The Hamilton Princess and Beach Club has featured in the list of top 25 holiday traditions and spectacular displays by Historic Hotels Worldwide.

The organisation represents more than 300 historic hotels in over 40 countries.

It said: “In December and January, these historic hotels, inns, chateaus, castles, and haciendas are illuminated in the local fashion for the season, creating beautiful spaces for guests to celebrate one or more of the festive holidays and observances that fall in this time of the year.”

It added: “Many put up spectacular displays of Christmas or holiday trees, light exhibitions, magnificent gingerbread houses and hotel replicas and greenery.

“Many historic hotels featured on the 2023 list incorporate charitable giving into their holiday programming: organising food drives, directing monetary donations, and collecting gifts for less fortunate children and families.”

Regarding the Hamilton Princess, which opened in 1885, the Historic Hotels Worldwide said: “During December, the delights get kicked up a notch at ‘The Pink Palace’, and there is no shortage of holiday season traditions and spectacular displays for guests and visitors to enjoy.

“The annual Christmas tree and gingerbread display can be found in the hotel lobby, as well as holiday decorations spread across the destination, including the popular and Instagram-worthy ‘Tunnel of Lights’ in the hotel courtyard.

“New to the hotel this year, the annual gingerbread display has been upgraded to an edible pop-up shop where guests can buy treats and souvenirs, and even make holiday dining reservations.

“The Gingerbread Shop was a collaboration between the hotel’s team of chefs, carpenters, and culinary retail.

“The wooden frame was built in three weeks, and two weeks were spent whipping up the gingerbread mixture using 533 eggs and 160 pounds of icing sugar.

“In the final two days of the installation, 900 pounds of gingerbread were affixed to the 20-foot house.”

The organisation added: “One Hamilton Princess tradition that is unique to the island hotel among Historic Hotels Worldwide members is the Boxing Day dance performed by a troupe of masked Bermuda Gombeys.

“Though other islands share a similar tradition, Gombey dancing was recognised as a uniquely Bermudian art form at a Unesco cultural and conservation conference.

“During the holiday season, the gombeys dance on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, as well as other important events and festivals on the island. From records, the hotel knows its Boxing Day Gombeys performance dates at least to the 1970s.”

Other hotels on the list include Dromoland Castle Hotel (1014) Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, Ireland; Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (1578) Amsterdam, Netherlands; Quinta Real Puebla (1593) Puebla de Zaragoza, Puebla, Mexico; Hacienda de Los Santos (1600s) Alamos, Sonora, Mexico; Pulitzer Amsterdam (17th century) Amsterdam, The Netherlands; The Great House Antigua (1670) Saint Peter, Antigua and Barbuda; Hotel Claude Marbella (1650) Marbella, Spain; Hotel Maximilian's (1722) Augsburg, Germany; Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (1780) Bagac, Philippines; Gamlebyen Hotell Fredrikstad (1835) Fredrikstad, Norway; Engø Gård (1845) Tjøme, Norway; Great Southern Killarney (1854) Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland; Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (1885) Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands; The Savoy London (1889) London, United Kingdom; Mystery Hotel Budapest (1896) Budapest, Hungary; Hotel Moskva (1908) Belgrade, Serbia; Villa Copenhagen (1912) Copenhagen, Denmark; Sofitel Legend Casco Viejo – Panama City (1917) Panama City, Panama; Beijing Hotel NUO (1917) Beijing, China; Hotel New Grand (1927) Yokohama, Japan; Fairmont Le Château Montebello (1930) Montebello, Quebec, Canada; Casa das Lérias (1930s) Amarante, Portugal; Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (1939) Vancouver, British Columbia; and The Murray Hong Kong (1969) Hong Kong, China.