During a special ceremony held in the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson SAS Golden Sands resort & Spa Monday 6th April, 56 members of staff within the Island Hotels Group received a commemorative long service award following periods of service ranging from 5 to 20 years.

Twenty four employees were in fact presented with 5 Year Awards, twenty with 10 Year Awards and a further eight employees were presented with 15 Year Awards. Within the Group there are now also four employees who have been awarded the 20 Year Award. A reception was held for all awardees and their partners following the presentation of awards.

During the ceremony, Group Managing Director Mr. W. V. Zahra thanked all those present for their continued commitment and loyalty towards the company. During a short address to those present Mr. Zahra explained that he is very proud of the fact that the Group has always based its employment policy of choosing Maltese nationals to work within the properties that the group owned.  Mr. Zahra stressed that the staff of the Group are the main asset behind the Group’s success and thanked everyone present for their dedication and constant efforts towards the delivery of the best possible service to the thousands of international and local clients that use the Group’s services  every year. Mr. Zahra concluded that this year is  obviously a challenging year due to the global economic situation  and its effect on the local tourism industry however he emphasised that the group is very well placed to deal with the current situation and that with everyone's contribution as a team the goals set  for the company can still be achieved for the year.  Mr. Nazzareno Vassallo, chairman of the Group, also delivered a  short address during the event wherein he thanked the staff, management and his fellow directors for the on going sterling work and efforts that have resulted in the group growing from a modest 100 room hotel to a leading group within the hospitality industry over the past 22 years. "The success of the group is a result of the hard work, dedication and loyalty of my fellow directors, management and staff of the group", concluded Mr. Vassallo.