British Colonial Hilton Nassau

The British Colonial Hotel stands on the site of Fort Nassau.

The former Colonial Hotel was built between 1899 and 1900 and represented the first break with the Colonial Georgian style.  It was South American in style and inspired many similar hotels later built.  It had small windows and arcaded galleries and porticoes, giving the impression of Spanish cloisters.  At the time it was built it was the largest building in Nassau and is still larger than the more domestic buildings nearby.  The first hotel was destroyed by fire in March 1922.  The New Colonial Hotel opened in February 1923.  It was later bought by Sir Harry Oakes (1874-1943).  He was said to be unimpressed by the service of one of the staff and so decided to buy the hotel himself.  He was sensationally murdered on 7 July 1943, and though many books have been written about the murder, there has never been a definitive verdict.  The murder is officially unsolved.