Going green in new ways requires thinking outside outside the box, or in this case the hive! As a part of the community, we constantly strive to find new ways to reduce our impact on the environment. In the spring of 2013, we invited 120,000 new long-term guests to our rooftop – our very own colony of bees – and they’ve come back every year since!

In our 7th year of hosting these guests, we have recently relocated them to our roof from their winter housing and they are getting acclimated and ready to harvest some delicious rooftop honey. “The interface between honey bees and an urban environment (population, infrastructure and flora) is a fascinating lens through which to look at our alteration of natural environments and how powerfully nature pushes back”, says our Beekeeper Dean Stiglitz of Golden Rule Honey in Leominster MA.

The bees that buzz on our rooftop forage at a distance of up to three miles for flower and plant nectar, returning for turndown service each night. They get the royal treatment: Dean travels to the hotel every Monday morning in season to tend to the bees and act as their personal concierge, making sure the bees are happy and thriving.

With our hives doubling the number of bees by summer’s end, we will have an abundance of honey themed items in our hotel restaurants and lounges. Executive Chef Sean MacAlpine uses the honey that we harvest from our hives in a number of dishes at our restaurant, City Table. The cocktail curators at City Bar also shake it up for some of their signature cocktails, the honey-infused Mexican Monk and The Sweet Boy.

Our Lenox Lobby Mercantile also sells the honey so you can try at home in your favorite recipes!