This makes Howard Johnson one of the first international hotel brands to have its own franchisees decide to implement a chain-wide high speed Internet access program.  The service will cost guests approximately $9.95 per 24-hour period for unrestricted access to the Internet.

�We are very pleased to be offering this new amenity to our guests.  Business travelers and vacationing guests will appreciate accessing the Internet up to 50 times faster than conventional modems,� said Mary Mahoney, president and CEO, Howard Johnson International.  �Howard Johnson continues to be a leader in delivering the amenities and services that consumers desire and providing them with a better quality of life on the road.�

�A key benefit of this technology is that the hotel�s telephone system will no longer be clogged up with local access calls to the Internet,� said Bryan Shaughnessy, chairman of the Howard Johnson INOC. �In fact, a guest can use the phone and browse the Internet at the same time.  This is a value-added amenity that our guests have been asking for.�

�In the end, this move illustrates how Howard Johnson is benefiting through the convergence of off-line and on-line businesses; a strategy that is being spearheaded by Cendant Internet Group along with the corporation�s Hotel Division,� said Mahoney.

Under a Preferred Alliance agreement with Cendant, CAIS Internet and VirtuaLINC Corporation are the preferred vendors for this service.

�With more than 20,000 guest rooms already installed throughout the United States, we have the expertise to make this a successful program at Howard Johnson properties as well,� said Karen Mortazavi, VP, Operations for VirtuaLINC.

CAIS Internet and VirtuaLINC are scheduling the Howard Johnson properties for installation within 120 days of a contract being signed by the property owner.

Using CAIS Internet solutions, the guestrooms will be linked to the Internet using the existing telephone wires and their proprietary Over-Voice technology.  There is no renovation in the guestroom required.  The adaptation takes approximately 15 minutes.  In addition to the guestrooms, meeting rooms and business offices will also have access to this new technology.

Howard Johnson International Inc. franchises nearly 500 hotels and inns worldwide, including properties in Argentina, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Mexico, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.