Hotel Online Special Report
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Impac Hotels Goes Live 
With Internet-Based Oracle Applications 
50-Site, 23 State Internet Computing Implementation Completed in Only 3 Months; 
90 Hotels to Be Added Worldwide
About Impac Hotel Group
 
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Aug. 31, 1998 -  Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) announced today that Impac Hotel Group, an Atlanta-based private hotel company, has successfully implemented Oracle(R) Applications, Oracle's suite of enterprise business applications based on the Internet computing model. With Oracle Consulting Services(SM) and Impac's seven-person IS staff, Impac has deployed Oracle Applications in 50 hotels in 23 states in only three months. Brands currently in Impac's portfolio include Holiday Inn, Doubletree, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Crowne Plaza and Radisson. The company will be adding 90 additional hotels in 35 states and Canada when it merges with Servico, Inc. in September to create Lodgian, one of the largest independent, multi-brand
owner and operator of hotels in North America.

In mid-1997, Impac conducted an evaluation of ERP vendors to replace their existing systems. This competitive evaluation led Impac to choose Oracle over PeopleSoft because of Oracle's Network Computing Architecture(TM) and the benefits of Oracle's tightly integrated applications including Financials(R), HR, Projects and Purchasing.

"We chose Oracle because we were looking for a long term solution," said Nancy Wolff, CIO of Impac. "We had been using Citrix Winframe and knew we needed a change. The existing system couldn't accommodate our natural growth much less additional demands of our impending merger. Oracle provided what we need today and will grow with us for the future."

Oracle Applications Provide Easy Access at Impac

Oracle Applications have addressed Impac's unique needs.  The hotel industry reports revenue daily, and with Oracle Applications, new locations have immediate access to Impac's general ledger.  This makes financial reporting easy and accurate even for brand new hotels.  Impac typically adds two new hotels per quarter, making the Internet computing model instrumental in the timely recognition of new revenue. 

Servico is immediately able to standardize all of its hotels on Oracle Applications through dial up access over modems until those hotels are added to the existing frame relay network already in place for Impac hotels.  Impac's subsidiary construction company will also be able to dial into the Oracle Projects system from work sites to enter their time against a renovation or building project.  The Oracle Applications suite is running on Sun Microsystems' highly reliable and scalable Solaris(TM) operating environment, which is tuned for network computing and optimized for Java(TM) technology.  Impac chose three Sun Ultra(TM) 2 workstations, a Sun Enterprise(TM) 3000 server and Sun StorEdge(TM) array subsystems to run Oracle Applications.

Impac also anticipates the Internet-based applications will create a source of potential revenue. The company has created a custom time and attendance system using Oracle Developer that allows all hotel associates to punch in and out on a touch screen terminal feeding information into Oracle Payroll over the Internet. The company hopes to market this tool to other hotels.

"We weren't sure what kind of performance to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised with how well Oracle Applications run over even 28.8K modems," said Wolff. "Plus it's so easy for me to get people connected using Oracle Applications. Normally I had to fly people to the remote locations to set up PCs, but now all they need is Java(TM) technology on the desktop which is easily downloadable off the server. I've needed to deploy fewer resources directly to the hotels already. That's a huge cost savings."

Oracle Applications

Oracle Applications is based on the Internet computing model.  Oracle's complete enterprise suite of Financials, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Sales Force Automation software uses Sun's Java technology and comprises more than 45 different applications.  Based on open Internet standards, Oracle Applications can be deployed on any PC, network computer or other desktop on which Java technology is available, typically through a Web browser.  The Oracle Applications suite allows customers with hundreds or thousands of users to reduce the traditionally high costs and complexity of implementing, maintaining and upgrading desktops running enterprise software. Beyond realizing immediate and dramatic cost savings, by shifting the complexity of administering software from the desktop to professionally managed servers, companies can provide higher reliability and service levels to their user communities.

Oracle Corporation is the world's leading supplier of software for information management, and the world's second largest software company. With annual revenues of $7.1 billion, the company offers its database, application server, tools and application products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in more than 140 countries around the world. For more information about Oracle, please call 650/506-7000. Oracle's World Wide Web address is (URL)
http://www.oracle.com/.
 
 

About Impac Hotel Group
For prudent lenders and investors, the mark of a secure, attractive company is an established financial track record and exceptional talent among its collective human resources. Impac Hotel Group has both an impeccable credit standing and a "top-drawer" operating team with incomparable experience, skill, and entrepreneurship. This ensures lenders and investors they are procuring a sound financial arrangement and the achievement of a maximum return.

For more than three decades, the Cole family and partners have successfully owned and operated more than 75 hotels and motels in every conceivable size and service category. Even during sporadic economic periods, not one of these properties has ever suffered from a financial default. This is an unparalleled accomplishment within the hotel industry.

Impac's carefully hand-picked group of operating specialists comprise the "Gold Standard" among hotel owners and operators. Our professionals have consistently produced a return on investment that is the envy of the industry

 

Trademarks; Oracle is a registered trademark and Oracle Consulting Services and Oracle Financials are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle Corp.  All other products or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Sun, Sun Microsystems, Solaris, Sun Ultra, Sun StorEdge, Sun Enterprise, and Java are trademarks or registered trademarks of Suns Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
 

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Contact:
Carol Sato of Oracle Corp., 650-633-5551, [email protected]
or 
Christine Kerst of Applied Communications, 650-375-8881 x233, [email protected]
Web site: http://www.oracle.com
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Also See:
A Study of the Hotel Industry's Application of the Internet as a Relationship Marketing Tool / July 1998 
Technology - Making a Mark in the Hospitality Industry / KPMG / 1998 

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