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Installation at the Historic Willard InterContinental Hotel |
Internet Access throughout 341-room property - BWI CORRIDOR, MD (February 2, 2004) � Bartech Systems International, the world�s leading provider of automated minibars, announced today that it has installed the world�s first wireless minibar network at the world famous Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C. Bartech�s e-fridges wireless system avoids the cost and disruption of hard wiring the hotel while providing a wireless infrastructure for future service applications. The Bartech�s e-fridge wireless network connects
all of the Willard�s 341 rooms on 12 floors. Each e-fridge minibar
is given an IP address, which allows it to communicate with Bartech�s central
unit through wireless access points. The result is continuous real-time
information exchange between the Bartech refreshment center and the Willard�s
guestroom accounting software or Property Management System (PMS).
The Willard had been using traditional honor minibars that required the guest or minibar attendants to record product usage. The manual system resulted in lost revenues due to human error and missed charges. By moving to an automated system, the Willard expects to increase refreshment revenues by capturing all transactions and reducing spoilage through Bartech�s expiration date control feature. �The Willard is a hospitality leader that is able to maintain its rich, classic style while introducing the latest technology capabilities to serve its guests,� commented Daniel Cohen, president of Bartech Systems International. �It is natural that the Willard be the first hotel to implement this first-to-market technology that helps preserve the ambiance of the property while providing an infrastructure for additional wireless applications.� Once a hotel has installed a wireless system, it will be able to capitalize on this infrastructure and offer high-speed wireless Internet access in each room as well as other wireless guest services such as housekeeping and in-room energy controls. Installing a wireless system provides a cost savings for hotels that already have a wireless system in place by reducing installation and networking costs. About the Willard Intercontinental Hotel The historic Willard Intercontinental Hotel is the "Grande Dame" of American hotels. It�s a Washington institution that has hosted almost every U.S. president since Zachary Taylor in 1850. It was here that Julia Ward Howe wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", where Abraham Lincoln lived for a month, where, in the grand lobby, President Ulysses S. Grant coined the term "Lobbyist", and where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King finished his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. From its inception to this day, the Willard has been a major force in the social and political life of Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.washington.interconti.com or contact Barbara Bahny at 202.637.7309 or [email protected] . About Bartech
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Katrina Pruitt-Andrews KPA Marketing & PR 301.604.7377 [email protected] |
Also See: | Bartech Completes Multi-million Dollar Installation of Automated Mini-Bars in World's Largest Five Diamond Casino Hotel / Jan 2002 |