Known for being “your London home,” the five-star Athenaeum Hotel is bringing its special brand of hospitality to a new group of high flyers.

            The Athenaeum has installed bird boxes, hand-crafted by the hotel's maintenance staff, onto its iconic Living Wall.  Designed to provide valuable nesting sites for the city's winged creatures, these new digs represent a fun fusion of the hotel with its neighboring Royal Parks.  From the 164-room hotel's location on Piccadilly, across from Green Park, guests and passers-by can easily spot the boxes scattered within the grasses and flowers of the Living Wall.  These new homes are painted bright red, a reflection of the hotel's signature red robin logo. 

            Designed in 2009 by internationally renowned French architectural botanist Patrick Blanc, The Athenaeum's Living Wall has immediately become a landmark on Piccadilly. The wall climbs ten floors on the exterior of the Athenaeum, and is planted using a unique self-irrigation process, which, allows plants to grow without soil on an irrigated vertical surface. 

            The Athenaeum has future plans to encourage additional wildlife to the hotel by adding rooftop beehives. The honey they produce will be used throughout The Athenaeum's menus, including their award-winning afternoon teas.

            Interested in designing your own vertical garden?  Visit The Athenaeum during The Chelsea Fringe – www.chelseafringe.com -- an open-access festival taking place May 17th thru June 8th.  Known as the alternative garden festival, it is a celebration of everything to do with gardens, plants, landscape and the environment.   The Chelsea Fringe coincides and overlaps with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.    Daniel Bell, a living wall designer and The Athenaeum's head horticulturist, will host an evening event from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20th in the hotel's Garden Room – how appropriate –where he will show how anyone can create their own vertical garden.  Tickets for this special event are priced at £15 (approximately $25) per person with 10% going to the Chelsea Fringe.  It includes admission to the talk, a scrumptious living wall inspired cocktail and canapés.

The athenaeum, London

Located in fashionable Mayfair—across from Green Park, just steps from Buckingham Palace and the best shopping in London—The athenaeum is a family-owned and family-friendly five-star 164-room hotel known for its exterior vertical garden wall and the Apartments at The athenaeum.  The 18 one-bedroom apartments are ideal for business travelers and families, offering overnight and long-term guests the space, convenience and privacy of their own home along with all the five-star amenities of the hotel. The athenaeum also features the athenaeum Spa; the Restaurant; the Garden Room, home to an award-winning afternoon tea (voted “Best in London 2012”);  and the Whisky Bar, which offers the most extensive selection of whiskies in London and a full-time whisky sommelier.    Other hotel highlights include complimentary Wi-Fi, minibar snacks and meals for children.  Further information can be found at www.athenaeumhotel.com or info@athenaeumhotel.com, 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ.  The toll free reservation number is 1-800-335-3300.  Travel professionals may book via GDS (chain code YX).