High-speed Internet access, provided by VirtuaLINC Corporation and CAIS Internet, will be available in both guest rooms and meeting rooms, and will give guests access to the information highway at speeds up to 50 times faster than a conventional modem allows.  In addition, many public areas in the hotels will be wired to the Internet.  Omni Hotels will offer this service based on a low, flat daily rate.

Videoconferencing services will be available in meeting rooms, featuring near-television-quality transmission via an IP video network, which enables groups in many different locations to simultaneously participate in the same meeting.  Features of this system will include video multicast, point-to-point video, multipoint video and Internet videostreaming, which can be used to host a diverse range of activities, such as seminars, sales events, job candidate interviews, distance-learning training sessions, press conferences and annual shareholder meetings.

�More than 94 percent of our preferred customers actively use the Internet, and they demand fast and reliable access to the World Wide Web when traveling,� said Jim Caldwell, president of Omni Hotels.  �With our new high-speed Internet access, guests will be able to browse the Web from the comfort of their room or check e-mail during a business meeting quickly and easily.  Meeting planners and attendees also can count on having the most state-of-the-art technology available to allow them to efficiently conduct business.�

The new technology also will provide back-office support for Omni Hotels.  The properties will be able to use these services to enhance communications with other hotels worldwide and Omni Hotels� corporate offices.  The secure, private network will support data services for reservations, financial reporting and other data transactions.

The addition of state-of-the-art technology at company properties comes on the heels of the Omni Hotels� four-year, $500 million brand-wide capital improvements program, which included extensive company-wide renovations and upgrades that produced a lavish portfolio of hotels and resorts unmatched within the upscale hotel market.

Omni Hotels, based near Dallas in Irving, Texas, offers luxury accommodations at more than 40 hotels and resorts located throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.