.TO Architecture + Building and Pollinator Partnership Canada. “Bees are the crux of our business,” says Carolyn Hungate of Burt’s Bees Canada. “We launched Wild for Bees three years ago with the intention of giving back to Canada’s hardworking bee population, which provides us with the honey and beeswax we need to make 95 per cent of our products. This year, we are proud to partner with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and other like-minded brands to build bee hotels across Canada, all in the name of bee health.”
Collin Thornton, Fairmont executive chef, whose staff maintains the hotel’s rooftop garden, has created a special three-course menu for June that offers local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, with a special focus on pollinated foods.
Fairmont plans to roll out five bee hotels — four in Toronto and one in Guelph, Ont., next year.
Image courtesy of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
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