One of London�s most historic hotels, The Royal Horseguards in Whitehall, has appointed an historian and tour guide to the role of Curator in order to offer guests guided tours of the 18th Century, Grade 1 listed building.

The appointment comes as the hotel prepares to re-launch following a �16m refurbishment plan and become the fourth London hotel to join Guoman Hotels at the end of February (26th).

Famous for being used by the Secret Service as a covert base in the Second World War, The Royal Horseguards also has welcomed some of the most famous names in British history through its doors; past residents include George Bernard Shaw and H G Wells, with political figures ranging from Lord Gladstone to Tony Blair.

Guests will get the chance to see the basement which once housed Churchill�s favourite pub, the Duck and Goose, and where Whitehall�s secret network of underground passages enter the building.

The tour will also cover One Whitehall Place, home to The National Liberal Club � designed by Alfred Waterhouse � and the magnificent Gladstone Library and The Reading & Writing Room, as well as the largest free standing marble staircase in Europe.

Jon Beecroft, general manager of The Royal Horseguards said: �We get an awful lot of guests asking about stories they�ve heard relating to the history of the building; whether it�s a guest that stayed here, a notable politician or even a government department that has used the hotel in the past. Similarly people want to see certain areas, such as One Whitehall Place and The Gladstone Library. By appointing an historian and tour guide to the role of Curator, guests will now finally be able to enjoy a full, historically-accurate tour and become experts themselves in the history of the building,�

The building has been used by politicians as an important meeting place through out its history, right up to the current day � it was recently for an emergency meeting with the Treasury and the UK�s banks where the �bail-out� package was formed.

On the 26th February 2009 The Royal Horseguards will officially re-launch as a Guoman Hotel following a 16m refurbishment plan to restore the building to its former glory and lifting the accommodation to 5star standard, complimented by exemplary customer service.

Tours will be available upon request at �15 per person based on a group of four, and book-able through the concierge.

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Notes to Editor 1. Built in 1884 in the style of a French ch�teau on the Embankment of the Thames, the Royal Horseguards is one of London�s landmark hotels, neighbouring the Ministry of Defence and just moments away from Downing Street and Parliament. Following an extensive refurbishment, the hotel�s 280 bedrooms have been transformed into state-of-the-art luxury accommodation, confirming its place among the capital�s most luxurious and desirable hotels. For further information, please visit www.theroyalhorseguards.co.uk About Guoman Hotels Guoman Hotels is a collection of deluxe hotels located in central London including Charing Cross, The Cumberland and The Tower. Whilst each hotel in the portfolio is different, with its own unique identity and style, each provides the very highest levels of comfort and service to its guests. For further information, please visit www.guoman.com For further media information on The Royal Horseguards or Guoman Hotels, please contact:

James Watts, Deirdre Mackey or Rebecca Shay at Siren PR Tel: +44 203 008 6280 Email: firstname.lastname@sirenpr.co.uk