was a mistake from the beginning.

The hotel is somewhat isolated at the end of St. George's. For some unremembered reason it was built too far from the beach to be a beach hotel and access to the beach inconvenienced the guests. Built by Holiday Inn, the hotel has small low ceilinged rooms and rather rudimentary bathrooms which makes it difficult to convert to a luxury property.

Three quite different owners have been unsuccessful in operating the hotel. In our view the Holiday Inn chain might have been successful if the hotel had not been called "Holiday Inn''. Somehow vacationers in Bermuda thought of Holiday Inn as somewhere not very glamorous where you might stay at home. A more exciting and more Bermudian name might have made Holiday Inn successful.

When Lowes took the hotel over they did some renovation but very little promotion of the property. It seemed to us that their heart was really not in making the property a success.

Where Club Med is concerned, both the property and Bermuda were wrong for their style of operation. Bermuda was not bound to be happy with the sun, sand, sea and sex image of Club Med with its nudity and free wheeling atmosphere. In any case, some topless events greatly exercised Mr. David Allen, the PLP spokesman for tourism. Nor was Bermuda happy to have visitors locked inside the Club Med compound and not out and about spending in local establishments. The weather was not hot enough in Bermuda for about half the year for Club Med's sun sports and the large "plastic'' hotel was contrary to Club Med's usual buildings.

By now the building has been used by three quite different operations and damaged by both Hurricane Emily and a lack of use. We have suggested its use by international companies but we are told they will not leave Hamilton. It seems to be too big for use as any kind of rehabilitation or medical facility as has often been suggested. We think that another hotel operation in the existing hotel, even if a great deal is spent on renovations, is unlikely to succeed.

The solution is probably to knock the building down before it becomes a major problem. Mr. Spurling has already called it "a sort of eyesore on the horizon''.

However, St. George's needed an hotel when the Holiday Inn was built and it needs one today. Failed operations prove that a large building at the East End is probably not the answer. However, the site does have attractions in the forts, the golf course and the beach. We think that a smaller operation designed to mesh with the cultural tourism offered by St. George's and supplemented by convenient golfing and the beach could well succeed.

Mr. Spurling has suggested an upscale cottage colony or a health spa would be the answer. Perhaps we could combine the two in a low lying building wrapped around the hill.