 January
30, 2008 - The Embassy Suites San Francisco Hotel Airport-Burlingame has
a lot of great things going for it. A first-quarter 2007 renovation
updated all its suites and added wireless Internet access throughout the
hotel, and the property opened the doors on a new business center and fitness
facility. Located less than two miles from San Francisco International
Airport, this FelCor Lodging Trust, Inc. asset, provides guests with 24
hour shuttle service and birds-eye views of takeoffs and landings from
its bay-front location. All these perks added up to a banner year
for the property, enabling it to lead the company in occupancy during multiple
months in 2007. The Embassy Suites Hotel Burlingame finished the year at
87percent earning it kudos as one of the busiest properties in the system.
According to Assistant General Manager Adam Patenaude,
its 340 suites make the Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport-Burlingame
one of the largest properties in the chain. “We are an extremely
successful, high volume airport hotel that does a mix of leisure and business
travelers in a market where we compete with brands like Westin, Marriott,
and Sheraton,” he said. “With corporate giants like Oracle, Google,
and Apple based in nearby Silicon Valley, we host a lot of tech savvy travelers
who expect leading edge services.”
Helping Fliers De-stress
Regardless of whether guests arrive for business
or pleasure, Patenaude says a primary focus of his property’s service mix
is on making sure airline travelers leave stress behind. As one of
the most crowded years in air travel history, 2007 gave passengers a lot
to be stressed about. “Providing an extra level of service, including
updated airline flight
information, is just one reason why we made the decision to install
Flyte System’s FlyteBoard,” Patenaude said.
FlyteBoard,
developed by Flyte Systems,
is a wall, floor or ceiling mounted high-definition, flat panel screen
that provides guests with ‘glance and go’ convenience for confident travel
planning. What sets Flyte Systems’ applications apart from other
PC-based systems is the ability to display accurate, real-time airline
flight arrival and
departure information, not FAA-regulated scheduled departure times
that do not list delays caused by
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Air Traffic Control,
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Aircraft maintenance,
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Crew availability,
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Weather.
Accessibility Attracts Attention
Mounted near the hotel’s two front elevators,
the FlyteBoards attract a lot of attention from airport-bound guests.
“Before we installed them, guests had to either pull out their laptops
and log on to the airline’s web sites, or get on a phone to check their
flight status. Now, they simply take the elevator down to the lobby
and glance at FlyteBoard to verify if their flight is on time or delayed,”
Patenaude said.
Flyte Systems also offers other products that
serve the traveling public: FlyteTouch, FlytePass and FlyteChannel.
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FlyteTouch enables individual guests to search flight
information via touch screens that display real-time flight arrivals and
departures for one or more airports.
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FlytePass uses FlyteTouch technology and adds free,
secure boarding pass printing, packaged in an all-wood kiosk.
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FlyteChannel permits guests to view live airport
arrival/departure screens via their in-room TV.
“FlyteBoard is a great benefit for our guests.
People who use air travel are generally on tight timetables, so whatever
we can do to help expedite their schedules the better,” Patenaude said.
“The feedback thus far has been great. Guests are constantly looking
at the boards throughout the day. My staff can also get a feel for air
traffic by monitoring the major airport hubs on the Boards, which allows
us to adjust our business and customer service objectives in real time.
I’d have to say that the decision to install them was a no brainer.”
About Flyte Systems
 The
Flyte Systems Division of Industrial
Television Services (ITS), based in Chicago, Illinois, is the leading provider
of airport flight information displays for the hospitality and convention
center industries and related businesses. It delivers accurate, instant,
airport-centric updates of flight information – not FAA-regulated scheduled
departure times that may omit last minute changes. Properties are
able to differentiate their products and boost customer loyalty and repeat
business with ’glance-and-go’ content critical to a traveler’s day.
Flyte Systems’ product suite builds upon ITS’ 47-year history as the leading
provider of live flight information to airports, airlines, government agencies,
port authorities and other travel-based businesses. Flyte Systems
was formed in 2007 to offer new Web-based travel technology and product
lines. Customers include Marriott, Days Inn, Hilton, DoubleTree,
Hotel Sofitel, and Crown Plaza hotels, independent properties, conference
centers, car rental agencies and municipal aiports.
About Embassy Suites San Francisco Airport
South
The newly-renovated Embassy Suites San Francisco
Airport, South San Francisco is located a mile and a half from the San
Francisco International Airport (SFO). If you are traveling to San Francisco
for business or pleasure, and are looking for a hotel near San Francisco
International Airport, you've found the right one. Guests of the Embassy
Suites San Francisco Airport, South, stay in newly refurbished and spacious
two-room suites, receiving complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and
a nightly manager's reception. The Concierge can happily assist guests
with San Francisco vacation rentals and San Francisco vacation packages.
High-speed wireless internet is available throughout the entire hotel and
complimentary 24-hour transportation to and from the San Francisco International
Airport and within a three-mile radius of the hotel is available. The hotel
is located right off of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and less than
nine miles south of Downtown San Francisco as well. |