Scott W. Anderson, president and c.e.o. of Service World Network Inc. (SWAN), has named Rick G. Layton executive vice president of sales and marketing, effective February 8, and named Gail Wilson Vice President, to lead E-Risk Pro.

Rick G. Layton

�Scott and I are a damn good team,� Layton said. �We�ve known each other for 25 years, we know the hotel business and we know technology. Together, we will build on SWAN�s concept of helping hoteliers do their jobs better.�
 

Service World Network Inc. combines the resources of Richfield Hospitality Services (hotel management), Sceptre Hospitality Resources (reservations management), E-Risk Pro (on-line insurance and risk management), E-Purchase (on-line and off-line procurement) and E-Answers (a software Application Services Provider) to provide a complete network of management services, reservation distribution, Internet utilization and in-house technology solutions to hotels.  �What SWAN does is help hoteliers do the things they must do and the things they should do, so that they have the time to do the things they want to do,� Anderson said. �We provide real-time solutions to present and changing needs so that the hotel will thrive in the future.� Layton�s Longevity Layton is currently president and c.e.o. of Atlanta-based Servidyne Systems Inc., a company providing guest service software, energy management, engineering and preventive maintenance to hotels and businesses worldwide. Layton will remain as non-executive Chairman of Servidyne. Prior to joining Servidyne, Layton was general manager at the Sheraton New Orleans. He was responsible for repositioning the property with a $30 million renovation. From 1994 to 1996, Layton served as Deputy Managing Director, Games Services for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games. In this capacity, he managed food, beverage and

Scott Anderson Career Highlights  Prior to joining SWAN, Anderson served as executive vice president, Internet, travel division for the Cendant Internet Group, or CIG, where he directed the company�s convergence strategy for merging its off-line and online businesses. He was also the driving force behind Cendant�s �Profit Power Up,� which involved the installation of property management systems, Intranet connections and direct marketing tools in more than 6,000 Cendant hotels. Anderson also held the position of executive vice president sales and marketing of the Cendant Corporation.   Anderson�s diverse career accomplishments also include serving as president and general manager of the world-renowned Hotel del Coronado in California and president and CEO of the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation and Callaway Gardens Resort.  Scott W. Anderson Prior to joining Cendant, Anderson was the managing director of games services for the 1996 Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG). Under his direction, which drew international attention, ACOG sold more than 11 million tickets to the Olympic Games, more than for the Barcelona and Los Angeles games combined, and he was also responsible for accommodations, food and beverage, marketing, merchandising, spectator services and entertainment.   As its first major undertaking, SWAN will offer extensive services to the U.S. operations, followed by the global operations, of Millennium Hotels & Resorts.

He began his career in the hotel industry in 1972 as a management trainee, assistant manager and manager at The Westin St. Francis in San Francisco. He went on to serve various positions at Westin�s corporate offices. He also served as manager at The Westin Hotel O�Hare in Chicago, The Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto and The Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. Layton also served as chairman of the Georgia Hospitality & Travel Assn. and the Atlanta Hotel Assn., was director of the American Hotel & Motel Assn., and was a member of the executive committee of the Atlanta Convention and Visitor�s Bureau. Operations and Technology Balance

Rick G. Layton

�It�s hard to find an individual who can work in the technology world and the hotel operational world with equal ease,� Anderson said. �Rick�s experience in both areas helps SWAN fulfill the promise of our customer message: �Answers not software � Knowledge not data.� He is well respected in the hotel community as a true professional who has a high degree of credibility and competence.�

Anderson�s concept of combining the e-business solutions needed by today�s hoteliers under one umbrella attracted Layton to SWAN.

�Today�s managers need information to provide better service,� Layton said. � Knowing how to use the information that technology provides will allow hoteliers to be proactive -- anticipating their guests� needs -- rather than reactive. That�s what SWAN�s customer message is all about.�

Layton�s immediate focus will be on building the infrastructure necessary to market and sell SWAN�s existing services and eventually introduce new products to the marketplace. 

