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New Initiatives, Expanded Portfolio . Market Leader in Wireless Solutions for the Hospitality Industry Looks to Explosive Growth in 2006 |
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Atlanta, GA � January
31, 2006 � StayOnline, the nation�s market leader in premier High Speed
Internet Solutions (HSIS) for the hospitality sector, has started
2006 in an aggressive growth mode with new partnerships, new customer offerings,
products and marketing tools both for customers and for the company itself,
as well as major new contracts under its belt.
In addition, StayOnline is growing by adding more than 30% to its staff, primarily in the areas of Customer Service and Engineering. Known since its inception in 1999 for the value it places on customer service, StayOnline expanded its Customer Service program, which the company views as its highest of priority, and has been called the best in the business by many hoteliers who offer StayOnline�s managed network solutions. �Our customers are telling us that StayOnline provides best-in-class 24/7 Help Desk services, but we will never rest on these laurels,� said Antonio DiMilia, President and Chief Executive Officer of StayOnline. �To that end, we are in the process of doubling the size of our Tier One staff and facility and are adding additional support at Tiers Two and Three as well. We find that most calls to our Help Desk are resolved on the first call due to deepened network visibility, ease of portal navigation, and the quality of our Help Desk personnel.� �StayOnline�s dedication to providing world-class service aligns with our relentless focus on customer service,� said Paul Dietzler, Executive Vice President of Asset Management for Omni Hotels. �The 24/7 Help Desk is just one way in which StayOnline sets the gold standard in excellence.� The two companies recently inked a deal for StayOnline to provide its managed network solutions to Omni�s luxury hotels and resorts located throughout North America. In terms of StayOnline�s new customer offerings for 2006, first out of the starting block is GuestPass DirectorSM, the company�s proprietary new bandwidth shaping tool for its hotel, resort, meeting facilities and vacation property customers. GuestPass DirectorSM offers each individual property immediate information and control over the use and distribution of their internal bandwidth. �GuestPass DirectorSM allows our customer hotels 100% visibility into packet traffic over their entire network,� said Mike Henderson, Vice President of Marketing for StayOnline. �This enables them to allocate bandwidth for both guest and back-office functions, as well as to limit bandwidth usage when needed.� According to DiMilia, the company will also be rolling out a new customer reporting system (dashboard) enabling customers to easily manage utilization, guest and network issue resolution, and guest billing. �The StayOnline Customer Reporting System offers a suite of reports to the hotel, giving comprehensive visibility into the usage, support and status of their system,� he said. �It is unique in its breadth and depth of reporting capabilities and sets a new industry standard.� Also new for 2006 are strategic partnerships with both Merlot Communications, Inc. and Tharaldson Communications, Inc. StayOnline will now offer the Merlot wired solution as a complement to their wireless installations. Merlot�s unique Lapjack solution removes the number one issue in wired solutions, that being the removal or failure of the in-room CPE (modem). Tharaldson is offering its new and future customers a rich package of both telecom and Wi-Fi managed network solutions, thanks to its new venture with StayOnline. And, says Henderson, StayOnline�s web site will get a facelift early in 2006, as well. �Our new web site look will reflect our growth and position in the industry,� he said. �As many of the smaller, less service-oriented HSIA providers have fallen out of favor with customers and/or shut down altogether, our dominance in the hospitality sector continues to increase. Now at more than 117,000 rooms, across 32 brands in North America, we have the largest wireless footprint in the full service market. Our website and image will reflect that.� �As wireless usage continues to grow, month over month, there is a growing concern among hoteliers and property owners about the level of Customer Service provided to the guest,� said DiMilia. �StayOnline continues to focus on keeping both the hotelier and the guest as number one and our service standards and new offerings truly reflect that. We are very pleased that 2006 is starting off for us with so much good news.� About StayOnline®
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Karin Koser
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