An iconic central London hotel famous for its rock & roll history has linked its rooftop honey farm with bee hives in Tanzania in a bid to help the environment at home and abroad.
The Royal Lancaster London (RLL) hosted the Beatles release party for the band’s ‘Yellow Submarine’ film in 1968 and scenes from Michael Caine’s The Italian Job were filmed there.
But now it is building a reputation for sustainability, with its rooftop hives as well as its traditional, all-female led in-house restaurant, Nipa Thai.
Bees living in the RLL’s roof forage in Hyde Park opposite and make honey used in the hotel’s kitchens and bars.
It now has 10 hives in total with approximately 60,000 to 80,000 bees per colony. Just four colonies are active at any one time to ensure the hives are not overpopulated.
The insects have an essential role in the eco-system. But pesticides, climate change and pollution mean the population is declining.
The independent hotel has now teamed up with Bees Abroad and twinned the beehives on its rooftop honey farm with hives in Tanzania, launching a room package to promote and raise money for the charity.
The project teaches rural women on Kome Island beekeeping practices, business creation, and protecting the environment.
Resident beekeeper Jo Hemesley said: "A bee can fly up to three miles from the hive to forage for nectar. Our bees will collect most of their forage from Hyde Park which is right on the door step.
"The Bee Team are all members of the hotel staff and we inspect the hives each week during the spring and summer. We harvest the honey in summer."
The RLL was the first London hotel to install hives on its roof in 2009.
It kicked off a trend for the capital’s institutions to help boost the city’s bee population.
Colonies can also now be found on top of landmarks including the Ritz, the London School of Economics, Fortnum & Mason and the East London Mosque.
General manager Sally Beck said the team believe it is “important to protect the pollinators who play a key role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems”.
The towering 18-storey luxury hotel, next to Lancaster Gate Tube station, has even incorporated subtle honeycomb design elements throughout the building and its 411 guestrooms and suites.
From their rooms guests can watch the bees fly off to collect nectar from Hyde Park’s Italian Garden’s opposite and the park’s many common lime trees, which give the honey a light, slightly citrusy taste.
The Royal Lancaster’s Bee Our Guest package includes a £10 donation to support Bees Abroad. The overnight stay will have guaranteed views of Hyde Park and the rooftop beehives, a honey cocktail in a beeswax glass, and a breakfast which includes fresh honeycomb.