�SWAN was created by hoteliers for hoteliers in order to provide the solutions needed to answer the problems they face every day,� Layton said. �Working with Scott again will be an adventure. It will be rewarding to see a concept Scott and I shared for many years come to life--providing quality goods and services to an industry we know and love.�

Gail Wilson

To shield hotels against rising insurance premiums, Service World Network Inc. (SWAN) introduces E-Risk Pro, an on-line and terrestrial company providing insurance products and risk-management services to hotels. Scott W. Anderson, SWAN president and c.e.o., named Gail Wilson Vice President, Risk to lead the new company.

�Many hotel managers consider Insurance a necessary evil that they once a year talk about when the annual invoice arrives,� Anderson said. �Risk management, training, safety and loss prevention are, or should be, in the tool kit of every hotelier, but many hotels cannot afford the cost of a risk manager on staff.� 

E-Risk Pro is an on-line risk manager and a full-time insurance provider in the market, Anderson said, noting: �E-Risk Pro is on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week, just like all of us in the hotel business.� On-line services allow the hotel professional the ability to manage their risk on their schedule and provide training to their staffs at no additional cost, he said. 

�It�s cost-prohibitive and sometimes impossible for hotels, especially those in coastal areas, to get the insurance they want,� Wilson said. �E-Risk Pro will provide coverage and services to any hotel in the U.S.--whether they use the services provided by Richfield Hospitality Services under the SWAN umbrella or not. In addition, we offer a return-to-work program for employees and managers involved in a catastrophe, and offer an on-line, loss-control program to mitigate claims.�

E-Risk Pro will work with Portland, Ore.-based Safety Logic to provide its loss-control program over the Internet through an Application Service Provider model. This will eliminate the need for hotels to invest in risk-management software and hardware, Wilson said.

�Now hotels can track incidents, conduct safety meetings and have access to a risk resource library on-line,� she said. �There are no more excuses for managers not to have a loss-control program in place. Safety Logic is easy to use and can be accessed on our Web site.�

Wilson was most recently President of Kenco Insurance Agency in Louisville, K.Y., responsible for designing and implementing insurance and employee benefit programs for the franchised restaurants in the Tricon system. Programs included fully insured policies for all lines of business. Wilson also introduced into the system a 401(k) plan, hourly employee benefits, and a Professional Employers Organization to give franchisees additional tools for attracting and retaining employees to improve the bottom line of the client organizations. She served on the board of the User Association for Ebix.com, a computerized agency-management system.

Prior to joining Kenco, Wilson served as Product Manager at Progressive Insurance, providing underwriting and marketing for Auto and Architect and Engineer Professional Liability. The Architect and Engineer program utilized a Bermuda captive for which Progressive was the fronting carrier.

Sophisticated Skill Set

�Gail brings to SWAN a wealth of knowledge in creating and administrating successful insurance programs for multi unit operations,� Anderson said. �She has the unique ability to understand the entrepreneurial needs of the individual owner and also communicate with the institutional underwriters. Her skill set goes beyond the negotiation of insurance coverage to the ongoing process of managing risk year round so the next year�s renewal is a pleasant surprise rather than an annual disappointment. We are lucky to have her on the team.�

�To say I�m excited about this opportunity would be an understatement,� Wilson said. �While the hospitality industry is new to me, the insurance industry is not. It�s great to see a company created by hoteliers that provides cost-effective risk management, loss-prevention and insurance programs for hoteliers. I�m proud to be part of such a dedicated, hard-working hospitality team.�

Headquartered in Denver, the company has approximately 2,000 employees and will operate initially in the United States, offering extensive services to the U.S. operations, followed by global operations, of Millennium Hotels & Resorts. Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc, a UK-based company, is an investor in SWAN. Hong Kong-based City e-Solutions Limited (CES) is majority owner.