conditions at the hotel deteriorate because they have other plans for the property, the son of a former president of the hotel claimed yesterday.

Mr. Tony Brannon, who was also entertainment director at the hotel until January this year, told The Royal Gazette staff morale at the hotel is non-existent.

"What's going on down there violates people's human rights and work ethics,'' he said.

Giving an example, Mr. Brannon claimed that the hotel was asking employees to sign a paper, saying they agree to accept straight time even if they work up to 60 hours a week.

"The folly of it all is the powerful guys who own Grotto Bay are not having it properly managed,'' he said.

Mr. Brannon said when his father, Mr. Terry Brannon, was president of Waterways Ltd. -- the company which owned the hotel when it opened in 1973, directors were "smart enough'' to recognise that the running of the hotel was only as good as the management.

Disputes between the hotel's unionised workers and management are currently before an arbitrator, Mr. Arnold Zack.

Mr. Zack banned all Press from the hearings last week.

But Mr. Brannon, who was called to testify at the hearing, said he fully backed The Royal Gazette editorial, criticising Mr. Zack for banning the Press from the ongoing hearings.

He said he believed that anyone giving testimony against the hotel would be "dumped on with or without the Press at the hearings''.

Mr. Brannon also claimed that the state of the physical plant was also not being maintained.

And he warned: "It (the hotel) is sailing very close to the wind. If this continues, Grotto Bay will have serious problems down the road.'' Mr. Brannon said he suspected that the owners were doing nothing about any of the hotel's problems because other plans existed for it.

Claiming that plans have been drawn up to convert Grotto Bay into condominiums, Mr. Brannon said "because of this, they really don't care what happens to the hotel''.

But a Planning spokesperson said Grotto Bay received permission to build additional tourist units about three years ago.

And the hotel also has plans to more tourists units on the 21-acre property and a 30-berth marina at the northern side of the hotel.

But there are no proposals before Planning to build condominiums at the site that sits on property zoned for a major hotel, woodland reserve, cave construction, and nature reserve.

And yesterday one of the hotel's owners, Mr. Charles Vaucrosson, strongly denied Mr. Brannon's claim.

"Mr. Brannon does not have any facts,'' he said. "There are plans for additional tourist units and we're going to renovate. But we have no intention of changing the hotel into condominiums -- absolutely not.'' Mr. Vaucrosson said since Mr. Brannon was dismissed from the hotel in January "he's had a bee in his bonnet''.