British Colonial Hotel
British Colonial Hotel | |
---|---|
Bahamas | |
Coordinates | 25°4′42″N 77°20′44″W / 25.07833°N 77.34556°W |
Opening | January 7, 1924[1] |
Owner | China State Construction Engineering Corporation |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 7 |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 288 |
Number of suites | 20 |
The British Colonial Hotel is a historic resort hotel in downtown
History of the area
The site was occupied in the 19th century by the Old Fort of Nassau to protect the western entrance to the Nassau Harbour until it was demolished in 1873.
Hotel history
In 1900, the land was purchased by
In 1932, the hotel was purchased by Sir Harry Oakes.[9] The local legend is that Oakes bought the hotel on a whim, after experiencing bad service there.[7] Oakes renamed the hotel the British Colonial Hotel. He was a powerful man and a friend of the Duke of Windsor.[5][10][11][12] He was later murdered in 1943 under mysterious circumstances (the mystery remains unresolved), which was called the "murder of the century".[13]
The hotel was bought by Florida-based Gill Hotels in 1960
The hotel was sold on October 24, 2014 to the China State Construction Engineering Corporation.[18] From 2016-2019, the group constructed a $250 million complex, originally known as The Pointe, adjacent to the British Colonial, located on the hotel's former parking lot.[19] The hotel and condominium towers of The Pointe have since been branded as Margaritaville Beach Resort Nassau.
The hotel closed temporarily in early 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened on December 15, 2020,[20] but closed again on February 15, 2022, due to continued low bookings during the ongoing pandemic from its clientele primarily of business and convention travelers.[21] The hotel ceased to be associated with the Hilton brand as of that date.[22][23]
While closed, the hotel underwent extensive renovations.[24][21] It reopened as the British Colonial Hotel on December 19, 2023.[25]
Interior
On one side of the hotel is a tropical garden and the pool overlooking the harbor. The main restaurants are Aqua, serving international cuisine and Portofino serving Italian-Caribbean fusion cuisine, and the Bullion Bar serves drinks and snacks.[26] The lobby is luxurious, with marble titles and antiques and features the Blackbeard’s Cove Lobby bar and nightly Bahamian/Caribbean music. All of the rooms are decorated in colonial décor. A relief depicting Christopher Columbus is situated high on the grand central tower of the hotel, and at the front of the hotel is a statue of Woodes Rogers, the ex-privateer who proved effective against piracy in the area.[5] A mural depicting the history of the Bahamas was added in 1999 to the entrance hall.[5]
Facilities
The hotel has six floors spread over an 8-acre plot and has 288 guest rooms, 20 suites and 47 executive-level rooms. It has a 300-foot-long private white sand beach which features complimentary kayaking and snorkeling.[26][27] The hotel has been fully modernised with new electronics and furnishings. The executive lounge is located on the top floor provided with 18,400 feet (5,600 m) of space.[17]
James Bond
The hotel was used as a filming location for the James Bond film
References
- ^ a b "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle from Brooklyn, New York on December 2, 1923 · Page 64". newspapers.com. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-471-96250-2. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-85828-895-6. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-86011-212-6. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "James Bond's British Colonial Hilton Nassau" (PDF). Tourism Review. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-86450-199-5. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ ISBN 9780820322841. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ISBN 9781901522006. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "2010/05/a-tale-of-two-restaurantsthe-great-bahamian-seafood-festival". bahamapundit.com. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Michelin Tire Corporation; Michelin Travel Publications (Firm) (1 January 2007). Michelin Florida. Michelin Travel Publications. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-470-14568-5. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ISSN 0199-5111. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-470-61437-2. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Jane's History Nook : Bob Gill's Escape Hotel and his other Fort Lauderdale landmarks ..." janeshistorynook.blogspot.com. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Starwood pulls Sheraton Brand from Nassau for the third time - Hospitality Business News". hospitalitybusinessnews.com. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Revitalizing Downtown Nassau | Airlines and Destinations". airlinesanddestinations.com. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ a b "British Colonial Hilton Nassau Announces $15 Million Dollar Makeover". Hilton.com. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "Nassau's British Colonial Hilton Sold". caribjournal.com. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "New $250 Million Hotel Project Breaks Ground in Nassau". caribjournal.com. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "The Bahamas' British Colonial Hilton Nassau is Reopening". 4 December 2020.
- ^ a b Hartnell, Neil. "Hilton closure shows city 'not functioning'".
- ^ "ICONIC LANDMARK SHUTS DOORS: British Colonial Hilton to close indefinitely on February 15". 20 January 2022.
- ^ "CCA in active discussions with potential managers for British Colonial Hilton". 2 February 2022.
- ^ https://www.travelagentcentral.com/hotels/british-colonial-hotel-nassau-reopen-winter
- ^ https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/news/caribbean-news/bahamas-prime-minister-phillip-davis-hails-reopening-of-british-colonial-hotel/
- ^ Hilton Hotels. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- ^ "Bahamas vacations are better at the Hilton". Bahama-Hotels.com. Retrieved 25 April 2011.