Bermuda's share of the tourism market from its opponents, Henry Adderley speaks to the owners of the Pompano Beach Club about why the cottage colony is enjoying what may be its best season ever. Excitement fills the air when you talk to Pompano Beach Club's Tom and Lawrence (Larry) Lamb about the subject of tourism. And as managing director and general manager respectively of the 54-room Southampton property, the brothers have every reason to be excited as this season promises to be a record-breaker for them. "We are having a great year. To us, Island tourism is booming. I think we'll have a record year this year, that's how good it's been,'' said Tom Lamb. The property has been in the brothers' family since 1956. Larry Lamb runs the day to day operation of the hotel and its mainly Bermudian staff. He ranks the property's willingness to meet guest needs as the main reason behind its success. "We let the guests tell us what they would like. We operate under that philosophy. "The most important thing is our guests. I think that is what has been forgotten in Bermuda. Some attitudes have changed and guests are not always on pedestals any more but they expect it.'' Tom Lamb added: "The people who come here pay a good rate and for that they want personal experiences and attention.'' Beyond that, guests simply want the basics in a casually elegant setting, the brothers said. These include good food, good, friendly service and clean, comfortable accommodation. "They're not looking for Disney World here,'' Larry Lamb pointed out, adding the ability to adapt quickly is the key to meeting guest requirements. "We are a little bit younger than most people in tourism, so I think we have been able to change with the times a little better than others.'' Pompano Beach was one of the first smaller properties to begin accepting credit cards and to have cable television in their rooms. The property also upgrades its facilities every winter. Recent site improvements, including the expansion of the property's beach, have helped Pompano take full advantage of its prime cliff top location. The hotel overlooks a massive sandbar which provides shallow waters that are perfect for a variety of water sports. Tom said: "Our recreational facilities are as extensive as anyone else's on the Island.'' Other activities, beside the new expanded beach and water sports centre, include golf at neighbouring Port Royal, tennis and a fitness centre. As with other properties, Pompano has been forced to meet marketing challenges, including the difficulties raised by high airfares, head on. One of its main thrusts has been incorporating wholesalers over the past three years. "This has helped us reduce airfares,'' said Larry. "Before, the guests were at the mercy of the airfares. They wanted to come but would call and say the airfares were too expensive so we were losing business. "We switched to using wholesalers and that has helped alleviate problems. They are still high though, and we would like to see them lower.'' The wholesalers make up Pompano Beach packages which they combine with the cheap bulk air tickets they purchase. The hotel also offers its own packages which can be purchased through tour operators and this has provided the Lambs with a great deal of flexibility when it comes to marketing and selling the property. Larry Lamb said: "This makes it easier for the travel agent to sell.'' Tom Lamb oversees the marketing aspect of the hotel operation from his base in the US. There he has taken on a door to door salesman role, "pounding the pavement'' to visit travel agents whom he educates or updates depending on their knowledge of the property. "It is so much better when the owner/manager of a hotel goes into a travel agency. It gives it credibility because your heart and soul are behind it. It is paying off. We are seeing business from the travel agents,'' said Tom Lamb. A Pompano Beach home page on the Internet has been drumming up business for the brothers as well. But they stressed that what they are doing is nothing new. Tom Lamb said: "For years we have been doing all these things but now we are getting the word out and guests can now book us in a lot of different ways.'' Their efforts have been fertilised by ongoing out side efforts -- especially Radio Bermuda, he added. "One thing that has worked well this year is the heavy radio advertising. The guests say it is working.

One couple said the radio exposure is so heavy you hear something about Bermuda every day. "So often the Department of Tourism is criticised for what it is doing, but this is working. It puts Bermuda in people's minds again and again. Even the wholesalers who have tied in with the project are seeing positive results.'' Larry added praise for the Marketing Corporation of America (MCA). "I think MCA is fantastic also. They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, They are trying to get back to basics, work out where we failed and fix it.'' But in the end, he added, Bermuda's tourism was not suffering because of the airlines or Government policies. "People are saying its Delta's fault or American's fault instead of saying we are not doing a good job as an Island. It's easy to say it's an outside source's fault but that's not the case.'' Tourism has been hit hard by outside competition and "hotels have to change with the times'', said Larry. "Those who don't could go under.''