Fairmont offers sustainable bee hotels across Canada

Tired bees can rest their wings and lay eggs in new bee hotels, complete with bee butlers and roomservice, thanks to a sustainability initiative at Fairmonthotelsin Canada.

The luxury hotel chainis replicating forested and natural habitats for the bee rooms, using twigs, logs and other reclaimedmaterials.The rooms are aimed at the vast majority of pollinatorsabout 95 per cent of 825 specieswhich are different from honeybees, according to Fairmont.

Bee butlers are "specifically trained to take care of our bees and haveeverythingthey need, including room service. In some cases we line our bee hotels with sheep skin for comfy places to rest their wings,"saidAlexandra Blum, VP of global public relations and partnerships atFairmontHotels andResorts.

At risk

The bees are smaller than honey bees and don't havea colony or queen bee to protect them,but they're responsible for almost $2billionworth of agricultural impact in terms of pollinating power, says Blum.They're at risk and losing their nests because of urbanization, she says.

Fairmont has created six pollinator bee hotels across Canada, includingone at theHotel Macdonald in Edmonton. In Calgary, bees are housed away from the Palliser at the University of Calgary.

Occupancy rate

So far, the bees are checking in and using the hotels asintended.

"We had hatchings this year of new pollinators bees that basically grew up and were born in our bee hotels. At any given time we have 30 pollinator bees," said Blum.

Two-legged guests of the hotels are encouraged to visit the bee hotels, as well.They can interact with the bee butlers and chefs who tend to gardens and honey beehives on hotel rooftops.

"They are providing sanctuaries and we hope quality of life enhancement for these very athletic and unsung heroes of our ecosystems, the solitary pollinator bees," said Blum.

The hotel chain invests in specific sustainability programs, such as the bee hotels, because its guests encourage them, and also because they help to educate Canadians about therole bees play in self-sustaining cities.