DUNEDIN, FLA � August 9, 2005� Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, the lodging industry�s leading provider of asset management tools such as WinTrack PM, is featured prominently in a new book� Managing the Lodging Operation. The book was written by Robert Christie Mill, Ph.D., and published by Prentice Hall, a division of Upper Saddle River, N.J.-based Pearson Education.

Mintek�s preventive maintenance system, WinTrack PM, which already has been implemented by more than 275 full-service hotels throughout the United States, is described in the book�s chapter on �Improving Productivity Through Employee Scheduling.� 

�We are excited that hotel management students around the country will be learning how WinTrack PM adds efficiencies to maintenance operations while improving productivity,� says Mark Sokol, director of product Marketing for Dunedin, Fla.-based Mintek Mobile Data Solutions. �We are honored that Professor Mill recognized the operational impact of WinTrack PM.� 

Book addresses management priorities

Mill says his book is targeted at students taking courses in hotel management.

�The book focuses on how a manager should spend his or her time,� he says. �One area they should focus on is improving productivity. That is why I included WinTrack PM. It is one example of a system that enables a hotelier to be more productive while improving the profitability of the operation.�
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Robert Christie Mill

�Most preventive maintenance processes are manual,� adds Mill, who also is a professor at the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at the University of Denver. �They are inefficient because they rely on paper. WinTrack PM is different because it incorporates a mobile device and enables users to input and access data quickly.� The book�s chapter describes how WinTrack PM incorporates mobile devices and barcoding to perform preventive maintenance, capture work accurately and provide a quick snapshot of the work assigned to each employee. Using screen captures from WinTrack PM, the author describes how Mintek�s solution provides an efficient way to generate and track work orders. The author explains how each associate can log in to WinTrack PM to get work for the day and view a display list of all maintenance work to be completed.

By selecting a work order, an engineer may review warnings or parts needed for the activity, or simply begin the maintenance. A list of the specific tasks needing to be accomplished to perform the PM is displayed on the handheld. The engineer may request parts, add comments, note the completion of the task, or view prior maintenance records. Information can be sent by an engineer to the work station where the manager can see what work has been completed or what problem areas remain. Through WinTrack PM, the supervisor can generate reports that detail items such as outstanding work orders, time needed to complete a work order, or the productivity of a specific employee. 

Author tackles multiple topics 

In addition to Mills� chapter on �Improving Productivity Through Employee Scheduling,� his book includes sections on �Managing Supply and Demand,� �Improving Employee Performance,� �Managing Customer Service,� and �Managing Quality.� Additional management topics also are included in the 318-page book. 

�We wish Professor Mill much success with his new book and look forward to hearing from the many students who will be learning about WinTrack PM through Managing the Lodging Operation,� Sokol says.

About Mintek Mobile Data Solutions:

Mintek Mobile Data Solutions, based in Dunedin, Fla., provides asset management for the lodging industry beyond the traditional �property.� The Mintek Lodging Asset Management Suite is the lodging industry�s first industry-specific asset management solution. The Suite provides for management oversight, notification and includes the following planning tools: WinTrack Asset Director, PM, Maintenance Portal, Work Order Kiosk and Alerts. By improving the maintenance and capital planning of all of a property�s assets, the Suite results in lower costs and an improved guest experience. Mintek�s solutions have been implemented in 275 hotels. By the end of 2005, Mintek will have licensed its asset solutions to more than 1,000 properties. For more information, call Mark Sokol, director of product marketing, at (727) 734-9175, or go to: www.mintek.com.