Under the contract, inter-touch will provide the IT infrastructure and cabling to wire up 109 guest rooms and three meeting rooms in the Mercure Ace. With this deal, inter-touch reinforces its winning position in Malaysia with 13 hotels, translating into 4,000 hotel rooms, being powered by its Ethernet solution.

Slated to go live today, Mercure Ace will be geared to provide state-of-the-art broadband facilities to their guests. With the installation of inter-touch�s ethernet solution, the hotel will have the infrastructure to provide more than just high-speed Internet access. They will have the means to provide value-added services such as video-on-demand and video conferencing in the future. 

According to Mr Maurice de Rooij, General Manager, Mercure Ace Hotel, �We are pleased to partner with inter-touch in offering our guests fast and convenient Internet connectivity at extremely affordable rates. By installing inter-touch�s managed IT infrastructure, we will be at the forefront in offering value-added in-room guest services depending on structured cabling.� 

Commenting on the deal, Jan Strijker, Managing Director, inter-touch Asia Pacific stated, �As Malaysia�s second largest city, signing on a hotel in Johor Bahru is a significant win for us. The Mercure Ace has been installed with a broadband infrastructure that�s capable of handling traffic at up to 100 MBPS, thus giving the hotel the option to provide future state-of-the-art in room entertainment and services. inter-touch is indeed proud to be the first in bringing next-generation technologies, not only to Mercure Ace, but also to the entire hospitality industry in this fast-growing city.�

Jeffrey Khoo, General Manager, inter-touch Malaysia added, �The tie-up with Mercure Ace is provides a win-win situation for all. With our partnership, we will be able to work hand-in-hand with Mercure Ace to help guests keep in touch with their world in an easy and cost-effective way. Our aim is not only to provide easy Internet access but also to give hotels the infrastructure to potentially offer a plethora of broadband services like video-on-demand in the near future.�  

With inter-touch guests can now access the Internet simply by plugging the Ethernet cable in their room into the Network card of their laptop, turn on their computer and click their web browser. They do not need a telephone line, modem, Internet Service Provider, special software or new computer settings. inter-touch�s technological solution will enable a high-speed, convenient and easy-to-use connection to the Internet. 

6,662 hotel rooms throughout Asia are currently online with inter-touch, with a further 11,000 rooms currently under contract to be installed. 

THE SOLUTION 
inter-touch  provides travellers with an easy- to- use, high-speed (up to 100 Mb per second) internal access at a rate of RM 2.00 per minute up to a cap of RM 80.00 per day inclusive of tax which means that if a guest spends more than 40 minutes on the Internet per day, the rest of the time, usage is free of charge. 
Aside from resident guests, meeting attendees that use conference facilities at the hotel can also enjoy inter-touch TEAMWORK, which offers Internet access in all meeting and conference rooms. Using inter-touch TEAMWORK, a meeting coordinator can set up a web-enabled boardroom with a pre-configured 7 to 14-user boardroom kit in a matter of minutes. This facility will allow guests to convene on-line meetings, exchange data, web training and a host of other web applications including video conferencing. The rates for these other products such as TEAMWORK are available through the hotel.  

The charges are automatically tracked by inter-touch BRIDGE�, an advanced billing system that is integrated into the hotel�s Property Management System, and are included as part of the guest�s hotel bill.

About inter-touch
inter-touch (www.inter-touch.com <http://www.inter-touch.com>) is a global company that provides broadband services and emerging Internet technologies to the hospitality, airline, convention centre, apartment and other vertical markets. inter-touch has installed over 25,000 hotel rooms, 37 airline lounges and five convention centres worldwide, making the company a leading supplier of broadband technologies to these vertical markets. inter-touch installs and implements state of the art communications network platforms, layering multiple products and services that deliver productivity benefits to consumers. It operates in 54 countries throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and South Pacific, with 24 direct offices and 20 distribution partners.

ABOUT MERCURE ACE
Mercure Ace is one of Johor Bahru�s newest and most innovative 4-star hotels. Located in the heart of the city and with easy access to the highway to Singapore, the Mercure is mainly targeted to business travellers, with spacious, well appointed rooms, three function rooms and a popular brasserie restaurant. The Mercure is managed by Accor Asia Pacific, the Asia Pacific region�s leading hotel company.