�We have come a long way since we first installed HSIA in 2000,� says Vince Lucci, president of Broadband Hospitality. �While we are excited about reaching 10,000 rooms, it is just the beginning. Our goal is to be at 20,000 rooms by the end of the year.�

One reason for Broadband Hospitality�s growth is the increasing demand for HSIA in hotels in every segment of the lodging industry. 

�General managers at hotels ranging in size from a 55-room Days Inn to a 471-room Doubletree hotel are anxious to get the systems installed,� Lucci says. �Both business and leisure travelers are asking for it. In the current competitive economic environment, hotels have to have it.� 

Lucci says HSIA benefits a hotel by helping to increase occupancy and giving guests fast access to the Web, e-mail and their companies� Virtual Private Networks.

Company Offers Affordable Solution

Broadband Hospitality also has grown because of its personalized, affordable approach to HSIA.

�We can effectively install the same infrastructure that a larger company can at a much lower price and can support it just as well,� Lucci says.

To support its customers and their guests seven days a week, Broadband Hospitality offers around-the-clock tech support via a toll-free number.

�We have a professional support team that is always available to help our customers and their guests with any questions or problems,� Lucci says.

Broadband Closes in on 100 Hotels

With more than 10,000 rooms installed or soon to be installed, Broadband Hospitality now provides HSIA to 96 hotels in 19 states. The company recently signed an agreement with Cleveland-based Boykin Hospitality to install HSIA in four hotels in the following cities: Colorado Springs, Colo.; Sacramento, Calif.; Portland, Ore. and Kansas City, Mo. Broadband Hospitality previously had installed HSIA in 12 Boykin properties.

"Broadband Hospitality�s cost-competitive solution provides our guests the plug and play access they need,� says Tom Nau, corporate director of information systems and technology for Boykin Hospitality. �The service provides an advantage over our competitive set and allows our sales managers to market to high-tech companies. We are very pleased with the service and support provided by Broadband and continue to partner with them on ancillary products to help enhance the HSIA service."
 
�Having Boykin as a close partner has been a tremendous boost to our company,� Lucci says. �Boykin is a company serious about growth and we intend to grow with them. They have told us that our pricing is better than any other company they have talked to in the industry.�

On the road to its 10,000-room milestone, Broadband Hospitality also has partnered with companies such as CSM Lodging, Saint Paul, Minn.; DeBartolo Property Group, Tampa, Fla., SJB Management Inc., Athens, Ohio; Arlington Hospitality Inc., Arlington Heights, Ill.; Leisure Hotels LLC, Hutchinson, Kan.; Group 10 Hotels, Novi, Mich.; P & G Hospitality, Cleveland; and Alliance Hospitality, Lewis Center, Ohio.

To help continue its rapid growth pace, Broadband Hospitality plans to hire four additional sales representatives in the next few months. The company is seeking candidates for positions in Detroit, Cincinnati, Tennessee and the Virginia/Carolinas region.

Visit with a Broadband Hospitality representative at booth 127 at HITEC. The event will be held June 24-26, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

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 is currently testing all available wireless technologies to determine how best to provide wireless HSIA in hotel lobbies and conference centers. Areas where guests can use such service are called "hot spots."

Broadband Hospitality offers a wide range of voice solutions, including local service. The company also is an authorized Mitel dealer that installs and services hotel phone systems. Because of its strategic partnerships with companies such as AT&T, Qwest Mitel and Tut Systems, Broadband Hospitality can offer its customers the best possible telecommunications and network solutions at the best possible price.

Broadband Hospitality is the preferred HSIA vendor of the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Assn. At its convention earlier this month, the OH&LA presented Broadband Hospitality with its Stars of the Industry Allied Member of the Year award. The company meets the brand standards for HSIA for Hilton Garden Inn hotels and most standards set by leading franchisors. For more information about Broadband Hospitality, go to www.broadbandhospitality.com or call Vince Lucci, president, at (330) 629-8848.