Hotel Online  Special Report

.

Pegasus Scottsdale Data Center Becomes Hosting
Facility for MSI�s Web-based Solutions 
Leading property-management solutions provider is first in the industry to use the newly-opened 14,000 square-foot facility; Data Center will provide reliable back-up, high-speed Internet connectivity and diagnostics to support MSI�s new Web booking engine, ASP-based PMS and Corporate Services solution
PHOENIX � JUNE 14, 2006 � A significant force in the hospitality technology, marketing and services arenas, Multi-Systems Inc. (MSI) has recently expanded its property-management system series to include an ASP-based PMS (EnterprisePM) and a Web booking engine for WinPM. As a result, the Pegasus Scottsdale Data Center (SDC) in Arizona will serve as the hosting facility for these solutions and their supporting databases. Eventually the company�s ASP-based Corporate Services solution also will be hosted by the Pegasus SDC. 

The 14,000 square-foot facility provides MSI with a multi-level, access-controlled environment, complete with state-of-the-art environmental controls, pre-cabled network infrastructure, sophisticated data security, fire detection and prevention, and hands-on troubleshooting 24/7/365. MSI is the first hospitality company to use the Pegasus Solutions Inc. facility as a host for its data repository. 

�We are continually growing our relationship with Pegasus Solutions�this time by partnering to protect the industry�s most advanced, secure and reliable solutions we have developed,� said Rick Munson, MSI President. �Pegasus clearly understands the hospitality technology industry, as well as, the intricacies involved with data security, the importance of data accessibility and the need to provide an environment in which system up-time remains constant. The Pegasus SDC will provide MSI and its customers with a very secure, very robust arena to store data and manage our systems remotely in a true ASP environment.� 

In November, MSI announced a joint development interface between Pegasus� RezView® central-reservation system and MSI�s WinPM property-management system, which has resulted in the most advanced, integrated PMS/CRS solution available.   

Keith Cook, Pegasus product manager, said the company will make its hosting services available to any industry partner.

�When designing the new Pegasus Data Center in Scottsdale (which opened in January 2003) we began with more than 10 years of experience and knowledge in operating a high-availability Data Center,� Cook said. �We built the new Scottsdale Data Center to be even more sophisticated, reliable, scalable, efficient, and secure than our previous facilities, thereby creating a solid foundation on which to continue building and growing Pegasus� service offerings.

�We are pleased that MSI has agreed to become the first to co-locate its ASP services to the Pegasus SDC,� he said. �Together Pegasus and MSI are doing great things.�

Property management off site

Rick Bennett, MSI director of software development, said MSI�s ASP-based EnterprisePM solution is ideal for hotels that lack the capacity to manage systems onsite. 

�Through the Pegasus SDC, we can offer hotels access to a cost-effective, centralized PMS with a robust database to support and securely store all property and guest preference information,� Bennett said. �We anticipate the ASP-based EnterprisePM version will become as quickly coveted by limited-service hotels as our Windows-based WinPM solution is for the full-service segment.�

Because a hotel�s own Web site is its lowest-cost, highest-return distribution channel, Bennett said MSI is also launching for the first time its own Web booking engine at HITEC, June 19-22 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. 

�The challenge has been identifying the best time to introduce a Web booking engine to our hotels,� Bennett said. �MSI will not develop technology just to �keep up with the Joneses.� The release of our Web booking engine was strategically scheduled to meet our customers� eventual demand and financial parameters.�

Adding value, bookings, satisfaction

MSI�s Web booking engine will enable hotels to accept reservation transactions in real-time when interfaced with WinPM. With a proprietary Web booking engine, hotels will give customers the ability to check hotel availability directly through the hotel PMS�not through intermediaries�with just a click. This gives the hotel complete, real-time control of its inventory. It also adds perceived value to the guest because he or she is informed of the hotel�s cancellation policies, and it eliminates the need for the customer to prepay and avoids snags with cancellation or change-date policies. 

�MSI is continually developing new ways to increase value to our customers and their guests,� Munson said. �The Pegasus Scottsdale Data Center will provide us with all the means necessary to keep servicing our customers and developing additional ASP-based applications.�

In the near future, Munson said MSI�s Corporate Services solution also will be stored at the SDC. Corporate Services is a centralized, Web-based reporting facility. As a true ASP, this division meets a hotel�s reporting needs, from providing guest profile information for sales-and-marketing promotions to assigning guest points for loyalty programs to collecting, reviewing and processing travel agent commissions. 

�By managing data in a secure, centralized environment, hotels will be empowered to place more emphasis on marketing, which ultimately strengthens the value of their assets,� he said.

For more information on MSI and its new ASP-based solutions, call Bridget Oliva at 1-800-331-7890 or email [email protected]. For information on the Pegasus Scottsdale Data Center, call Keith Cook at (480) 624-6322 or email [email protected] 
 

Design Highlights and Features 
of the Pegasus Scottsdale Data Center

Layout/Floor Plan
� 14,000 square feet of bolted access floor over an 18� depressed slab. 
� Steel-reinforced concrete �blast wall� to protect the Data Center from external penetrations.
� Sealed ceiling tiles and gasketed lighting fixtures to minimize air exchange above the ceiling thereby reducing cooling and humidification requirements within the Data Center.

