Old Lyme, CT/Las Vegas, NV � April 19, 2001� INNCOM International, Inc., a global leader in hotel guest-room control systems, and eRoomSystem Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERMS), a leading provider of in-room technologies for the lodging industry, today announced an exclusive OEM agreement in which INNCOM International will private-label its e4 Smart Digital Thermostat on behalf of eRoomSystem Technologies.

Under the agreement, Old Lyme-based INNCOM will manufacture and private label the e4 Smart Digital Thermostat under the eRoomEnergy brand name.  eRoomSystem Technologies will complete the installation and facilitate all ongoing maintenance and system enhancements.

�We conducted an exhaustive search in the energy-management arena to determine if we should develop an energy-management product line in house or purchase an existing offering,� said Gregory Hrncir, vice president of business development for eRoomSystem Technologies. �During our research and subsequent supplier selection process, it became clear to us that INNCOM has designed the most flexible, dynamic system on the market. Just as important, INNCOM shares our vision of providing a leading-edge technology platform to support multiple peripherals driving guestroom and hospitality energy management.�

�We are pleased and enthusiastic about the partnering relationship with eRoomSystem Technologies,� said Duane Buckingham, INNCOM president and chief executive officer. �INNCOM has been interested in developing business partnerships for some time. This agreement is an ideal example of how prospective competitors can collaborate in a manner that serves the two companies� best interests and provides an enhanced range of solutions to hotels. �
 

FUTURE IS NOW, CONSULTANT SAYS

�The question of �what is the future of guestroom communications� is one that has been asked again and again over the years,� said Rick Stanfield, president of Nashville-based Stanfield Hospitality Consultants. �The answer has been obvious for a decade and a half or more�a centralized, high-speed communication system between guestrooms and the rest of the hotel and the outside world.�

Once an affordable backbone communications system is in place to and from the guestroom, Stanfield said dozens of improved services for the guest, as well as significant revenue enhancements and cost-control efficiencies for the hotel will flow naturally. However, few suppliers and their hotel clients have accomplished this goal, he said.

�INNCOM International is one company, now entering its 15th year, that has steadfastly been moving in the right direction,� Stanfield said. �I have worked with INNCOM and Duane Buckingham on several projects over the years, including putting on-line, from concept to installation, a 2,900 room centralized locking/energy-management system. This project was brought to fruition in 1996 by the vision, hard work and creativity that INNCOM brought to it.  

�The centralized energy-management system that INNCOM has today is a result of years of experience,� he said. �It is most refreshing to see that INNCOM has taken the lead in carrying out communication processes well beyond energy management.

�Not only have these two critical industry suppliers been on the forefront of deploying in-room technology solutions, now they are helping to pioneer strategic partnerships that will benefit hotels and guests for years to come,� Stanfield said.

INNCOM International is the global leader in hotel guest-room control systems. Since 1986 it has pioneered the development of systems that integrate energy management and electronic lock control, as well as the control of lighting, TV, drapes and other guest-room appliances. Many of those systems are based on the company�s patented infrared technology. Elsewhere in the hotel, INNCOM links other operating systems, such as PBX, PMS and POS, to management and support staff and the outside world. The result is a cohesive, easy-to-use system that contributes to overall operating efficiency and superior guest experiences. 

eRoomSystem Technologies is a full service in-room technological provider for the lodging and travel industry. The company�s intelligent in-room computer platform and communications network supports eRoomSystem's line of fully-automated and interactive eRoomServ Refreshment Centers, eRoomSafes and eRoomEnergy products and other future applications. Such applications will include information management services, credit card/smart card capabilities for direct billing, network access solutions, remote engineering and maintenance services, and in-room cash advances. eRoomSystem's products are installed in major hotel chains both domestically and internationally. eRoomSystem is a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market as ERMS.