Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has introduced its first pollinator bee hotel at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York.
Fairmont’s latest project to support bees is part of a larger partnership with Burt’s Bees and its annual WILD FOR BEES campaign. The two companies, along with Sustainable.TO Architecture + Building and Pollinator Partnership Canada, have teamed up to design and construct five sustainable bee hotels: four in Toronto and one in Guelph, Canada.
Across North America, the overall number of pollinator bees has been on a steady decline for decades, which has impacted the health of ecosystems, the reproduction of the majority of flowering plants, and the pollination of food. Bees are responsible for pollinating more than 80 percent of flowering plants, fruits, and vegetables. A primary cause of this decline is the loss and fragmentation of habitat.
A pollinator bee hotel is a collection of nesting materials-such as wood, twigs, fallen branches, soil and pith-filled holes-designed to attract, support, and protect native, lost, and solitary bees by replicating their natural nesting sites. This allows the bees to breed, lay eggs, and seek protection from predators. Fairmont’s bee hotel, which is designed to reflect the Toronto skyline, will provide a sustainable nesting site for local pollinator bees.
The Fairmont Royal York’s rooftop garden, which already houses an apiary of six honeybee hives, has been in bloom for more than 15 years. The high-rise herbarium features 17 four-poster beds and surrounding planter pots filled with herbs such as rosemary, lavender, lemon thyme, chives, parsley, tarragon, and basil. Established in 2008, the apiary produces more than 800 pounds of honey each year.
“Sustainability isn’t a buzz word here at Fairmont, it’s a core element of our operations and an area that our colleagues and hotels soundly embrace,” says Jane Mackie, vice president of the Fairmont Brand. “Through its bee programming, rooftop herb and vegetable gardens, waste, and water reduction efforts, and countless other environmental initiatives, The Fairmont Royal York supports its broader ecosystem and is responsible tourism brought to life.”
