Hilton Kingston Hotel bartender supervisor Paul Blackwood shared the limelight with nine other awardees at the May 29 Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association’s (JHTA’s) annual awards banquet in Ocho Rios.

Blackwood, who was named the JHTA Hotel Worker of the Year, scored top marks in all eight areas of assessment – volume of output, reliability, courtesy, co-operation, punctuality, appearance, hygiene, and pleasing personality.

Blackwood has been working at the hotel for 16 years and is known for his creativity and innovation in developing new mixed drinks and naming them.

Here, he accepts one of his prizes – a voucher for a 20-inch colour television from Courts Jamaica’s Heather Green.

Other JHTA awardees were:

. Horace Peterkin – Hotelier of the Year;

. Molly Rhone – Abe Issa Award of Excellence;

. The Port Authority of Jamaica – JHTA President’s Award;

. Caribbean Producers – Purveyor of the Year;

. Jamaica Tours – Local Transportation Company of the Year;

. Chukka Blue Adventure Tours – Attraction of the Year; and

. Air Jamaica – International Airline of the Year;

Two special awards were also presented. The first, JPSCo’s Award for Best Use of Energy, went to Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay, while Shell Co Ltd recognised the Environmental Audits for Sustainable Tourism (EAST) project for demonstrating the benefits of improved environmental management in the hotel sector.