| YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO--NOV. 20, 2002 - By offering
an affordable, scalable and low-maintenance solution to its customers,
Broadband Hospitality has emerged as the Buckeye State�s leading High-Speed
Internet Access (HSIA) provider to hotels. The company has installed HSIA
systems in 31 Ohio properties - more than any other provider - and is expanding
throughout the United States.
�We are very excited about this accomplishment,� says Vince Lucci, president and C.E.O. of the Youngstown-based company that installed HSIA in its first hotel in 2000. �We are not only looking to continue to grow in Ohio, but also throughout all of the U.S. We already have provided HSIA to 26 hotels outside Ohio and to a total of more than 7,000 guestrooms throughout the country.�
�About 10 percent of all hotels have it,� Lucci says. �Every new installation is getting it. The larger hotels are all looking at it and within the next few years hotels of all sizes will have to have it. HSIA is becoming an expected amenity. It benefits a hotel by helping to increase occupancy and enables guests to quickly access the Web, e-mail and their companies� Virtual Private Networks. Our company is well-positioned to take advantage of these trends.� Hilton Garden Inns announced on November 12 that it will offer complimentary high-speed Internet access at all of its hotels by the end of 2003. Broadband Hospitality already has installed HSIA in five of those properties in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. �Hilton Garden Inns� announcement is significant for us,� Lucci says. �We are ready to provide our high-quality equipment and services to any Hilton Garden Inn that is still without HSIA.� Among Broadband Hospitality�s other customers are companies such as Cleveland-based Boykin Hospitality and St. Paul, Minn.-based CSM Lodging. For Boykin, Broadband Hospitality recently installed HSIA in 11 hotels over an eight- to nine-week period. The installations covered nine states. "We installed HSIA in all of those hotels in August and September," Lucci says. "It was quite an accomplishment." Customized products, services Broadband Hospitality has grown quickly since its founding in 1993 by offering hotels customized network solutions and toll-free support for staff and guests. �We offer network design services to meet each individual hotel�s needs,� Lucci says. �We don�t force our customers into using proprietary equipment that is expensive. The process we use is transparent to the guest, uses no in-room equipment, bypasses the hotel�s PBX system and requires no, or very little configuration.� Broadband Hospitality offers DSL, T1 or DIA solutions. Because it is a TUT Connected dealer, it also can offer data-over-voice options. Broadband Hospitality services the HSIA equipment it installs, tracks bandwidth usage 24 hours a day, and provides connection instruction stands in each guestroom. The stands include Broadband Hospitality�s toll-free support number that can be reached for free support from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. �Hotels can choose from a variety of network connections,� Lucci says. �It is up to the hotel owner to decide on the level of security. Our higher-end hotel customers are opting for the most firewall protection.� HSIA boosts revenues While increased occupancy rates are one benefit of offering HSIA, additional revenue can be generated by a hotel through usage fees. Broadband Hospitality encourages hotels to offer free Internet access to guests but it can install systems that track usage by the day or minute. �We do encourage hotels to charge for meeting/conference room Internet access,� Lucci says. �Broadband Hospitality will work with the hotel to develop an appropriate solution that interfaces with its property management system.� Lucci says that because his company is not a publicly traded company, it can offer its customers the assurance that it will be around for a long time. �We�re funding this on our existing revenues,� Lucci says. �That separates us. We are growing methodically and doing it right. We have employees that have worked in the hospitality industry for their entire careers. We can do what the larger companies do and what the �mom and pops� can do. Our solution is among the most scalable out there.� About Broadband Hospitality: Founded in 1993, Broadband Hospitality�s mission is to help hotels leverage the full power of the Internet by providing complete, high-quality, high-performance Internet solutions. In addition to providing HSIA solutions for guestrooms, business centers, kiosks and conference rooms, Broadband Hospitality offers print services (printing guest documents via the in-room Internet connection), e-commerce platforms for hotel chains, video on demand, videoconferencing and voice over IP. Broadband Hospitality also offers a wide range of voice solutions, including: local service, 0+ operator service, 1+ long distance service and phone system sales and service. Because of its strategic partnerships with companies such as AT&T, Qwest and Mitel, Broadband Hospitality can offer its customers the best possible solution at the best possible price. Broadband Hospitality is the preferred HSIA vendor of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. For more information about the company, go to www.broadbandhospitality.com or call Vince Lucci, president, at (330) 629-8848.
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