BROOMFIELD, Colo. � October 5, 2005 �Restoring electricity, drinkable
water and sewer service are the big three in disaster recovery. While restoring
communications is a close fourth, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
has stated that getting hotels back up and operating is a priority.
 PhoneSuite,
a provider of high-quality, low-cost telephone systems for hotels, is offering
to help FEMA and hoteliers put the fourth piece in place following
the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Shortly after the hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast, PhoneSuite President Frank Melville offered the use of up to 10 PhoneSuite systems for temporary living quarters or temporary offices in the disaster area. The systems, which are PBXs that drive up to 239 phones, were offered to FEMA for as long as they are needed. As hotels throughout the region struggle to reopen to house disaster recovery crews, insurance adjusters and displaced people, PhoneSuite is assisting by lowering the cost of restoring telephone service. �We are offering, through authorized PhoneSuite dealers whose territories include the FEMA disaster area, a rebate to affected hotels of 25 percent off the manufacturer�s suggested retail price,� Melville said. �We are offering as deep a rebate as possible to help hotels get back on their feet.� The PhoneSuite system is designed specifically for hotels and motels. The rebate is offered jointly by PhoneSuite and dealers that serve the FEMA disaster area. �We recognize the economic impact that the disaster will have on our friends with hotels in the affected areas, as no amount of insurance can bring back lost business,� Melville said. Because the deal includes both a factory and a dealer cooperative rebate, it will be limited to hotels that had their phone systems destroyed in the FEMA declared disaster area. �We will have strict verification procedures in place to make sure this offer is extended only to hotels in the FEMA areas,� Melville said. �We are cutting to the bone what we can afford to do.� Kevin Grantham, director of marketing at TeleResource Corp., a Dallas-based company that provides telecom and related technologies to the hospitality industry nationwide and is also a PhoneSuite dealer, was instrumental in helping Melville develop the rebate program. �If I don�t make anything on those phone systems, that�s OK, I just want to earn their business,� Grantham said. �These hoteliers need help. They have big deductibles to pay, plus their personal losses and loss of business. We are in a good position to help them in their time of need.� About 400 to 500 hotels are closed in the FEMA disaster area, he said. Some will be able to reopen when drinkable water is restored in New Orleans, but others are a total loss. Jason Smith, owner of JET Communications in Clinton, Miss., provides telephone and computer communications to hotels and other businesses in the FEMA disaster area. The company also is a PhoneSuite dealer, and Smith said he plans to discount his company�s labor cost on new PhoneSuite systems sold in the FEMA disaster area, which will add value to the rebate. �I will probably offer an additional 5 percent off installation,� Smith said. �Some people lost everything, but still plan on rebuilding. They have a steep hill to climb and I want to help them get to the top.� Melville said offering the free PhoneSuite systems to FEMA was a good start, but the company wanted to do more. �When we saw on the national news the extent of the damage from the hurricane and flood, we wanted to get involved to try to help,� he said. �This is the best way we can help our friends in the hospitality business who were affected get back up on their feet.� PhoneSuite products are designed for hotel/motel use. They offer easy-to-use one-touch function keys on the console, require little training for staff to become proficient, and feature automated attendant, voice mail, and call accounting with inexpensive plug-and-play add-on cards. Solutions include: PhoneSuite 64 Economical but feature-rich phone system designed for B&Bs and independent hotels up to 60 rooms. Features include:
Ideal for limited-service franchise properties up to 220 rooms requiring any of the following features:
For more than 15 years, PhoneSuite has produced high-quality, low-cost telephone products for hotels. With more than 900 PhoneSuites installed at properties ranging from small B&Bs to 200-room franchise hotels, PhoneSuite is committed to delivering the best products at the most affordable prices. For more information on PhoneSuite�s products, visit www.phonesuite.com, or contact Joe Feran at 303-465-0651, Ext. 315, or [email protected]. Customers in Canada should call 888-278-6777 to locate the dealer nearest them. |