Hilton London Heathrow Airport has added 30,000 bees to its household as part of its efforts to improve its green status.
The hotel is also including a “whole host” of measures to cut down waste, while reducing water and energy usage.
The bees are housed in four beehives, and the honey produced is gifted to guests and clients on special occasions.
The hotel plans to add another 50,000 bees this year, allowing it to offer honey as part of its breakfast offering.
“Plan Bee” is one of several initiatives which have been adopted, with the aim of the hotel cutting waste and water usage, as well as reducing energy consumption.
The hotel also has its own Chef’s Garden where herbs, vegetables and fruit are grown and used across its three OXBO dining experiences – OXBO bar, OXBO Café and OXBO Kitchen.
Half empty bottles of water left by guests are collected and added to a water butt next to the garden, which is then drained and used to water the various fruit and vegetable beds.
Fruit and vegetable trimmings are also collected and put in rotating compost bins, which speed up the rotting process and within a matter of months, can then be used as compost on the garden beds.
Chefs also work closely with suppliers to ensure that produce is sourced locally whenever possible and is sustainable.
Poultry comes from farms in Hertfordshire, game from Royal Berkshire, pork from Essex, lamb from Midlands, while all the beef used is from the UK.
At the same time, the fish served is caught in the North Sea and from the English Channel and purchased through markets at Brixham.
The hotel’s commitment to sustainable food sourcing and food upcycling ladders up to Travel with Purpose, Hilton’s ESG strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally.
Oliver Stockland, Area General Manager, Hilton said:
“We are constantly looking at all the areas of our operation to come up with solutions for being more sustainable while still maintaining the same high standards for our guests,” he said.
“As part of our aim, last year we saw a positive reduction of energy consumption of 24 per cent thanks to several measures we put in place, such as installing 100 per cent LED lighting systems and a room energy management system.
“In addition to that, growing our own herbs and vegetables in the chef’s garden means the produce is as fresh as it can be when used in our restaurants, and that’s something that our guests greatly appreciate.”
The award-winning property was named the World’s Leading Airport Hotel for five consecutive years and Europe’s Leading Airport Hotel for the past eight years.
Find out more at stories.hilton.com.
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