�In becoming the first nationwide hotel chain to provide this amenity, business and leisure travelers staying at our hotels will have access to the same advanced technology that�s available to them in their office or home,� explains John Paul Nichols, president and CEO of Wingate Inns International, Inc.  �These travelers expect to have the ability to access their email or favorite website quickly and directly from their guestrooms, and this system enables guests to connect to the Internet at speeds up to 50 times faster than conventional data ports.�

Each Wingate Inn hotel is equipped with LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation�s On Line by LodgeNet^sm Internet managed connectivity system, which is supported by national 24-hour customer service.  On Line by LodgeNet^sm is quick and easy to use. A guest simply plugs his or her computer into the room's Ethernet-based Internet jack and launches the laptop's resident browser application.  Access is instantaneous, at speeds up to 50 times faster than traditional phone modems, with no software installation or re-configuration required.

�On Line by LodgeNet^sm is what business and leisure travelers everywhere have been waiting for, an extremely simple �plug and play� laptop Internet connection that they can access from their guestroom or the hotel�s meeting rooms and boardrooms,� says Nichols.  �This clearly reinforces Wingate Inns� ability to use technology as an enabler that sets the brand apart from the competition, as well as positioning the chain as the technology leader for business travelers.�

Nichols continues, �In addition to offering a value-added service to guests, high-speed Internet access provides our franchisees with a competitive advantage over other hotels.  This technology allows Wingate Inn general managers to market their properties as the best for business travelers, as well as business meetings, since the high-speed Internet access will also be available in their boardroom and meeting rooms. On Line by LodgeNet^sm allows business travelers to connect to their own virtual private networks or the Internet from our meeting rooms and boardrooms without reconfiguring their computers.  For today�s technology-driven business traveler, Wingate Inns will be an even greater value.�

Janis Jarosz, vice president of marketing, adds, �Since the brand�s inception, Wingate Inns has heralded technology as one of its competitive advantages.  The chain firmly believes that the amenity package it offers is not necessarily �high-tech,� but rather �my-tech� focused.  That is, the majority of our clientele are business travelers who are used to, and require, a certain level of technology-based amenities.  High speed Internet access connections meet this requirement, while adding value to the guest�s stay at our hotels.�

Wingate Inns International, Inc. is an all-new construction hotel chain that opened its first franchised hotel in July 1996.  Its focused service, upper mid-market franchised hotels feature sophisticated, consumer-based technology and comfortable, oversized rooms that were created in response to business travelers� needs.  All Wingate Inn hotels are independently owned and operated under franchise agreements.