"Bee Hotel" at Fairmont Royal York
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts is expanding its efforts to promote sustainability in the bee population with a new collaboration to build more bee hotels.
Together with the personal care brand Burt’s Bees, Fairmont has created the Wild For Bees project, which is committed to preserving bee populations in Canada and encouraging environmentally sustainable practices. This year Wild For Bees is introducing three new bee hotels in Vancouver, bringing the total number of bee hotels Fairmont has helped create up to 21.
Bee loved
Bee hotels are significant in that they provide shelter for solitary pollinator bees, which do not work or nest in groups. Solitary pollinator bees, however, make up 90 per cent of the bee population and are involved in nearly one-third of the food humans eat.
The bee hotels will provide them with a safe location to rest and make nests for baby bees. As there has been a drastic decline in the bee population in recent years, it is especially important to focus conservation efforts on sustaining the species.
Fairmont bee hotel in Vancouver, Canada
Fairmont has long been a dedicated supporter of these efforts. For example, in 2014 Fairmont Hotels and Resorts increased its commitment to bee preservation with an expanded “Bee Hotel” at its Royal York hotel in Toronto.
The existential threat posed on many fronts to bees has been widely discussed and has sparked a rescue effort by many interested parties. Fairmont intends to spur further action by emphasizing that bees need more land, hence the hotel, in addition to cleaner environments (see story).