something new to show for them -- awards from the Department of Tourism.

Six guest properties were honoured on Wednesday night with Hotel Merit Awards while three received new Department of Tourism Buttery Awards. The awards, presented at a ceremony at the Pier Six entertainment complex, are part of a new attempt to foster a better relationship between Government and visitor properties, six accommodations received new Tourism Minister David Dodwell commended the properties for the hard work they had done and added that if members of the industry wished to market themselves successfully then they had to keep focusing on their physical product.

Premier David Saul said the hospitality industry provided the Island with the income that allowed everyone on it to enjoy the lifestyle they sometimes took for granted.

Oxford Guest House received the Cedar Tree Award for top guest house and La Casa Del Masa and Angel's Grotto were presented Hibiscus Awards for being the best housekeeping properties.

In the hotel category, Willowbank, Cambridge Beaches and the Mid Ocean Club received the Longtail Award for being top in their group.

These Hotel Merit Awards were presented to the properties which had maintained high grades in the areas of accommodation, fire and health over the previous year, said senior hotel inspector Barbara Willis.

They were inspected -- as were the Tourism Departments other 79 licensed properties -- by officials from the department, the Bermuda Fire service and the Health Ministry, she continued.

And she said properties had to achieve the highest standards in each of these areas, not just one or two of them, to receive the awards.

One property from each category received a Department of Tourism Buttery Award and these were Royal Heights Guest House, Munro Beach Cottages and the Princess Hotel.

These awards were for consistently maintaining a high standard of accommodation over the past four years, said Mrs. Willis.

David Saul, Princess Hotel's Peter Komposch, Cambridge Beaches' Mike Winfield, Mid Ocean Club's Bryan Mewett and Tourism Minister David Dodwell. Front row, Royal Height's Jean Richardson, Munro Beach Cottages' Dawn Sharp, La Casa Del Masa's Yvonne Joseph, Angel Grotto's Daisy Hart, Oxford Guest House's Ann Smith and Willowbank's Terri Allison.