Bees and Friends Hotels

Peaky Place – The Hedgehog Bike Hotel in Laax: Designed by mechanical engineer Josua Glünkin, Peaky Place is a miniature version of Peaks Place in Laax – tailored for hedgehogs who enjoy the forest trails before settling in for rest. Built from spruce wood, its jagged shape echoes the original hotel and blends seamlessly into the woodland. A cozy sleeping area in the back offers shelter, while two green rooftop sections provide food for insect and bird visitors. The playful highlight: a tiny pump track on the roof – just in case a little guest arrives on wheels.

Bee-Märchen – Where Fairy Tales Bloom and Bees Feel at Home: just like their human counterparts at the famed Märchenhotel Braunwald, wild bees enjoy a charming retreat at Bee-Märchen.

BEE Rivage – A Luxury Retreat for Wild Bees in the Park of Beau-Rivage Palace Lausanne: Designed by architects François Born and Adrien Clairac, BEE Rivage blends aesthetics with a strong ecological purpose. Inspired by the four seasons and local flora, it caters to the needs of the most discerning wild bees. A blooming grove, encircled by a protective ring, houses diverse nesting structures tailored to different bee species. The project aims to preserve vital habitats and raise awareness for the protection of these essential pollinators.

Relaxation in Nature – Luxury for the Smallest Guests: The Tiny Dolder Grand is a charming miniature version of the iconic Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich. Inspired by the elegance of the original ballroom, it was designed by mechanical engineer Josua Glünkin and nestled idyllically at the edge of the forest. Hedgehogs enjoy a luxurious suite below, while birds relax on the sturdy sandstone roof – serving as both a spa and meeting place. With its sustainable design, species-appropriate entrance, and removable roof for easy cleaning, the hotel combines style, functionality, and eco-consciousness. Built entirely from local materials, it embodies the Dolder Grand’s vision in miniature form.

Summnest – The Design Hotel for Sporty Bees: Inspired by the cross-country ski trails passing the Hôtel des Horlogers in Le Brassus, industrial designer Annina Mijatovic created Summnest – an avant-garde wild bee hotel. This striking column combines clean lines with durable natural materials, offering not only nesting space but also raising awareness of the vital role pollinators play in our ecosystem. Aesthetic, functional, and sustainable – an architectural statement for biodiversity.

Wild Bee Lodges – Where Design Meets Urban Biodiversity: In the garden of Silo Boutique & Design Hostel Basel, designer and concept developer Sarah Rittmann has created a stylish retreat for wild bees: the Wild Bee Hostel. Five elevated lodges made of natural materials rest on slender wooden stilts, nestled within raised beds and planted cavities integrated into the structure itself. With a hexagonal form and varying nest hole sizes, the lodges cater to the needs of different bee species. Natural materials like bamboo, reed, hardwood, and clay offer ideal, disease-resistant nesting conditions. A rooftop garden and lush green cavities provide nectar-rich food sources – right at the bees’ doorstep.

Villa Carona – Bee Edition: In the blooming Mediterranean garden of the historic Villa Carona near Lugano, a unique refuge for up to 30,000 honeybees is taking shape. Designed by Sarah Rittmann, this miniature bee hotel mirrors the architecture, colors, and proportions of the original villa. Elevated on elegant stilts and equipped with a professional beekeeping system, it meets all standards for species-appropriate care. A hinged roof, single flight entrance, and space for ten Dadant frames make maintenance by a local beekeeper efficient and sustainable. Surrounded by nectar-rich blossoms, the Bee Edition offers ideal conditions for honeybees – all in a heritage-inspired setting.

B-House – Architecture for Discerning Wild Bees: Inspired by the monastery building at See & Park Hotel Feldbach, the B-House was developed by architect Kosha Ahmadi and Laurin Schaffner, an industrial designer and design researcher. This modular concept features three scalable components. Each nesting tube acts like a brick in the facade, while the metal roof provides weather protection. Its uniform design wraps the structure and offers thousands of nesting spaces – a perfect retreat for busy bees amid a floral paradise.

