That buzzing sound you hear the next time you visit the Grand Hyatt at SFO might not be from the revving of jet engines. The hotel has been keeping and tending to its own beehives, which are located on a landing just outside of one of the guest rooms.
The honey produced from these bees will be incorporated into special food and beverage items by the hotel’s chef and featured in the Grand Hyatt’s restaurant, Qual + Crane. The Twin Crafts Bar, located on the 4th floor of the hotel, will also use the honey in its house-smoked chicken wings with honey hot sauce and Alabama white barbeque sauce. The honey will also be sold in jars in the Grand Hyatt’s Twin Crafts Market. The first harvest of honey took place on August 17th.
The Grand Hyatt is working with We Be Honey, a local producer of honey in the San Francisco Bay Area, to tend the bees and harvest the honey.
The bees, which number 120,000, have been producing honey at a record rate thanks to the easy access and clear flight path to the surrounding neighborhoods and San Mateo mountains. The bees pollinate the natural areas adjacent to the Airport and return to the hives at the Hyatt where the honey is produced. A honey bee can fly for up to six miles, and as fast as 15 miles per hour when foraging for pollen and nectar.
The Grand Hyatt’s commitment to sustainably producing its own food products through beekeeping aligns with SFO’s dedication to zero waste while also supporting the Airport’s biodiversity.