WINTER FORWARD BOOKINGS are strong for the Sandy Lane Hotel, and the island's leading luxury property is predicting another good year in 2006.

New chief executive Mike Pownall said the hotel was expected to be busy for ten months of the year, with traditionally slow periods in June and September.

For January, Pownall said the hotel was already 82 per cent booked while February was 89 per cent booked and March, 75 per cent.

Pownall spoke to the media on Tuesday after recent meetings in London with tour operators and other partners that channel business to the luxury hotel.

According to the new boss, one of the biggest challenges for the property at this time was to devise a strategy to keep the hotel busy every month of the year.

With the American market accounting for just 25 per cent of Sandy Lane's business, Pownall said more attention would be focussed on expanding that market.

"I definitely believe that the U.S. market can grow substantially for us, particularly in those months - June and September. The Americans are certainly well able to visit Barbados in those months," he said.

Part of the strategy to attract new business is expected to be partnerships, with major airlines offering packages to Sandy Lane.

Pownall said the golf market and the honeymoon market were areas Sandy Lane was likely to pursue more aggressively. One of the biggest international golf events ever to be staged in the Caribbean, the Golf World Cup, will be hosted by Sandy Lane from December 4 to 10 next year.

Pownall acknowledged that this was a major event for the hotel and said further upgrades were planned for the golf course to make the bunkers more challenging.