Hyatt Regency Rooftop Has Minneapolis Abuzz

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – All week, the WCCO Morning Show is taking you stories above the metro and showing off some of the coolest rooftops in the Twin Cities.

For Tuesday, Edward Moody found a rooftop the inhabitants of which ought to have Minneapolis abuzz. At the top of the Hyatt Regency, there are some guests you might not normally expect checking in at a downtown hotel.

Edward Moody talked with Jeff Johnson, director of food and beverages at the Hyatt, about why the hotel decided to recruit the bees.

"It partners with Hyatt's food philosophy of food thoughtfully sourced, carefully served," he said. "Bees are such an integral part of how food is produced."

In addition to serving the honey, the hotel also has raw honey and honey sticks for sale in their marketplace.

Johnson said they've had the bees for the last year now. They have three hives up on the roof. He said recent concerns over the dwindling bee population also went into the hotel's decision to invite the swarms.

That's not all the hotel is hoping to accomplish with their roof in the way of ecology. Johnson said they're planning on doing construction on the roof that will incorporate more green elements. They're in talks with the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.