One of Bermuda's most luxurious hotels will open its doors to the public for historical tours next week.

The Fairmont Hamilton Princess was hand-picked by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts as one of nine hotels to be featured as part of their centennial celebration.

The Royal Gazette sat down with hotel manager, Allan Trew, to talk about what people can expect in the tours and why they should come.

Mr. Trew explained this a company wide initiative. Fairmont has chosen nine historic properties to invite the public to show them historic parts of these hotels.

He said Hamilton Princess was opened in 1883, a few years before the first Fairmont hotel, San Francisco, opened in 1907. Hamilton Princess was later bought by Fairmont.

During the tour, expected to last between 30 and 45 minutes, guests will be able to see the Gold Lounge which Mr. Trew said played a very significant part during the First World War when it served as an intelligence headquarters for the British Government. He said the Gold Lounge is a Fairmont brand and is in all their hotels.

Another area is the Gazebo Lounge which was previously a bar. Mr. Trew said the bar inspired writers such as Mark Twain and Ian Fleming.

Another historic part of the hotel is wall adorned with pictures of the hotel from its development stage to what it looks like today. There will also be stories of guests who have made the hotel famous.

According to Mr. Trew, the best part of the tour will be the tea.

"After the tour, this is perhaps the highlight, we are inviting guests and visitors to join us for a special tea for $19.07. The company has created a limited commemorative tea which we are serving at the Heritage Court. There are also special commemorative drinks at the bar", he said.

Although reservations are not required, Mr. Trew suggested people make reservations because the afternoon tea is quite popular.

According to Mr. Trew, Mark Twain is the most well-known guest to have stayed at the hotel even though the hotel has entertained presidents, royalty, dignitaries and other celebrities.

He told a story of when Michael Jackson and Macaulay Culkin stayed in the hotel at the same time.

"The guests were sitting out in the courtyard trying to catch a glimpse of Michael Jackson when the two of them threw big water balloons down at them", he laughed.

When asked why people should come out for the tours, Mr. Trew said: "I think they would find out something very interesting that they never knew. This hotel has always been a focal point of Bermuda. It is important we share history with the Bermuda public".

Rehanna Palumbo, director of Sales and Marketing at Hamilton Princess said: "We want to invite everyone to join us for these historical tours. We've been honoured to have history unfold at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess from the time the hotel opened in 1885 until today, and this is our chance to share the most fascinating aspects of the hotel's history, indeed Bermuda's history, with the community."

In addition to Hamilton Princess, the eight other hotels featured around the world are the Savoy in London, Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Fairmont Empress in Victoria, British Columbia, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Copley Square in Boston, Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff Springs, Canada, Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg and the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

The tours will take place on Sunday, September 2 at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Reservations for the free tours are not required and are appropriate for all ages.