A previously family-owned hotel in Paget has been sold to an American real estate developer.

James M. Dwyer, of New Jersey-based James M. Dwyer Real Estate Investment & Development, has purchased the White Sands Hotel for an undisclosed sum.

His lawyer, Nicholas Hoskins, confirmed the sale this week.

However Mr. Hoskins declined to reveal any further information and Mr. Dwyer did not return calls placed to his office in Ocean City.

The hotel was built in 1953 by Horace Browne and his son, Mark, is the current manager of a staff of about 25 people.

The property boasts 40 rooms and three traditional cottages. Mr. Dwyer's plans for the hotel and its staff are unknown at this time.

Guests at the Belmont Hotel were left without water for ten hours yesterday when the main supply pipe burst.

Visitors staying at the 150-room Warwick hotel were given bottled water to get themselves through the night after the water dried up at 11.30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Engineers worked through the night to restore the supply and the water was flowing again by 9.30 yesterday morning.

General manager Gordon Slatford said toilets still flushed throughout the water stoppage, because the hotel's sanitary system uses salt water.

And he said guests were still able to drink tea and coffee at breakfast -- because the hotel called on a reverse osmosis plant for an emergency back-up supply.

But he would not reveal if the hotel would compensate guests for the inconvenience.

Mr. Slatford said: "We had a fractured water main outside the hotel late on Wednesday night.

"We worked all night and the water supply was reinstated in the morning.

There was no problem with the sanitary facilities but it affected showers and domestic water supply in rooms.

"The management team were in and letters were placed under everybody's doors.

Bottled water was placed outside and we made the best of the situation.'' When asked if the hotel would reimburse customers, he added: "That's a matter between my guests and myself.''