A newly refurbished Topaz Hotel in Bugibba has been presented with a prestigious international award by JMC, one of the UK's leading tour operators.

The Highly Commended Award was given to the four-star hotel for its all-inclusive service and standards, hotel financial controller Angela Fenech said.

JMC, which forms part of the Thomas Cook Tour Operations Limited, presented the award to the Topaz Hotel after close scrutiny of the customer service questionnaires and complaint ratio statistics.

On both criteria Topaz Hotel was chosen as the best performer in Malta in the "all-inclusive" category for this summer for JMC holidays.

Ms Fenech said the award would not have been possible without the dedication, commitment and constant support of the staff and board of directors.

Ms Fenech said that the recent refurbishment, which involved an investment of Lm1.3 million, had been instrumental in wining the award for the hotel.

The hotel, which has 326 rooms and 70 timeshare apartments, was closed between October, 2001, and last March for extensive redecoration.

The hotel's average occupancy is about 80 per cent throughout the year.