Hotel Online  Special Report


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Gaylord Hotels Initiates Company-Wide Deployment of Passkey�s Online Group Reservation Technology
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Gaylord Hotels Offers Passkey to Expand Service
Offering to its Meeting Planners  
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(Quincy, MA) � July 11, 2005 � Passkey International, Inc. announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Gaylord Hotels to implement Passkey, the hotel industry�s leading group management solution, at Gaylord�s premier convention resorts.  

Passkey will be implemented at Gaylord�s three award-winning resorts:  Gaylord Opryland� Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Gaylord Palms� Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., and Gaylord Texan�Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.  Gaylord�s properties are widely recognized for providing guests and attendees state-of-the-art convention facilities, luxurious accommodations and unique meeting experiences.  Consistent with that reputation, Gaylord Hotels is offering Passkey to further enhance overall experience for its meeting planners and group attendees. 

Recently named by MeetingNews magazine as the number one hotel brand for meetings in the Upper-Upscale category, Gaylord Hotels understands the importance of hosting world-class events.  Meetings and conventions are our business,� stated Jay D. Sevigny, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Gaylord Hotels.  �Passkey, like Gaylord Hotels, focuses on solutions for meeting planners; delivering what our clients need.  We want to be easy to do business with, and our selection of Passkey demonstrates our commitment to our meeting planner community by providing them with the technology that is the standard for group management.�

The case for Passkey was made through a detailed return on investment (ROI) analysis for Gaylord Hotels.  �Gaylord discovered several factors that played a significant role in Passkey�s selection as our group management partner,� stated Mike Mason, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center.  �But the key driver of our decision was the ability to create an infrastructure that will address long-standing needs of meeting planners.�  With Passkey, Gaylord will:

  • Streamline the overall group reservations management process for meeting planners by offering custom event portal creation and room list uploading capability, to 24/7 reports and registration system integration;
  • Significantly increase group online bookings by fully automating group reservations, eliminating time consuming and error-prone manual data entry; 
  • Drive incremental revenues from up-selling of room types, marketing of hotel facilities and attractions, and extending attendee�s length of stay;
  • Establish better room block-optimization and reduce attrition exposure and wash.
�We�re very pleased to partner with Gaylord Hotels to provide an advanced group management solution for their properties,� stated Greg Pesik, President and CEO, Passkey International Inc.  �We continue to invest in solutions that drive measurable returns in profitability and customer service for our hotel partners. With Gaylord, we look forward to making a significant impact on their Company and clients.�

About Gaylord Hotels: 
Gaylord Hotels� is a collection of three upscale, meetings-focused resorts which also afford endless opportunities for leisure travelers.  The hotel company�s hallmark -- �everything in one place� -- provides meeting attendees and vacationers with diverse dining options, quality spa and fitness center services, top notch entertainment, on-site shopping and endless resort activities -- all within the confines of each resort.  Gaylord Hotels is a pioneer in the hotel and convention industry with properties in the nation�s most desirable event destinations.  Gaylord Hotels include Gaylord Opryland� Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Gaylord Palms� Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., near Orlando; and Gaylord Texan� Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine near Dallas, Texas (opened April 2004).  Gaylord National� Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac in Prince George�s County, Md. will open in early 2008.  Gaylord Hotels is owned and operated by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn.  Gaylord Entertainment (www.gaylordentertainment.com) includes two other industry-leading brands - ResortQuest International, the nation's largest vacation rental property management company, and the Grand Ole Opry, the weekly showcase of country music's finest performers for 80 consecutive years.  For more information about Gaylord Hotels, visit www.gaylordhotels.com.

About Passkey:
Passkey, the internet-based booking engine and event management solution, is the meeting and convention industry's standard for group reservations management and distribution. The Quincy, Mass.-based provider empowers organizers of single-property meetings and city-wide events with access to a web-based application that provides all parties with 24/7 shared access to critical event information and real-time reports. The Passkey-enabledSM global network consists of Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), hotels, association and corporate meeting planners, meeting management companies, professional congress organizers (PCOs), travel agencies, and registration vendors. Passkey investors include: Lazard Technology Partners; Galileo (NYSE: GLC); Worldspan; and TravelCLICK..

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Contact:

Dahlia El Gazzar
Director of Marketing
Passkey International Inc.
617.237.8238
[email protected]
http://www.passkey.com/

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Also See: ACCOR North America Upgrades Its Meetings and Conference Business by Implementing Passkey / July 2005
Passkey Adds Las Vegas Hilton to Rapidly Growing Roster of Passkey-enabled Hotels / June 2005
Customer Focused Hotels Launch Passkey to Drive Group Business / April 2005
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts First Major Hotel Chain to Implement Passkey GroupLink SM; All Group Reservations automatically transferred to Hotel Reservation System / March 2005
Passkey Names Bob Orlando Chief Financial Officer / January 2005
Passkey Releases Automated Rooming List Management Product; New Functionality Eliminates Manual Keying of Room Lists for Passkey Users / December 2004
Hotels Accelerating Adoption of Advanced Technology Solutions to Manage Group Business; Passkey Empowers Hotels to Increase their Online Group Bookings / June 2004
Eight More Cities to Offer Passkey; Charlotte, Cincinnati, Hartford, Ontario, Richmond, Toronto, Washington D.C., and Wildwoods Join the Passkey-enabledSM Network / February 2004
Marriott To Offer Passkey Meeting Management Tool; Meeting Planners Receive Greater Control and Flexibility / October 2003
Passkey is Named MPI's Exclusive Digital Partner for Group Housing / March 2003
Passkey Appoints Chris Avery as New VP, Business Development / March 2003
Passkey Goes Global; Opens Office in Dublin, Lyon Convention and Visitors Bureau First European City to Become Passkey-enabled / Nov 2002
Boca Resorts, Inc., Selects Passkey to Further Serve Meeting and Event Planners / Oct 2002
Omni Hotels First to Implement Passkey Enterprise Solution Across Entire 40-Property Portfolio / Oct 2002
PGA of America Hits the Green With Passkey / Aug 2002
Nothing But BlueSkyz and Passkey / Sept 2002
Jay Ramadorai Joins Passkey as Senior Vice President & Chief Technology Officer / July 2002
Passkey Names Former Hotel Executives Paul Rantilla and Andrew Mace to Sales Positions / April 2002 


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