Electrical
� 3,000 amp, 480 volt service from Arizona Public Service (APS) for the entire first floor providing plenty of capacity for growth. 
� 1.5 megawatt standby diesel generator with an automatic transfer switch and a 3,000 gallon fuel tank (24 hour fuel supply). 
� Full electrical bypass providing direct power to critical loads in the event of a catastrophic failure of a primary electrical component

Environmental Control
� Redundant roof-mounted cooling towers connected to seven Liebert water cooled air units to reliably control air temperature and humidity within the Data Center.
� Redundant water pumps to provide a continuous supply of cooling water to the Liebert air units in the Data Center.
� 7,500 gallon underground water tank with redundant internal pumps to provide continuous water to the roof-mounted cooling towers in the event of a loss of city water.

Network
� Pre-cabled network infrastructure providing over 2,500 drop points throughout the Data Center with 20 miles of fiber and 60 miles of copper cable. 
� Spare conduit to Roof and Property line to allow for additional provider and �out of site� network connectivity

Security and Access Control
� Closed circuit video monitoring of the interior and exterior of the facility and all doors into the Data Center. All images are stored on a digital recorder for one month.

About MSI
Founded in 1990, MSI (Multi-Systems, Inc.) is a leading supplier of hotel technology and property management systems. MSI empowers the lodging industry, through great people, superior service and innovative technology.  With an installed customer base of close to 3,000 hotels and resorts throughout North America, MSI is one of the largest providers of fully integrated property management, sales, marketing & catering, point of sale, centralized corporate services, and wireless PM systems. MSI specializes in "total system solutions" for management companies and hotel chains by providing central reservation and property system integration. Its customer support team has been recognized as the industry leader and is the key to the success of MSI�s products and services.  For additional information about MSI�s technology solutions, please contact Bridget Oliva at 800-331-7890 or [email protected].  For more information on MSI, visit www.msisolutions.com.

About Pegasus Solutions Inc.
Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions, Inc. is a global leader in providing technology and services to hotels and travel distributors.  Founded in 1989, Pegasus� customers include a majority of the world�s travel agencies and more than 60,000 hotel properties around the globe.  Pegasus� services include central reservation systems, electronic distribution services, commission processing and payment services, and marketing representation services, including the consumer Web site, www.hotelbook.com�.  The company�s representation services, including Utell by Pegasus� and Unirez by Pegasus�, are used by nearly 7,000 member hotels in 130 countries, making Pegasus the hotel industry�s largest third-party marketing and reservations provider. Pegasus has 17 offices in 12 countries, including regional hubs in London, Singapore and Scottsdale, Arizona..  For more information, please visit www.pegs.com.

 

Contact:


Barb Worcester
President/Principal
PRPro
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]
.
Bridget Oliva
VP New Business Development & Marketing
MSI
   Tel:   (602) 870-4200
    Toll Free:  (800) 331-7890
[email protected]

 
Also See: MSI�s NovaPlus Wins Continued Acceptance,  Best Western Two-Way Interface to be Deployed / May 2006
Hospitality International Selects MSI As Preferred PMS Partner / May 2006
Peppertree Inns & Suites Reap the Benefits of MSI Two-way Interface; Best Western member properties maximize room revenue via two-way CRS rate-tiering feature / February 2006
MSI Announces Management Promotions - Sales and service capabilities further enhanced as MSI anticipates a year of unprecedented success / February 2006
MSI�s WinPM to Become the First-Ever �Brand Standard� PMS Platform for Hawthorn Suites Hotels / January 2006
MSI, Pegasus Agree to Develop Interface Between PMS, CRS; Interface will include rate update and client file information that will allow hoteliers to manage rates and customer data from one system / November 2005
Multi-Systems Inc. Purchases PMSs from Pegasus Solutions Inc.; Acquisition brings more than 450 Best Western properties to MSI�s growing portfolio / October 2005
To Improve PMS Interface Consistency, MSI Joins HTNG�s �Distribution Solution Workgroup� / October 2005
AmeriSuites Upgrades to MSI�s WinPM / September 2005
MSI, Best Western Two-Way CRS Interface Installations Building Momentum / August 2005
Levi to Solidify Infrastructure, Customer Integration at MSI; Leor Levi joins Multi-Systems Inc. as Director of Information Technology / August 2005
Ted Warring to Spearhead Ongoing Technical Development at MSI; Promoted to �Chief Scientist,� Warring Will Direct Future Products for MSI / Aug 2005
Marc Voirol to Lead MSI�s Proactive Account Management Team / Aug 2005
MSI�s Longevity, Success Paves Way for Internal Growth, Executive Promotions / May 2005
USFS Selects MSI As Exclusive PMS Provider For Hawthorn Suites Hotels; Extended-stay hotels joining the US Franchise Systems family will be required to install WinPM / May 2005
MSI Is On The Move; Hospitality Technology Provider Plants New Roots to Prepare for Future Growth, Expansion of Products, and Larger Customer Assistance Center / April 2005
Check-in to Check Out - The MSI WinPM Wireless Hand-held Solution / April 2002 


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.