A Bermuda College hospitality management student has landed a 12-week internship at a Paget hotel in preparation for a career in the industry.

Tione Lodge, 21, is working at White Sands where she will spend a few weeks in several different departments so she can get a broad range of experience.

And the young intern, who plans to be a hotel manager someday, said she hoped her hard work would pay off in the long run.

"Every hotel has it's own method of setting up the tables. I worked at Elbow on and off for about four years, so it's interesting to see the differences with how White Sands sets up their tables,'' she said.

"The first week I was on the front desk, I was in the dining room for a week, then housekeeping. Right now, I'm working as a controller -- keeping track of the payroll, accounts receivable and food and beverage costs. I'm doing the whole nine,'' she said.

"I've got a lot of respect for room attendants. I think they've got the toughest job.'' she added.

Miss Lodge said: "But I've been in hospitality since I graduated from high school in 1996, so it's just become a part of my life.

"Everything I'm interested in has to do with hospitality. I like travel, meeting new people and everything the world has to offer. I've even started getting interested in water sports like snorkelling and scuba diving.

"It's made me realise that there's a lot of things to do in Bermuda that a lot of Bermudians don't know about or take advantage of -- like how many Bermudians have seen the wrecks along the South Shore?'' she added.

Ms Lodge is almost finished her programme at Bermuda College and plans to get a full-time job this year, save money and go abroad to school next year to get a Bachelor's degree in hospitality management and tourism.

She said she hoped to gain experience by working abroad at a major chain for a few years before returning to Bermuda.

"There aren't enough Bermudians going into the field of hospitality. There aren't enough training programmes and the standard of service isn't what it used to be,'' she said.

"Now, Bermuda is competing with the rest of the world -- places like Bali and countries in Asia -- that are giving immaculate service. You have to ask yourself, `is that what we're doing here in Bermuda?'.

"I'd like to do that -- offer service that's world-class -- and raise the standard of service that Bermuda is offering to the world,'' she added.

Although Ms Lodge said a career in hospitality was clearly her calling, she admitted she was not without a few concerns.

She mentioned that she would like to see more young Bermudians sponsored by local companies and hotels.

She added: "It's kind of discouraging to think about how to finance your Bachelor's and Masters degree -- but where there's a will there's a way.'' And she said she was also concerned about the decline in the number of visitors to the Island over the past several years.

"I attended a tourism conference in the beginning of May at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute, and a lot of the questions that I'd been thinking about were addressed there,'' she said.

"I'm concerned about whether our tourism numbers will increase or whether we're heading toward a complete decline -- the death of our product life cycle.

"I'm for the new Government and (Tourism Minister) David Allen, but you have to ask the question, will it work or will international business take over? It's a valid question that I think everyone in the hospitality industry has asked at one point or another,'' she added.

"The way I look at it, international business will survive with or without me -- but I feel really connected to the hospitality industry in a big way.

"I hope our numbers will increase -- and one day, I'll be a part of that solution.'' Raising the Standard of Service : Tione Lodge is a student of Bermuda College's hospitality management programme interning at White Sands.