Série Horns – A Charming Alpine Stay for Feathered Guests: Set in front of the Posthotel Rössli chalet in Gstaad, Série Horns is a birdhouse series designed by interior architecture master's student Jaemo Lee. Inspired by the iconic postal horn, the design pays tribute to the hotel’s history as a former post office. Shaped like musical horns and crafted from wood with chalet-style roofs, the birdhouses symbolically link birds to messengers and nests to mailboxes. This poetic reinterpretation blends traditional Swiss aesthetics with functionality, offering a refined retreat for birds who appreciate alpine elegance.

In the idyllic Schlüsselgärtli, it's not just bees that find blooming oases — our feathered guests also enjoy a cosy home here. A little birdhouse nestled high in the tree invites them to linger and rest.

In summer, the beehives stand in the meadow right in front of the Scalottas Terroir restaurant – four traditional wooden hives. During winter, they are kept with the beekeeper in Zorten. For butterflies, wild bees, and other insects, we’ve created a flowering strip in the BergAcker, which belongs to the restaurant. Situated in Lain at 1,300 metres above sea level, the BergAcker is cultivated using permaculture principles.

We are home to around six bee colonies, located directly on the hotel grounds and cared for by a local beekeeper. The honey they produce is used throughout the hotel, including at our breakfast buffet.

Nestled in the small garden of Hotel Heiden, two bee hotels have been offering a warm welcome to our tiniest guests since last year. The idea blossomed during a staff training day, when a young trainee proposed it as part of a sustainability workshop.

Since 2016, around 80,000 honeybees have made their home in the park of Baur au Lac – in their own miniature version of the hotel. As they buzz through Zurich’s green oases, they gather nectar for the hotel’s own honey. Its delicately sweet, floral aroma can be enjoyed at breakfast – or taken home in a beautifully packaged jar from the boutique kiosk or online shop.

The structure stands at the edge of our beautiful hotel garden, in a sunny and easily visible spot designed to attract as many creatures as possible. Inspired by a mountain hut belonging to our neighbour, the insect hotel was lovingly built using natural materials. Our technical team regularly maintains it, replacing old elements and adding new ones to ensure it remains a welcoming refuge for insects of all kinds.

Right on the hostel grounds, we host around six beehives, carefully tended by a local beekeeper. The honey they produce is used in our hostel, for example at breakfast. The Wild Bee Youth Shelter is located on the premises of the Leissigen Youth Hostel. This initiative is part of the Swiss Youth Hostels’ comprehensive sustainability strategy, which integrates ecological, social and economic principles.

Inspired by nature, our wild bee hotel hangs at the edge of the forest behind the hotel. It is crafted from a variety of Eastern Swiss woods, such as oak, beech, ash, hazel, and reed, with a wooden bark roof. The three-star superior hotel "Säntis – das Hotel" is located on Schwägalp, surrounded by the Nature Discovery Park Schwägalp / Säntis. As a point of contact for nature enthusiasts, our ranger welcomes guests and also tends to the wild bee home, ensuring that every visitor can discover and appreciate a little more of the natural beauty of Schwägalp.

Our beehives are located in a unique and pristine setting, surrounded by seven hectares of organic vineyards cascading down steep terraces toward the lake. The vineyard is left naturally grassed, fostering remarkable biodiversity: beneath the vines, an incredible variety of flowers, aromatic herbs, insects, and, most notably, a thriving population of butterflies — including several rare and endangered species — flourish.

Our beehives are nestled within the gardens of The Alpina Gstaad and can be discovered during a beekeeping workshop led by a professional local beekeeper who cares for them each year. Available every summer, this 45-minute experience invites guests into the fascinating world of bees. The beekeeper shares insights into their unique universe, explains the honey-making process, and highlights the vital role of a healthy environment in their survival.

We have a beehive in Soussillon, a small hamlet across from Chandolin. It produces honey for the hotel and is cared for by a local beekeeper, Walti Zuber.