quality resort, has sent shock waves through Bermuda. For some 40 years Lantana has been considered among the top three or four hotel operations in Bermuda. The shock of its closing sends a message to Bermuda that tourism is in serious danger if a place with Lantana's very high reputation cannot continue to operate. The overall impression now has to be: "Is nothing safe?'' Traditionally Lantana has been seen as an excellent Bermudian hotel. It was well cared for by a family which built it from nothing by virtue of very hard work, personal attention and great care to detail. The ambience is excellent.

The food has always had a high reputation. The accommodation and the grounds have a very Bermudian flavour. Over the years Lantana has built and trained a Bermudian staff with a reputation for Bermudian hospitality and for caring their best about the visitors. In short, Lantana demonstrated the best of Bermuda. It is no wonder that Tourism Minister David Dodwell, himself a hotel owner, was "shocked and saddened'' by the news of Lantana's closure.

Aside from the shock, it is very sad to see the business which John and Nelga Young worked so very hard to create and which their family has taken such good care of, disappear as if it was all for nothing. What the Youngs created their daughter, Penne, and their son-in-law, Paul Leseur, and more recently their grandson, Adam Leseur, have tended to as a family. They have cared about Bermuda and they have taken care of Bermuda's visitors in the best possible way.

Dining Room Captain Darnell Joel was quoted in this newspaper yesterday as saying: "It's kind of sad. The guests say it's one of the few places left in Bermuda where they are treated like family... Lantana is different from other hotels in Bermuda. Being here was the place to be.'' Another employee, Ann Wingood, was quoted as saying: "They treat their staff beautifully. They give 100 percent support to staff.'' And now some 60 of those staff will be getting redundancy pay and looking for scarce jobs elsewhere in the tourism industry. Adam Leseur has said: "Any hotel which selects a Lantana staff member to join their team will be getting the best of the best.'' The closure is also bad news for Somerset and the West End which is not heavily supplied with visitor operations. There is still, of course, the very highly regarded Cambridge Beaches. But now we will all have to wonder about the future of the smaller quality places, Cambridge Beaches, Pink Beach, Horizons. There have already been rumours flying about the future of Newstead.

There is no doubt that Bermuda is changing but we do not have the room for quantity tourism. Bermuda's future rests with being a quality resort and we cannot afford to lose the likes of Lantana.