Hotel Online Special Report
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Wayport Receives Capital Infusion to Speed Deployment of its Internet Connectivity Solutions to Hotels 
 
AUSTIN, TEXAS - November 2, 1998 - Wayport, Inc. today announced it has secured venture capital financing from Sevin Rosen Funds, a leading national venture capital firm, and Trellis Partners, L.P., a major investor in Southwestern high-tech companies. Wayport will use the capital infusion to speed deployment of its Internet connectivity solutions in frequently traveled business routes and places. 

Sevin Rosen Funds and Trellis Partners will be represented on Wayport's board of directors by Jon Bayless, chairman of CIENA Corporation (Nasdaq:CIEN), on the board of directors of numerous companies, and Sevin Rosen partner since 1981, and John Long, principal of Trellis. 

"We are excited that Sevin Rosen and Trellis Partners have come together to help us grow our business," says Brett Stewart, Wayport's chief executive officer. "The support of Sevin Rosen and Trellis is an important endorsement of Wayport's vision of delivering fast, convenient connectivity for business people on the move. 

Both firms bring outstanding experience and relationships to Wayport, such as Jon Bayless' telecommunications expertise and John Long's experience in building successful Internet-based companies." 

Wayport, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, provides the highest level of network performance, convenience and service for business travelers. Wayport's system provides these travelers simple access to fast networks. Wayport has formed strategic relationships with major telecommunications carriers and IP providers to create the backbone for its fast connectivity. Wayport has numerous service deployments in hotel and conference centers in Texas with other national properties in various stages of deployment.  Sevin Rosen and Trellis Partners named several factors that interested them in Wayport, including the company's strong base of existing relationships and contracts, its comprehensive product offering, the size and breadth of the market opportunity, and the experienced management team. 

"I am impressed by the scope of Wayport's business strategy, and the fact that they have completed their product development and are ramping their deployment. I look forward to helping them build their business," Bayless says. 

Long notes, "Wayport delivers solutions at the strategic intersection of Internet remote access, mobile computing and high performance connectivity. The company delivers tremendous value to people who rely on mobile computing and connectivity." 

Wayport is successfully providing connectivity solutions at leading hotels in all segments of the hospitality market. Hotels in Austin, Texas providing Wayport(tm) connectivity to meeting room and/or guest room customers include: 

  • Barton Creek Resort 
  • DoubleTree Hotel Austin 
  • The Driskill Hotel 
  • Embassy Suites Austin Arboretum 
  • Four Seasons Hotel Austin 
  • HomeGate Studios and Suites North Mopac 
  • Omni Austin Hotel 
 
The advantages of the Wayport system include: 
  • Guests enjoy 50 times the performance of a standard modem 
  • No special software or hardware must be loaded for the guest to connect 
  • The guest doesn't have to view advertising or other intrusive software to connect 
  • Wayport supports easy connections from all major operating system platforms - Microsoft Windows95 or later, Microsoft WindowsNT, Mac OS, and all UNIX variants
Hotels benefit through increased differentiation,  revenue upside and reduced costs 

Hotels use Wayport service to attract corporate travel business, to sell against competitors and to increase the business traveler's satisfaction. Hotels also generate revenue upside with Wayport offerings. Also, the Wayport network takes long data modem calls off the hotel PBX. As Wayport usage increases, voice trunk saturation decreases, leading to cost savings. 

Wayport delivers complete solutions for the hospitality industry  Wayport's comprehensive and complete solution is a key advantage for the hospitality industry. In a typical installation, Wayport manages: 

  • Internet access 
  • Local telecommunications circuit provisioning 
  • Network equipment programming and installation 
  • Property management system interface 
  • Customized local web content 
  • Marketing material templates and staff training 
  • Technical support 
  • On-going network monitoring 
 

Wayport management has a diverse set of semiconductor, software and telecommunications experience. Brett Stewart, CEO, has served in a variety of general management capacities, most recently in business development and mergers and acquisitions for AMD's telecom and networking businesses. Brad Gray, VP, Sales and Client Services, served as VP, Operations for McCaw and AT&T's paging businesses, managing field operations of 900 people and 850,000 subscribers. Mick Koffend, CFO, served as CFO of Mission Critical Software, helping build the business from its inception to $15M in revenue and 90 employees. Dirk Heinen, VP, Marketing, was responsible for global marketing programs for AMD's microprocessor business. Kem McClelland, VP and General Counsel, served as Director of Contracts and Technology Portfolio Management at Rockwell Semiconductor systems and Sr. Corporate Counsel for AMD. To learn more about Wayport, see www.wayport.net or call Wayport at 512-492-0020. Wayport and the Wayport logo are trademarks of Wayport, Inc. All other product names may be trademarks of their respective companies. 

``Safe Harbor'' statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:  This release contains forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the impact of competitive products, services and pricing, product/services, demand and market acceptance, new product development, business strategies of the Company or its competitors, reliance on key strategic alliances, availability of raw materials, changes in technology, the regulatory environment, fluctuations in operating results and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's prospectus or in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 
 

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Contact:
Dirk Heinen 
Wayport, Inc. 
512-492-0020 
[email protected] 
www.wayport.net
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Also See:
Technology: A Guide to Lodging Internet Connectivity / HMM / Russell Shaw / June 1998
INTxx Launches Cyberoom, an Internet Hotel Amenity / Oct 1998
Lodgenet Acquires Connect Group / June 1998 
Internet Access for the Road Warrior Easier Than Ever / July 1998 

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