and just a couple of months ago became director of sales at the posh, Elbow Beach Hotel.

She is a member of the hotel's executive team, the only woman.

Her "take'' on the tourism industry is that it is time for workers and managers across the Island to "pull up their socks''.

"We need to get our service levels back up to where they used to be. It is so vital and it needs to be recognised by everyone,'' she said. "We hear about Bermuda pricing itself out of the market, but what we must do as a destination is to make the price worth it to the visitor.

"Let's face it. It is unbelievable what you can get in the way of a vacation these days with packaged tours, and the like.

"The key for us is in the service. It's not just hotel workers, either. I think we all can get sharper. Everybody, including taxi drivers and people in the stores.

"I must admit, not just for the sake of singling out any store, but I go to Smith's Department store and I'm always amazed at how friendly the staff are.

It makes you want to go back and shop. Service is the key.

"People will come to Bermuda and spend the money we are asking if the experience is worth it.'' At Elbow, she works a flexible day that could have her breakfasting with clients at the hotel, or still on the job at evening functions. She sees her responsibility simply: Fill the rooms in the Wyndham Resort.

She joins the hotel management chain just as it undergoes significant growing pains, stretching its influence even further, from the 64 properties today, to an estimated 100 by the end of the year. Their acquisition policy is aggressive.

Mrs. Phillips has just presided over a marketing blitz in Hamilton to promote the property for business travellers.

"What I like about Elbow is that it has a main hotel as well as a cottage colony-like concept. Different people like different types of experiences.

Most places provide one or the other. We provide both.

"We get a lot of repeat business and honeymooners.'' It is quite a different from the job she left at Appleby, Spurling and Kempe, where she was estates administrator, dealing with bereaved families who had lost a loved one.

She assisted families and their lawyers in dealing with the affairs of the deceased. She was responsible for administering the terms of the will and drafting documents for the court.

It was a homecoming of sorts at the law firm, because her first job out of school was at AS&K in the secretarial pool. Her latest stint lasted three years.

"I enjoyed working as estates administrator and only left because this job Tourism industry needs to improve -portunity. It is strange when I think back, because I don't know how I survived that nine to five structure.'' As a Sandys Secondary teenager, she conceded she thought little about a career. But she has obtained a Queen's University Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a Masters in Finance, in her spare time since then.

"When I was in high school, I thought that I would be someone's secretary, have a nice desk and file my nails all day.'' That naive view of business life changed rather quickly once she was out in the work force. She also worked as a secretary in the sales office at the Castle Harbour.

"The director of sales spent a lot of time traveling. It was just two of us left, basically running the office. That's when it occurred to me. I could do the job. I applied for a job at Southampton Princess as convention manager.

But they were not hiring for that position. I took a job at the hotel as sales coordinator.'' After two years, she became assistant manager and eventually conventions manager, before moving on to Sonesta Beach Hotel as group operations coordinator.

At Sonesta, president Mr. David Boyd, credited Mrs. Phillips' efforts and professionalism with contributing to the resort's winning of the 1990 Successful Meetings magazine Pinnacle Award, what he described as "the most prestigious award in the group sales industry''.

She worked at Southampton Princess Hotel with director of conventions, Mr.

Alan Bergl, who described her as an "exceptional asset to the hotel''.

He wrote for her letter of recommendation: "Over the years, many of the conventions that Winette has been responsible for have written to me with glowing accolades concerning Winette and her efficient handling of their groups that resulted in very successful meetings.'' Later, she joined Hamilton Princess as Princess Club manager, overseeing the operations of the programme for business travellers.

"You know, there are so many people who tell me that I'm lucky career-wise.

But luck has nothing to do with it. I've spent a lot of years working hard.

"I didn't count myself lucky when I was doing my Queen's programme, five nights a week for six weeks. It was part of the preparation I needed for the next level.

"I did seven credit courses from the Bermuda College and eight from Queen's.

And I've worked a lot of long days in different hotels. So luck, I'm sorry, had nothing to do with it. I have paid my dues and worked hard to get here.'' The 43 year old Christian woman has been married to Mr. Glendall Phillips (Bachelor of Arts, Psychology and Master's in Finance) for ten years and has seven-year old twins, Patrick and Patrice. She admits she has her eye on other opportunities within the Wyndham chain. Right now she will put her efforts into making a success at Elbow.

Her early mornings generally consists of a five-mile jog. In her spare time she enjoys tennis, although she said that lately she has spent a lot of time taking the kids to tennis, swimming and ballet lessons and to the library.

She is mindful of her educational path and said that she wants to provide the environment for her children that will allow them to get their education in more traditional ways.

"I think that it is so important that they finish high school, do their courses at Bermuda College and continue on overseas, if necessary. In Bermuda these days, if you don't have the education, you can almost forget it. You probably won't go anywhere. That's the reality of it.

"Having the education will open up a different world to them. Not just in terms of jobs, but also in other areas. It focuses your mind more and gives you a better understanding about certain decisions in your life.''