some of the successful practices the six hotels have in common. The most important requirement for hotel success is the ability to change with the times and meet guest needs. That was the consensus view of six hotel managers profiled in The Royal Gazette over the last week. The majority of the six -- Harmony Club's William Griffith, Belmont's Gordon Slatford, Elbow Beach Hotel's William Shoaf, Cambridge Beaches' Mike Winfield, Oxford Guest House's Ann Smith and Pompano Beach Club's Tom and Lawrence Lamb -- felt tourism was recovering. Many reported having bumper years and stressed they felt things were going to get better. And they recognised that it is their -- and their employees' -- job to fill hotel beds -- not Government. They recognised that Bermuda's inability to meet guest requirements and adapt to the times was a major factor behind the drop in visitor arrivals. Those hotels which have reinvested in their product and continue to try and reinvent themselves are the ones which were doing well in the industry. Those properties who offer the same product year after year at the same high price are caught in a deadly cycle which results in dropping guest numbers and closure. Guests have stressed they do not mind paying high prices -- but value for money is key.

And some of the unsuccessful properties have tried to take other routes in their bid to halt the decline in guest numbers. However in doing so they have mainly focused on going after other markets than Bermuda's traditional upscale traveller customer base. This has subsequently made the Island look as if its previous high quality is deteriorating. The areas successful hotels concentrate their efforts on include providing high quality accommodation, service and food plus the availability of a wide range of recreational activities to the upscale visitor. All these areas require reinvestment and friendly, competent staff who can make or break a property. Staff are on the front line and those willing to put guests on a pedestal and make their trip one which they will always remember boost the properties they work for -- and their own futures in the long run. But treating guests well needed to be practised by people other than hotel employees. Bermudians visitors meet in the street or on the beach can make or break a vacation also. And there is an off-Island battle to be fought, hoteliers stressed. Marketing, and recognising new means of getting the word out about their product, is a top priority. The advent of the Internet and hotels' creation of their own personal web pages is a modern day effort going hand-in-hand with hoteliers' attempts to meet with travel agents and the all-important wholesaler one-on-one. They are pleased with the efforts of the Government and Department of Tourism to help boost the industry. Radio Bermuda, the Monitor Company and MCA initiatives sponsored by the Tourism Department were all highlighted as being relatively successful.

And while more needs to be done, perhaps in the area of reducing taxation on hotels and lowering airfares recommended some of the hoteliers, rebuilding tourism was a long term effort and would clearly not happen overnight, they pointed out.Four key areas for making a hotel property a success, say some of Bermuda's top hotel managers, are: Continual reinvestment in their properties to meet guests' changing needs.

Maintaining their focus on Bermuda's traditional, upscale customer base; Having friendly, competent staff who are willing to put guests on a pedestal and make their trip one which they will always remember; and Maintaining close contact with travel agents and the increasingly important travel wholesalers -- while taking advantage of new technologies like the Internet to promote the individual properties.