There's a buzz around Macdonald Bath Spa

Nestled in the heart of the city of Bath, Bath Spa Hotel offers an elegant escape with luxurious five-star accommodation and world-class spa facilities.

Situated within seven acres of beautifully landscaped gardens is a grand Georgian house where guests can relax and unwind while taking in the history of this ancient town.

Yet, there’s one charming feature that truly sets this hotel apart from the rest — its resident bees. Hidden amidst the lush greenery of the hotel’s grounds, Bath Spa Hotel is home to two beehives, where over 100,000 bees produce fresh, golden honey for guests.

The concept was put into action by general manager Raj Chakraborty, who was using local honey to help aid his own hayfever. Two years later, the hotel has become a sanctuary for local bees, which have produced over100 jars of honey for guests.

Fully embracing the ‘locally sourced’ message, all produce from the beehives is used within the hotel. Beeswax is used in sumptuous spa treatments, while the honeycomb is incorporated into the hotel’s breakfast offering, and the honey for afternoon tea.

Any children staying at the hotel also have a chance to name a bee and are given a certificate of authentication that says they have a bee in the hive, while local school kids have visited the hotel to find out how to extract honey from the hives.

The initiative is part of the Macdonald Hotel Groups’ extensive sustainability efforts, with bees not only supporting the local ecosystem and providing organic honey, but also playing a vital role in supporting Bath’s local biodiversity.

To encourage the bees to pollinate, Bath Spa only plants bee friendly flowers and does not use any fertilisers throughout its seven-acre grounds.

Honeybees are essential pollinators, responsible for pollinating around 70 of the 100 crop species that feed 90% of the world’s population. By creating a bee-friendly environment within the gardens, the hotel contributes to the preservation of local flora and the protection of an increasingly endangered species.