Green Thumb Hotels

Speaking of going green (see my blog “It’s Not Easy Being Green“), were you aware that many hotels have green thumbs? They grow produce, have herb gardens, and keep vineyards. They garden with hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, and good old-fashioned dirt. When planning an event with F&B, be sure to ask if the venue has their own farm-to-table program or are growing their own seasonal produce which could enhance your sustainability program and potentially save some money when you work with the chef to select the right menu.

As a planner working with associations and nonprofits, budget is always a concern, so if I can spend a little time talking with the chef or catering manager about how to reduce my F&B costs, I will. When doing research, I found it fascinating what some of the different hotels were implementing for their gardening programs. I assumed fruits and veggies were being grown, and herb gardens did not surprise me, but when I discovered some venues have their own vineyards, that I didn’t expect. Nor did I expect a venue to have their own beehives to harvest their own honey, or some of the other items I found.

Here are a couple of venues and their interesting horticultural endeavors that I stumbled upon:

• The Colorado Convention Center has the Blue Bear Farm which is over 5,000 sq ft and provides fruits, vegetables, herbs, and beehives to the venue.¹
• In April 2024, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort unveiled its new organic Italian Riviera-style herb garden and its beekeeping program which will provide not only honey for desserts, cocktails, and breakfast dishes, but also bolster bee populations to support local ecosystems.²
• Hilton is in on the action with beehive programs at the Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, the New York Hilton Midtown, the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, and the Hilton Salt Lake City Center to name a few. Not to mention the number of their hotels with vegetable and herb gardens, many of which are located on rooftops.³
• Hacienda AltaGracia, a resort in Costa Rica, has started its own coffee plantation that will be roasting beans and making coffee for its patrons to take home as soon as their plants grow up, and the Four Seasons Resort in Hualalai, Hawaii created a three-million gallon lake which supplies the restaurant with roughly 500 oysters a week.⁴
• Maple syrup and vinegar are made from birch trees at the Manoir Hovey in North Hatley, Quebec, and you will find hickory syrup and peony-blossom jam at the hotel Nicewonder Farm and Vineyards in Bristol, Virginia. Other items that are being sourced from hotel and venue gardens include amenities such as: peppermint mouthwash, rosemary soap, eucalyptus sugar scrubs, elderberry wellness shots, and even house made hot sauces.⁵

Long gone are the days where it was enough to implement a recycling program and add solar panels to the roof of your hotel. To make a positive impact on the environment, everyone has to do their part, and so many of the hotels and venues are getting really creative. Who would have thought ten years ago that a hotel staff might include gardeners, horticulturists, arborists, ecologists, botanists, and agribusiness managers.

What types of agriculture have you run across at the venues you source?
Share them here or send me an email!

See the latest resources for those who partner with volunteers at tracybaer.com!

1.Colorado Convention Center, Blue Bear Farms. From their website. https://denverconvention.com/about-us/sustainability/blue-bear-farm
2.Four Seasons Press Room. April 17, 2024. https://press.fourseasons.com/orlando/hotel-news/2024/earth-day-new-sustainability-initiatives/
3.Forbes Newsletter. April 14, 2024. Hilton Focuses on Nature with Beehives, Gardens, Fruits, and Flowers. https://www.forbes.com/sites/loisaltermark/2024/04/14/hilton-focuses-on-nature-with-beehives-gardens-fruits-and-flowers/?sh=21aee69c44c9
4. Virtuoso. April 4, 2024. Five Resorts that go Beyond Farm to Table. https://www.virtuoso.com/travel/articles/five-resorts-that-go-beyond-farm-to-table
5.Business Traveler. July 10, 2023. Hotels are Growing Their Own Produce for Cuisine and Amenities. https://businesstravelerusa.com/food-and-drink/hotels-are-growing-their-own-produce-for-cuisine-and-amenities/