ACCOR : Bee hotels at Fairmont

12/06/2016

Fairmont is buzzing for bees! For more than a decade, through its Fairmont Sustainability Partnership and Bee Sustainable initiative, Fairmont has committed itself to improving the overall health and conservation of bee species globally.

This spring, that commitment was taken to even greater heights with a coast-to-coast expansion of new pollinator bee hotels in Canada. The expansion was met with enthusiasm from across the country and laid the foundation for Fairmont to be an industry leader in pollinator bee initiatives globally. 'We are incredibly proud of the progress made across Canada in partnership with Burt's Bees and others to improve the conditions that contribute to bee health and urban food production,' said Alexandra Blum, FRHI's vice president, public relations and global partnerships.

Bees are the most effective pollinators on earth, but loss and fragmentation of habitat leaves hundreds of thousands of bees without space to nest and reproduce. The creation of new habitats, or bee hotels, is incredibly important to ensuring the sustainability of the species, which are responsible for the pollination of one-third of the food we eat.

Pollinator bee hotels are specially designed to attract solitary bees. Fairmont's bee hotels are made of wood, sticks and other foraged materials. They are built with care to ensure that buzzing guests enjoy the luxurious accommodations for which Fairmont is known. They offer solitary pollinator bees a place to rest their wings, lay their eggs and pollinate nearby food sources.

• Led by FRHI's PR & Partnership team, in just one week, the launch of the new bee hotels reached over 60 million people and was mentioned in countless stories in the media including features in the Toronto Star, CTV News and Hotelier. Social media was buzzing as well with online influencers across the country installing mini bee hotels to encourage Canadian families to build their own to help the bees. Program partners Burt's Bees Canada, Pollinator Partnership Canada and Sustainable TO Architecture + Building worked closely with Fairmont to bring this exciting initiative to fruition.

'It is through innovative partnerships like the WILD FOR BEES campaign that Fairmont amplifies its impact in communities and within the hospitality industry,' said Blum. 'We know we can't do it all alone, so by strategically selecting like-minded organizations like Burt's Bees and Pollinator Partnership Canada to work with us to achieve our objectives, we are able accomplish amazing things in short time periods.'

The first bee hotel was built on top of the Fairmont Royal York in 2014 and now thanks to the 2015 expansion, can be found at Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver, Fairmont Whistler, Fairmont Hotel MacDonald, Fairmont Winnipeg, Fairmont Chateau Laurier and Fairmont Le Chateâu Frontenac. Fairmont Washington DC is leading the way in the United States having built their own bee hotel on property this spring.

• Following the successful spring 2015 launch, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts now host 20 honeybee apiaries and 8 pollinator bee hotels at properties around the world. FRHI colleagues are encouraged to build their own bee hotel to support bee health by following ​​this easy DIY guide.​

Fairmont's mini bee hotels were distributed to influencers across Canada to help raise awareness of the important role solitary pollinator bees play in urban food production. Key supporters such as singer Chantal Kreviazuk, Treasury Board President Tony Clement, the WWF and Twitter Canada helped to raise awareness.​

Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver General Manager Indu Brar cuts the yellow ribbon at the national launch event for the 2015 WILD FOR BEES program, officially opening the bee hotels​​ across the country for visitors​, species declared endangered in the United States​. Vice President of PR & Partnerships for FRHI Hotels & Resorts Alexandra Blum hosted the event on behalf of Fairmont.​

Fairmont Chateau Laurier's bee hotel was designed to pay tribute to the regal architecture of this iconic property. It was designed and built on site by Sustainable TO Architecture + Building in collaboration with property PR director Deneen Perrin and the Chateau's engineering staff.

Fairmont Chateau Whistlers bee hotel was designed to honour the mountains that define the local landscape. This build was streamed lived via Periscope by property marketing manager Christine Cowin, who interviewed Sustainable TO Architecture + Building about the various features required to install a successful hotel.

Fairmont Le Chateâu Frontenac built it's bee hotel out of an old chicken coop and featured the copper roofing that may Fairmont properties are known for across the country. Sales and Marketing Director Christopher Spear and PR Director Marie-Claude Brousseau helped to bring this hotel to fruition on property in collaboration with Sustainable TO.

The bee hotel at Fairmont Hotel MacDonald was designed to emulate the shape of the river flowing next to the site. The shifting shape of the structure provides shelter from the elements. There are plenty of food sources nearby for the bees to enjoy. It was all hands on deck at the hotel to welcome the partnership on property with Connie Jacob, Executive Assistant to the General Manager and Assistant Chief Engineer Dave McNalty leading the charge.

Fairmont Hotel Winnipeg went above and beyond to accommodate a bee hotel on property. With minimal vegetation and food sources close by for the bees, this design incorporated a rooftop garden bed to make sure the nesting bees would stay well fed. Pascale Rocher (right) was happy to bring Winnipeg's first bee hotel to the property.

Built in partnership with locally-based Hives for Humanity, the bee hotel at the Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver impressed guests at the national launch event thanks to its thoughtful design and locally sourced materials. This bee hotel also has a special place for bumble bees, a unique feature of all the hotels across the country. Property PR Manager Kristyna Vogel and regional PR director Nancie hall made sure that this hotel was just as fabulous as the other innovative bee initiatives the hotel has activated on site.