do you know...

By the beginning of the 20th century and fifteen years after the building of the original Princess Hotel, various additions had increased the capacity of the hotel to accommodate almost 300 guests. In both 1904 and 1905 further additions were completed and in 1907 several internal changes increased the number of bedrooms with private baths even further.

The Princess circa 1900

Following the death of manager Nathan Howe in 1907, his brother Frederick managed the hotel together with Leo Tworoger who would stay with the Princess as manager until 1940. In 1909 they added a new wing with 70 rooms at the northwest and the Princess could now accommodate 400 guests. Rooms were from $4 per day, $25 per week.

Not just rooms were added to the hotel, the Princess also built the first hotel swimming pool in Bermuda, provided a golf course for its guests, as well as facilities such as a popular grill room and a handsome ball room. The music provided by the hotel orchestra and the weekly dances became popular features not just for overseas guests, but Bermudians as well.

In 1924 a waterside colony club was added. The hotel now advertised itself as ‘The Princess Hotel and Cardiff Point Cottages, offering the traveler of discrimination the ideal accommodation. Every requisite for convenience and comfort has been included – electric lights, elevator, room telephones, tiled swimming pool, grill room, spacious public rooms, tennis courts, golf course, saddle and driving Livery, yacht fleet, and the Metropolitan Orchestra’.
Following the addition of the Adam Lounge in 1931 and a new western wing in 1932, the Princess promoted itself as the leading hotel in Bermuda – ‘At every world-famed resort there is one hotel that leads. Such a hotel not only assures a congenial atmosphere, but carries also the assurance of every expected luxury and comfort, as well as social diversions and sports facilities. There is such a hotel in Bermuda, and for over fifty years it has been the choice of the well-informed’.

During World War II the Princess Hotel was requisitioned by the Imperial Censorship Detachment sent to Bermuda to intercept and censor all trans-Atlantic mail between Europe and the United States. Following the war the Princess had become rather tatty and was sold to Englishman Sir Billy Butlin. Around 1960 American billionaire Daniel K. Ludwig planned the building of the huge Southampton Princess Hotel and, to show his goodwill, proposed to purchase the run-down Hamilton Princess and completely renovate it. $9 million later, the Hamilton Princess reopened April 1st 1964. Four years later the waterside cottages were removed and a 226-bed addition opened on the western side of the hotel.

In 1980 Daniel Ludwig sold a 50% interest in the hotel to the British Lonrho Group who in turn sold the Princess Hotel as part of a seven property deal to Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1998. Together with Fairmont, they created the luxury brand that the Princess is today. Global Hospitality Investments purchased the Princess in 2007 and continue to operate the hotel as part of the Fairmont chain.