SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With the arrival of special guests, a good impression is necessary. In Yellowknife, the buzz is beginning to build, from residents to businesses to city hall, with the impending visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge July 4 to 6.

Joan Findlay is eagerly awaiting the royal couple's visit in July. She was up at 3 a.m. to watch the royal wedding in her pyjamas with the rest of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society in April. - Katherine Hudson/NNSL photo

Prince William and his new bride, Kate Middleton, will be staying at the Explorer Hotel for the two nights they are in the North, according to general manager Douglas Pears.

He said the process of choosing a hotel, as well as the overall management of royal tours, is intricate, involving the Canadian Secretary to the Queen, the federal government and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Pears said organizers and security visited a number of hotels in the city a few months ago before making a decision.

"We're very lucky. But part of it is because we're larger than any of the other hotels," said Pears of the 187-room facility.

"We've had several meetings. We've met four times before it was announced with the RCMP, with the security for the royal family, being Scotland Yard, as well as CSIS (the Canadian Security Intelligence Services) for Canada. That's just the security point," said Pears.

He said he was told there will be about 80 RCMP officers in Yellowknife during the visit. There are currently 32 RCMP officers at the Yellowknife detachment, which would mean more than 40 would be coming in from other detachments for the visit to help provide security.

The Yellowknife RCMP did not return phone calls before press time.

He said the hotel's staff have undergone background security checks and the hotel has gone through three "dry-runs" as well.

"The secretary to the Queen, as well as his entourage, as well as a mock 40 people came and they stayed at the hotel three times," he said.

Although Pears wouldn't elaborate on how many rooms are being taken up with the royal entourage, he said they are taking up "quite a bit of room in the hotel."

Jacqueline Howie, owner of Flowers by Manuela, said she hasn't received any royal floral requests but has been considering advertising about it soon.

She said her company examined the floral arrangements at the royal wedding in April and thinks if flowers are requested, those would be the blueprint to follow.

"They seemed to like subdued colours like greens and whites so I was thinking of getting extras of those kinds of flowers in. I was also thinking of putting together some local arrangements. We did a really nice arrangement where we did mostly outdoor plants and leaves and things like that," said Howie.

Joan Findlay, a member of the Yellowknife Seniors' Society, sat with her husband, former Yellowknife mayor Bob Findlay and ate with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at the Explorer

Hotel when they visited the city in 1994.

"It wasn't that formal," she said.

"You just had to remember what fork to use. I'm excited for the royal couple to come this time."

Mike Freeland, owner of Blachford Lake Lodge said he could not confirm if the royal couple were taking a trip up to the facility.

"We can't really confirm it. I know there is a committee that is looking at their activity and their schedule for Yellowknife and area," said Freeland.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the city will welcome the couple and tour them around the area. He said there has been a long history of royal families visiting the North.

"They have quite an interest in the remoteness and the wilderness and even the people that are here

"It seems to be a strong tradition that they visit here early in their public lives and even some of them as young children on canoeing trips," said Van Tighem.

"We'll greet them, we'll welcome them, we'll tour them and we'll make sure that they feel that they're welcome to come back."

He said the royal itinerary has not been officially announced but he did say there would be public appearances.

"We can anticipate they will be in Yellowknife visiting and people will have a chance to wave."

This is the Duke of Cambridge's third tour to Canada, and first visit to the North while this is the Duchess of Cambridge's first visit to Canada.

The royal tour is from June 30 to July 8, as they visit seven cities in nine days, including Summerside and Charlottetown in P.E.I., Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Calgary and Yellowknife.

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