When Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Bungalows partnered with the urban beekeeping company Alvéole a few years ago, the goal wasn’t to create a marketing hook.

The collaboration brought a piece of the desert’s natural ecosystem onto the property. Two hives were installed — one nicknamed the Bee Hotel — and the resort began producing small batches of raw honey that was used in its restaurant, spa and gift shop. 

Over time, those hives became something part of the resort’s identity.

“They come out once a month to check on everything — routine health inspections, monitoring for pests, how much honey has been produced,” said Ashley Betkouchar, who helps oversee programming at the resort. 

“Guests follow along with the hive updates, and people really get invested in what’s happening.” 

The queen bee even has a moniker: Lady Andaz.

The honey harvested onsite is jarred and sold in the resort’s gift shop for $15, and it appears year‑round in dishes at Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen and in treatments at Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary. But September is when the program becomes a centerpiece. National Honey Month gives the resort a chance to showcase the ingredient across its culinary and wellness offerings, and this year’s lineup is its most expansive yet.

At Weft & Warp, honey threads through the menu from breakfast to dessert. Morning guests can order a honey-glazed donut with citrus pastry cream, while the bar team created honey‑forward cocktails and mocktails. 

“They’ll infuse honey with lavender or peanut butter or whatever the culinary team is working with,” Betkouchar said. “And they can turn anything into a mocktail. We carry non‑alcoholic spirits, so it’s a pretty easy switch.”

The restaurant uses honey as a first, second or third note depending on the dish. 

“Sometimes it’s smoked, sometimes it’s grilled, sometimes it’s folded into pastry cream,” Betkouchar said. “It’s fun to see how they play with it.”

Two limited‑time events anchor the month’s programming. The first, Hot Honey Happy Hour on Saturday, Sept. 26, features a honey-fried chicken served with house pickles, aioli and cottage fries. “It’s a bite you can’t get any other time,” Betkouchar said. 

The event also includes live music and a presentation by Alvéole, which shows how honey is produced and how the on-site hives are monitored.

Four days later, the Honey & Vine Wine Dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 30, offers a five‑course tasting menu exploring honey in multiple forms. 

The evening opens with beet and burrata finished with a delicate honey tuile, followed by Bluefin with burnt honey‑chili crunch and puffed rice. 

Rosemary‑honey‑cured duck confit anchors the middle of the menu, while a seven‑day honey‑cured Wagyu serves as the main course. 

Dessert closes with honey cake paired with a Royal Tokaji Red Label 5 Puttonyos Tokaj. Each dish is paired with wines selected to highlight honey’s subtleties.

“It’s really about showing the range of what honey can do,” Betkouchar said. “People think of it as one flavor, but there are so many ways to use it.”

At Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary, honey’s skin‑nourishing properties inspire four limited-time treatments. The Just Bee Massage pairs a Swedish-style massage with a warm honey balm and a floral, milk-and-honey scent. The Bee Natural Facial improves skin tone and texture and ends with a moisturizing honey lip butter. The Meant to Bee Scrub exfoliates with honey granules, then applies a citrusy whipped body butter, while the Bee You Manicure/Pedicure incorporates milk-and-honey aromatherapy.

The spa’s approach mirrors the kitchen’s: honey as a versatile ingredient rather than a gimmick. 

“It’s something that feels natural to the property,” Betkouchar says. “It fits with the desert botanicals and the whole idea of creating treatments inspired by native ingredients.”

The honey program reflects the broader ethos of Andaz Scottsdale. Spread across 23 acres, the midcentury modern retreat is designed to feel residential and connected to its surroundings. 

“We’re always looking to incorporate the bees in any way possible,” Betkouchar said. “They’re part of the story now.”