Twenty members of the Island's hotel community are set to return from a three day `secret' workshop in the US today with the intention of working together to ensure change in the hotel industry.

And the Bermuda Industrial Union, Hotel Employers of Bermuda and individual hotel representatives have announced a new beginning for their industry following the meeting behind closed doors.

In a joint statement released to The Royal Gazette last night the group reported: "For three days, twenty of us from different parts of the hotel community have been working together in Boston to see whether we could build the partnership we believe is fundamental to achieving our goals.

"We have emerged from these three days with an agreement to work together to ensure that change is realised for the benefit of all in the hotel community: staff, managers, union and companies.

"We, the leaders of Bermuda's hotel community, wish to announce we have chosen to work as partners to improve the competitiveness of our industry for the benefit of all associated with it.'' Monitor Company were involved in the hideaway meeting which had the participants perform exercises to build the skills needed to discuss the issues of competitiveness and productiveness and create the ability for the groups to hold further productive dialogues.

Ten issues were identified during the discussions which will be dealt with.

Joint initiatives to deal with two of these have been prepared and will be implemented upon the group's return to Bermuda.

Further meetings will be held, with the first due in a month's time, to encourage the development of initiatives to deal with the remaining issues and Yother members of the industry will be invited to take part in the process.