David Dodwell, the owner of The Reefs, said last night that his hotel being named the best in Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean was one of the highlights of his career.

At the Travel and Leisure magazine ceremony in New York, which also saw Bermuda named the best resort in the region, The Reefs was named one of the best hotels in the world in two other categories.

The Southampton property was ranked 23rd in the top 100 resorts of the world, and number 11 in the top 25 small resorts in the world category. It was the only Bermuda hotel in both categories.

"We were over the moon about this award. We've ranked in the past, but to come first in the entire region was really one of the highlights of my career," Mr. Dodwell, pictured above, told The Royal Gazette.

"This is a truly remarkable achievement and a testament to the unswerving dedication of the staff at the Reefs," said Mr. Dodwell, who is shadow Tourism Minister.

"To be standing with only six other hoteliers in the winning category was quite something to be proud of.

"It really comes down to consistent investment and re-investment over the years and working with very dedicated staff.

"Training and development don't start one year and you win an award the next year. If there was any one entity it is staff - I put them ahead of investment.

"Having received the ranking, the expectations are now so high to continue to deliver. This is proof that if you have a good product the visitors will come. One of greatest resources is repeat guests, which is about 55 percent.

"I've had lots of calls from hoteliers and friends congratulating us on the award, and the words of praise from (Tourism Minister) David Allen were very nice."