With the alliance, ImOn� Hospitality will equip and provide standard-setting Internet service to each hotel in the chain, as well as install in-suite equipment and a customized portal for USFS.  �Providing guests with high-speed Internet access and easy-to-use computers will enable them to conduct business faster, learn about local restaurants and attractions, enjoy in-suite entertainment and book travel and hotel reservations,� said Jeff Maddox, president of ImOn� Hospitality. 

Hawthorn will be the first hotel chain to go all-wireless and offer a point of sale device in every guestroom.  According to Mike Leven, president and CEO of USFS, �Our partnership with ImOn� Hospitality is one of the most aggressive in the industry today and will bring an unparalleled level of service to Hawthorn hotels. It will usher in a world of new service, value and in-room amenities for guests, and enhanced customer loyalty and expanded marketing channels for our franchisees.

�This puts Hawthorn in a true leadership position with wireless Internet service and further shows our commitment to servicing the needs of the business traveler,� Leven added. ImOn� Hospitality will initially install the wireless program in 10,000 Hawthorn rooms. A flat-rate charge of $9.95 for 24-hour unlimited service will be added to the guest�s folio when they activate it.  Leven noted that ImOn� Hospitality will also provide a standard PC in each hotel�s Hawthorn breakfast area, so that guests can easily participate in the chain�s new online auction known as �Sleep Once...Twice...Sold @hawthorn.com.� Through Dec. 14, 2000, guests will receive 1,000 �Auction Dollars� for every room night they buy and accumulate dollars to bid on Hawthorn�s site at www.hawthorn.com for such valuable prizes as a new Jaguar, a Philips Flat Screen TV and Hawaiian cruise.

In addition to the in-suite service, guests will be able to take home ImOn� Free Internet Access, a free, unlimited service. �Guests don�t have to leave ImOn behind at checkout,� said Maddox. �Through an easy sign-up procedure, they can utilize Internet access wherever they go, free of charge, forever.� 

ImOn� Hospitality, based in Delray Beach, Fla., provides in-room Internet services and hardware to the lodging industry, enhancing the guest experience and building long-term customer loyalty.