10 Years of GIVE BEES A CHANCE

5 June 2015 A passionate small-scale project takes flight. The Austrian ARCOTEL Hotels, under the personal patronage of Dr Renate Wimmer, owner of the hotel group, launch an initiative that is rather unusual for the industry: “Give Bees a Chance”. The aim is to contribute to the protection and preservation of bee populations in the countries where ARCOTEL operates.

10 years later The project has taken on a life of its own. See for yourself what has happened so far…

The Idea

Every hotel guest can get involved: anyone staying more than one night at an ARCOTEL Hotel can opt out of room cleaning. In return, a contribution is made to the donation fund. Back in 2015, more than 1,600 guests supported the cause within just two months – four years later, over 54,000 guests were part of ARCOTEL’s growing “Friends of Bees” community. Thanks to the remarkable donation total, numerous projects – especially local initiatives – have been supported to date.

The Commitment

This outstanding success was only made possible through the enthusiasm of ARCOTEL employees. Guests are informed and encouraged to take part. Collecting bee stamps at the reception turned into a staff challenge: the ARCOTEL Hotel with the most stamps at the end of the year is declared the winner.

The Success

In 2015, an impressive EUR 17,000 was donated to the ORF charity MUTTER ERDE to support bee protection projects in Austria – a remarkable achievement for such a young initiative. Enthusiasm for bees continued to grow among both staff and guests. In 2017, ARCOTEL Hotels and their guests raised a tremendous EUR 100,000 – a figure that was exceeded again in 2018. Following the challenges of the pandemic, the commitment continued: each year, the donation amount has grown, supporting meaningful projects to preserve bee populations.

2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the initiative – and another milestone: a total of EUR 150,000 will be donated to bee conservation this year.

The Future

A heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to all our hotel guests who take part. We promise to continue supporting dedicated bee protection projects in Germany and Austria with the same commitment.

The Extra Mile

ARCOTEL Hotels Kaiserwasser in Vienna and Castellani in Salzburg also serve as “urban homes” for bee colonies who work diligently as part of the ARCOTEL team. Each hive is home to around 30,000 “employees”. And where a hotel can’t host a hive, flower meadows are planted as a “snack station” for passing pollinators.

10 Years of GIVE BEES A CHANCE

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