Hotel Online  Special Report
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VSi Adds Hyatt Hotels & Resorts to its
Airline Boarding Pass Printing Service
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BoardEZ� solution also enables guests to make changes to their flight
schedules, book new flights and make future hotel reservations
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SUNNYVALE, CALIF.� OCTOBER 2, 2006 � Vertical Systems Inc., a leading hospitality provider of guest-service technologies, announces an exciting partnership with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts that enables guests at all  Hyatt hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean to enjoy free airline boarding pass printing in the hotel lobby within 24 hours of departure. Using VSi�s BoardEZ� kiosks, Hyatt�s �Fast Board�� service is part of a new corporate initiative launched earlier this year to reduce hassles for travelers and increase productivity on the road.

VSi is well known throughout the hospitality industry for its business centers, Internet kiosks, lobby PCs, digital messaging display systems, and in-room PC solutions. The new BoardEZ� airline boarding pass printing system features FreshStart� software that ensures all user information and usage history is permanently erased, thereby ensuring the guest absolute information security and privacy.

�Using VSi�s boarding pass tool allows our guests to better prepare for their travels, and we are delighted to be making that possible,� said Rusty Middleton, director of rooms for Hyatt Hotels Corp. �The Fast Board� service helps put our guests� minds at ease by keeping flight information at their fingertips and saving them considerable time at the airport. In addition, it helps efficiency at our front desk, concierge stations and business centers.�

Feedback from Hyatt properties confirms that harried travelers are flocking to the Fast Board� kiosks. In fact, Michelle Feist, MIS manager at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, said she had to add a second terminal due to guest demand.

�Fast Board� is so popular with our guests that we now have a countertop unit on either side of the front desk to shorten the lines for boarding pass printing,� Feist said. �As a hotel that caters to both conventioneers and leisure guests attracted to our stunning waterfront setting, Fast Board� has reduced the lines in our business center and removed frustration tied to airline travel.�

This month, the Manchester Grand Hyatt will be adding tracking software from VSi to monitor Fast Board� usage and ultimately determine if additional units are needed.

Richard Walter, director of rooms at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis, agreed, saying Fast Board� is a huge added value to the hotel and a great convenience to guests. 

�Fast Board� has been so successful at the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis that we already had to switch from a countertop system to a free-standing kiosk to redirect traffic away from the front desk,� Walter said. �Our guests are typically computer savvy, and the new guest service initiatives put in place by Hyatt corporate have really helped to set us apart from our competition. From Fast Board�, to E-Concierge (which allows guests to plan their itinerary weeks in advance of their stay), to Web Check-in (which allows guests to check in at Hyatt.com from their home or office, guaranteeing their room of choice will be available upon arrival) and the Hyatt Express Check-in Kiosk, our guests have never been happier.�

Providing immediate service, satisfaction

VSi CEO Saeed Kazmi said the success of the BoardEZ� system stems from the fact that today�s business and leisure travelers lack two things � time and patience. 

�There is a heightened need at hotels for a convenient information center that addresses the immediate or last-minute needs of the busy traveler,� Kazmi said. �BoardEZ� is that solution. It enables guests to print airline boarding pass instantly and access relevant travel information, including retrieving flight departure and gate information, making changes to their flight schedules, booking new flights,  and making future hotel reservations.� 

Optional features, such as the ability to display destination weather information, local restaurant guides, and maps and directions from one convenient location, are available. Hotels can either charge their guests for this service or provide it as a free amenity, he said.

�VSi�s customized graphical user interface enables guests to conveniently navigate through various features and access and print desired information instantly,� Kazmi said. �Using remote management tools, VSi continuously monitors and updates each system in the field. Using a toll-free phone line, we provide comprehensive 24/7 customer support.�

Hotels looking to add BoardEZ� to their guest-service programs should call Vertical Systems Inc. today at (866) 874-9222 or visit www.ver-sys.com. Flexible, financial models are available that require no out-of-pocket expense. 

About Vertical Systems Inc.

Vertical Systems, Inc. (VSi) is the worldwide leader in providing guest services technology and solutions to the hospitality industry. Its products, which are aimed at serving the growing needs of business travelers and mobile users, include automated business centers, Wi-Fi hotspots, kiosks and in-room technology. VSi's products are sold through channel partners that include major hotel chains, broadband and wireless service providers, audio-visual service providers and large system integrators. For more information, please visit our website at www.ver-sys.com . VSi contact: [email protected] . VSi is a privately held corporation based in Sunnyvale, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company's revolutionary software and system architecture uses FreshStart� (proprietary technology developed at VSi) to create computers ideal for multiple users and remote situations. VSi solutions are backed up by 24/7 tech support. 

About Global Hyatt Corp. 

There are 216 Hyatt branded hotels and resorts (over 90,000 rooms) in 44 countries around the world, operating under the Hyatt(R), Hyatt Regency(R), Grand Hyatt(R) and Park Hyatt(R) brands. Currently, there are an additional 30 Hyatt hotels and resorts under development, including 11 new hotels in China. Hyatt Corporation (domestic U.S., Canada and Caribbean hotels) and Hyatt International Corporation (international properties) are subsidiaries of Chicago-based Global Hyatt Corporation. Global Hyatt Corporation is also the owner of Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Inc. operators of the Hyatt Vacation Club (timeshare and fractional residential product), Hyatt Equities, L.L.C. (hotel ownership), Select Hotel Group L.L.C. (which owns, operates and franchises AmeriSuites hotels, Hyatt Place and Summerfield Suites hotels) and U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc. (which franchises Hawthorn Suites, and Microtel Inns and Suites). 

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Contact:

Barb Worcester
President/Principal
PRPRO
Tel: (440) 930-5770
[email protected]

Shaukat  Anjarwala
Marketing Manager
Vertical Systems Inc.
155-P Moffett Park Drive
Sunnyvale , CA 94089
Tel: (408) 752-8100 x106
[email protected]
web: www.ver-sys.com

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