A beehive was placed on the roof of Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square located in Vilnius, Lithuania. The idea comes from the Kempinski corporate initiative: “Best Breakfast in Town”. The purpose of this initiative was to upgrade the honey presentation on the breakfast buffet. Another purpose was to strengthen the selection of healthy options on the menus. The honey produced from the beehive on the hotel’s roof will be used by the culinary team of Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square. With it, breakfast pastries will be made as well as beverages and cocktails.
The press release says:
“It is hoped that the beehive at the 4-storey Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square in the city center of Vilnius will eventually produce natural raw honey for the hotel and restaurant guests, expected 15-25 kg annually.
Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square brought in a local expert Mr. Algis Mikalopas, who has been in the beekeeping business for 24 years and owns over 160 beehives in three different regions. The most suitable place for the beehive was selected, it was transported and mounted on the roof last week. When the hive is at full capacity in the summer, it should be home for approximately 100,000 bees. According to Mr. Mikalopas, the bees had to adjust for a couple of days to settle down. However, after a checkup, he stated that the bees had already settled down, adjusted to their new place and started with their duties.
‘Should we have around 15-25 kg of honey at the end of the summer, I’ll be very happy since it’s the first year and we will get the opportunity to see if it is possible to have bees in the environment of a city center,’ said Mr. Mikalopas. He also added that the bees shouldn’t pose an issue for guests or anyone in the immediate area. Honey bees can’t eat anything except pollen, so it’s unlikely they will harass anyone with food. Mr. Mikalopas will be in charge of the beehive at Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square and support the hotel team with his knowledge and expertise.
General manager Kees Heuveling stated that the idea to install a beehive and generate fresh honey for the hotel was inspired by the Kempinski corporate initiative‚ ‘Best Breakfast in Town’, which fostered the idea to upgrade the honey presentation on the breakfast buffet and strengthen the selection of healthy options on the menus. In addition, the delicious honey will be used by the hotel’s culinary team for breakfast pastry and in some of the restaurant beverages or cocktails at the hotel‘s Le Salon Bar and Lounge.
‘As Kempinski Hotel Cathedral Square since its opening has been a food and beverage driven hotel, it is essential for us to add to the unique guest’s experience while offering healthy, yet original options, as well as foster local culture and traditions,’ said Mr. Heuveling. ‘We saw an opportunity to harvest our own honey placing hives on their rooftops, and we wanted to offer our guests all-natural and local honey. For the future, we will see how it can be enhanced even further.’ he adds.”