assistance at a meeting on February 8.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan said the meeting is one in an ongoing series between Government and hoteliers like Mr. Paul Sonnabend and Mr. John Marriott.

"There are several issues that we're dealing with,'' Sir John said last night. "We're trying to address areas where we can assist the hotel industry, and look at some initiatives that are necessary to try to maintain the viability of the hotels, while at the same time recognising that the Government has to raise revenues.'' The meetings include Ministers whose portfolios "impact on the hotel industry,'' like Finance, Tourism, and Labour and Home Affairs, the Premier said.

Mr. Marriott, whose company owns Marriott's Castle Harbour, threatened to close the Tucker Town resort after one such meeting in recent years.

But after six years of red ink, Bermuda's eight largest hotels recently reported a collective profit of $5.4 million for the year ended September 30, 1994.

Bermuda Hotel Association president Mr. Stephen Barker said hotels could see "light at the end of the tunnel''.

But Mr. Barker said the hotels were hoping for breaks from the Bermuda Electric Light Company and the Bermuda Telephone Company, and had told Finance Minister the Hon. David Saul that hotels could not be expected to make up financial shortfalls resulting from the Base closures.