Choice Hotels International, a prominent player in the global hospitality industry, has taken a significant step towards environmental responsibility by introducing three beehives at its corporate headquarters in North Bethesda, Maryland. This initiative, carried out in partnership with Bee Downtown, a leading provider of urban beekeeping services, aims to enhance sustainability and support local biodiversity.
The three beehives, each housing an estimated 150,000 honeybees, are expected to pollinate a 3-mile radius, positively impacting an estimated 18,000 acres of surrounding land. Each colony has the potential to produce over 100 pounds of honey within a few months, showcasing the remarkable productivity of these buzzing pollinators.
Choice Hotels actively involved its employees in selecting the design of the “Bee Hotel” for the hives through a company-wide vote, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement in the project.
Beyond the installation, Choice Hotels and Bee Downtown are committed to providing educational opportunities for associates, including honey and cheese tastings, beekeeping Q&A sessions, and guided tours of the hives. These experiences aim to raise awareness about the crucial role honeybees play in the ecosystem, highlighting their vital role in pollinating 70 of the top 100 food crops in the United States.
This initiative underscores Choice Hotels’ dedication to environmental responsibility and aligns perfectly with their “Room to Be Green” program, a comprehensive sustainability framework encompassing five key pillars: Energy, Water, Waste, Biodiversity, and Engagement. Through this program, Choice-branded hotels are committed to implementing utility data reporting and taking concrete measures to conserve waste, water, and energy by early 2025.
“Choice Hotels puts people first, and being a responsible steward of our environment is a crucial part of that,” stated Megan Brumagim, Vice President of Sustainability for Choice Hotels. “We’re proud to collaborate with Bee Downtown to host beehives that will benefit the ecosystem in our North Bethesda community.”
“Bees play an essential role in the health of the planet,” added Brumagim. “We’re excited to contribute to our region’s biodiversity, engage our associates with educational programming, and harvest around 90 pounds per year of fresh, local honey from our very own hives.”
Bee Downtown specializes in installing and maintaining beehives on corporate campuses, promoting sustainable agriculture and offering continuous employee and leadership development programs to its corporate partners. At Pike & Rose, Bee Downtown will provide dedicated care for the three honeybee hives, ensuring the well-being and vitality of the bee colonies.
“We are delighted to have Choice Hotels join ‘America’s #1 Bee Team’ as one of our newest Corporate Hive Program partners,” remarked Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, Founder and CEO, Bee Downtown. “At Bee Downtown, it is our goal to help leading corporations cultivate great places to work through sustainability initiatives and employee experiences all rooted in agriculture. We look forward to many wonderful years of partnership with Choice Hotels.”
In line with its commitment to sustainability, Choice’s office building in Pike & Rose is actively pursuing LEED Gold Certification and has achieved WiredScore Gold Certification, signifying its commitment to environmentally sound practices and creating a high-performing workspace.
