Forty-six stories above SoHo, 70,000 Italian honeybees work diligently on the rooftop of The Dominick Hotel. These skyscraper hives, produced through a partnership with Bee Haven Bees, will yield up to 80 pounds of honey during two yearly harvests. The bounty goes on to fuel a variety of guest experiences at this MICHELIN property home to Vestry and the Parisian-born center of wellness, Sisley Spa.
Discreet in their work, the honeybee does more than just produce a long-admired ingredient. To learn more about the evergreen benefits of bees, I met with Claire Marin at The Dominick. Marin is a seasoned beekeeper in Sullivan County, Catskills with over a decade under her belt in beekeeping. She is also the owner and operator of a honey-based company called Catskill Provisions and Pollinator Spirits.
“These types of programs, like Bee Haven Bees, are incredible for the city and something even more hotels should consider,” Marin says in the rich, honey toned lobby of the hotel. “Bees are responsible for around 80% of worldwide pollination. In one day, even just one honeybee can pollinate 300,000 flowers! Do you know what a few hive programs like this could do for Manhattan? It’s fantastic to consider.”
The Dominick’s honeybee program, founded in 2023, aims to strengthen environmental initiatives as well as enhance different guest experiences. Honey from each season’s harvest is jarred for the hotel and goes on to pollinate various operations throughout the property.
“Just look through time and you’ll find that one of the world’s most historic ingredients is in fact, honey,” Marin says, eyeing a jar of The Dominick’s honey in her hand. “Egyptian pharaohs valued this stuff so much that they buried it in their tombs. Would you believe that 3,000 years later, it was still edible? I would say that honey just may be one of the most important ingredients in history.”
Once harvested, The Dominick’s honey begins its journey on the ground floor of the hotel at Vestry. The restaurant by Chef Shaun Hergatt purchases the rooftop harvested honey where it has made several appearances on the cocktail menu. Chef Hergatt, an Australian native, is a continuous find in the Michelin Guide. His prior projects SHO Shaun Hergatt garnered Two Michelin Stars and his other, Juni, achieved One Michelin Star.
The menu at Vestry is a story of Chef Hergatt’s experiences. The menu wields together his Australian roots and passion for Asian cooking techniques. The four and five course tasting menus are layered with crowd favorites like a scallop crudo, wagyu sirloin, and a unique cheesecake. All the while, an elegant, noir vibe fills the space. Lastly, travelers with a penchant for upscale libations will find solace at the bar, where drinks like Smoke and Fire provide both flavor and theatrics.
Just a floor up, an impressive honeycomb display greets guests at the hotel’s restaurant Mezzanine. The sun-clad space has a brunch menu teeming with opportunities for honey infusion. Jars of The Dominick’s honey can be found on each table and are best served atop dishes like acai bowls, banana buttermilk pancakes and granola parfaits. The honey is also directly infused into a “very bee-ry smoothie,” which is also available for room service. Additionally, the rooftop restaurant, El Takoy, leans into honey for several cocktails which can also be enjoyed poolside, in season.
Marin, who has been harvesting honey for over a decade, says that its benefits go well beyond taste. “You’d be surprised to see all the benefits honey has outside of its sweetness. It’s also an incredible source of all the things your skin needs: Antioxidants, antimicrobials, and antifungal. Literally, just apply it right onto your skin and you’ll see what happens!”
This notion takes us to the rooftop of the hotel, where Sisley Spa uses The Dominick’s honey for a sui generis wellness experience. Dubbed “The Dominick Honeybee Ritual,” jars of the hotel’s honey are used to paint the face and body. After allowing it to absorb into the skin in a meditative state, it is washed off. The treatment is then followed up with an exfoliating scalp and body massage.
The Dominick's honeybee project spotlights the possibilities when sustainability and hospitality cross paths. For guests, it’s a doorway into a variety of meaningful experiences, from Michelin cuisine to luxury wellness, while for the hotel, it’s an environmentally friendly gift to their fashionable neighborhood. A sweet moment for everyone.
Hero image: Salvatore DiBenedetto
