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Amenities at the Touch of a Screen: theWit Hotel Opens with
Cutting-Edge Self-Service Technology from NEC

Upscale boutique hotel in Chicago utilizes NEC�s integrated communications
solutions to create a unique guest experience


IRVING, TX, June 30, 2009 � NEC Unified Solutions, Inc. (NEC), a leading communications solutions integrator, today announced that theWit Hotel, the recently opened downtown Chicago boutique hotel, is using NEC communications technology to deliver unprecedented access to luxury services and amenities for its guests. 

�Technology is a cornerstone of theWit; every piece has to integrate in order to create a truly unique guest experience. NEC�s communications server and phones automate guest services, enabling our customers to enjoy the unparalleled comfort and amenities we provide while our employees can efficiently focus on high-touch services,� said Lou Carrier, chief brand officer for ECD Company / theWit Hotel. �When it comes to NEC, we feel like we have the best products on the market; what they helped us create speaks directly to our brand.� 

�From the very beginning, the technology vision for theWit has been to provide guests with an experience that is second-to-none with features that are both convenient and easy to use,� said Darrin Pinkham, chief technology officer for ECD Company / theWit Hotel. �NEC has been an integral partner in helping us achieve a seamless converged and ubiquitous network for an impeccable guest experience.�

theWit, a Doubletree Hotel, opened its doors in May with 298 rooms, all dedicated to providing guests with deluxe accommodations through advanced technology. Guest rooms at theWit feature touch-screen access to a variety of services, such as valet notification, setting restaurant reservations, ordering wake-up calls, requesting towels from housekeeping, and looking up airline flight or weather information, all using easy-to-navigate applications from DOCOMO interTouch on NEC�s UNIVERGE® DT750 IP phones. Guests with a sense of humor can request wake-up calls with a message recorded by a celebrity impressionist from the Second City Chicago. Celebrity voices include President Barack Obama, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Al Capone and Harry Caray. NEC�s UNIVERGE SV8500 enterprise-class communications server provides voice over IP (VoIP) service to both guests and hotel staff.

�Without a doubt, theWit Hotel is raising the bar in hospitality by leveraging NEC�s communication solutions to help facilitate excellent guest service and staff efficiency,� said Lou Van De Water, vice president and general manager for eastern regional sales, NEC. �theWit is a prime example of the UNIVERGE360 concept: by making guests and staff the central components of their technology decisions, they achieve outstanding results for their customers.� 

Headquartered in Singapore, DOCOMO interTouch provides integrated hospitality applications and is a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO and a member of the UNIVERGE Solutions Partner Program, NEC�s worldwide program that gives technology providers the opportunity to fully integrate their products and applications with NEC�s UNIVERGE portfolio.

More information on NEC can be found at:

www.necunified.com
www.UNIVERGE360.com
www.NECToday.com
Twitter at www.twitter.com/NEC and @NEC
Facebook: NEC Unified Solutions
About NEC Unified Solutions NEC Unified Solutions helps companies unify their business communications through innovative software, applications, development tools, and services. NEC offers a complete portfolio for unified communications, wireless, voice, data and managed services, as well as systems integration and application development. NEC Unified Solutions serves as the North American communications integration arm of global giant NEC Corporation for Fortune 1000, as well as small to mid-sized businesses in vertical markets such as hospitality, education, government, and healthcare. For more information, visit www.necunified.com.

NEC and UNIVERGE are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation. 

About theWit Hotel
theWit Hotel is a new luxury boutique property located in the heart of Chicago�s energetic Loop theater district. TheWit is a flagship property developed by Scott Greenberg of the ECD Company and operated by the Doubletree brand of Hilton Hotels, and clients enjoy the benefits of membership in HHonors, Hilton�s reward program for loyal guests. Four-diamond service with a clever twist is the hallmark of theWit experience, and the hotel�s stylishly irreverent character is inspired by the culture and self-expression so inherent in its urban surroundings. Designed by Chicago architect Jackie Koo with interiors by Cheryl Rowley, theWit feature 298 rooms (including 60 suites); two full floors of meeting and event space; SCREEN, a state-of-the-art multimedia theater; and three dining concepts: cibbo matto, STATE AND LAKE, and a 27th-floor lounge, ROOF. The property also offers guests an opportunity for tranquility at its full-service spa (Spa@theWit) and health club. TheWit is a sleek, contemporary hotel offering a new kind of luxury hospitality experience that fuses charm and good humor with relaxation and opulence. Visit us online at www.thewithotel.com.

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Contact:

John Wise
Marketing Communications
NEC Unified Solutions, Inc.
Office: 214-262-6384
Cell: 972-413-9176
[email protected]
www.necunifiedsolutions.com
www.nectoday.com

Follow us on Twitter! @NEC, @jbwise23
IM: jbwise23
 

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