�Tracking, maintaining and managing any lodging asset is easily done through a powerful solution that combines handheld devices and Internet capability,� says Mark Sokol, director of product marketing for Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek Mobile Data Solutions. �The result is lower equipment and labor costs, improved asset capital planning and enhanced guest experience.�

Some examples of assets and information that can be tracked with the Suite include: mechanical equipment, life safety systems, roofing and facade systems, contracts, warranties, specifications, maintenance and other critical documents.

Access to asset information centralized

WinTrack Asset Director, a flexible Web-based management system, provides the ability to track thousands of assets at multiple properties by centralizing access to asset information. The ASP application improves capital expenditure (CAPEX) planning, reduces costs associated with the gathering of CAPEX information, enhances short and long term strategic planning, and reduces labor costs associated with the gathering of information for product recalls. 

�This makes it easy for an asset manager at a hotel or management company to track any asset from purchase to its retirement,� Sokol says. �What is unique about it is that it can track items such as furniture, equipment, beds or any other item throughout a system of hundreds of hotels.�

Companies typically track assets at the property level in spreadsheets and several individuals consolidate this information for use at the corporate level�a tedious, time-intensive task. Using WinTrack Asset Director, data can be entered or uploaded from spreadsheets into the easy-to-access, Web-based system and be made immediately available for corporate use.

�Because WinTrack Asset Director is entirely Web-based, there is nothing to install at the property level,� Sokol says. �A company can get it up and running quickly.�

WinTrack Asset Director helps a company centralize the planning and purchasing of assets. Being able to purchase in bulk for multiple properties saves time and money. 

�In the event of an audit, this solution provides an easy way to document what assets a company has purchased and what it owns,� Sokol says. �That is especially important for public companies required to document transaction information.�

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, enacted into law in 2002, requires public companies to provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the registrant�s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. Recent studies have shown that many companies are still behind the curve when it comes to compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley.

Mintek�s PM solution helps protect assets

WinTrack PM already has been implemented by more than 200 full-service hotels throughout the United States, including many Marriott and Wyndham properties. Engineers use mobile devices and barcoding to perform preventive maintenance and capture their work accurately. WinTrack PM ensures maintenance is getting done, standardizes maintenance task lists and helps managers better forecast staffing requirements. 

�WinTrack PM enables hotel engineers to plan, track and analyze preventive maintenance and asset management,� Sokol says. �Instead of writing notes in notebooks, engineers use handheld scanning devices that read barcodes placed on or near equipment. Everything the engineer does or does not do is identified by the barcode. WinTrack PM also is used for rounds and room preventive maintenance.�

WinTrack Maintenance Portal provides a Web-based, centralized reporting tool that allows regional or corporate managers to review, oversee and respond to maintenance issues at multiple properties around the world. The system also ensures standardized maintenance setup across multiple properties.

WinTrack Alerts, an addition to the Portal, is a proactive reporting tool used to notify managers based on criteria they set up. Via e-mail or pager, managers are notified when there is overdue maintenance, a warranty or contract expiration date, or when something needs to be replaced. The parameters for an alert can be set for any event or situation tracked within the Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite. 

�WinTrack Alerts, for example, can push out messages about a specific asset class that is going to be out of warranty,� Sokol says. �Or, a manager may wish to be notified when his property reaches a certain number of overdue work orders.�

Each part of the Suite has been created specifically to streamline and centralize the paper- and labor-intensive processes hoteliers long have used to track and manage assets. 

About Mintek Mobile Data Solutions:

Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, based in Dunedin, Fla., provides asset management for the lodging industry beyond the traditional �property.� The Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite is the lodging industry�s first industry specific asset management solution. The Suite provides for management oversight, notification and includes the following planning tools: WinTrack Asset Director, WinTrack PM, WinTrack Maintenance Portal and WinTrack Alerts. By improving the maintenance and capital planning of all of a property�s assets, the Suite results in lower costs and an improved guest experience. Mintek�s solutions have been implemented in more than 200 hotels. By the end of 2005, Mintek will have licensed its asset solutions to more than 1,000 properties. For more information, call Mark Sokol, director of product marketing, at (727) 734-9175, or go to: www.mintek.com.