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SUNNYVALE, CALIF. � APRIL 3, 2008 � Add the Crystal Gateway Marriott and the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables to the rapidly growing list of top-flight business properties reaping the benefits�both in terms of guest satisfaction and reduced labor costs�of making available to guests the Automated Business Center by Vertical Systems Inc. (VSi). Sunnyvale-based VSi is a global leader in guest-services technology and solutions aimed at serving the growing needs of business travelers and mobile users. VSi�s Automated Business Centers, with more than 1,000 installations around the world, feature high-speed Internet connection, Microsoft Office software, and top-quality equipment�including desktop PC and high-performance color printer, fax machine and copier�from the most reliable manufacturers in the industry, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, and Ricoh, to name a few. The Automated Business Center from VSi also offers secure access for guests who prefer to use their laptop computer. The Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Va., a 697-room business/convention property across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, a 242-room business hotel in the trendy Miami-area enclave of Coral Gables, are two of the most recent hotels to add a VSi Automated Business Center. The Crystal Gateway Marriott had its Automated Business Center installed in December, replacing its staffed business center. According to Derwin Swann, the property�s Director of Events Management, the old business center operated between the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.�making it inaccessible to guests who needed to use it before or after those hours. �Our guests were looking for a casual work solution that would be available at their convenience, and they told us that,� Swann said. �There�s definitely enough traffic in our hotel to justify a business center that�s open during hours when we were formerly closed. Since we�ve had the VSi Automated Business Center, we�ve had repeat guests who�ve told us they love the fact that they can now use the business center 24/7.� The Hyatt Regency Coral Gables also unveiled its VSi Automated Business Center in December, as a significant upgrade to what Director of Rooms Adam Zilber called an �informal� area in which guests could access computers�but which wasn�t a true business center. �The VSi Automated Business Center makes sense for our hotel because it�s self-sufficient,� Zilber said. �Our property is too small to dedicate a staff member to man a business center, but with the VSi Automated Business Center, VSi handles all customer problems should any occur. The location of the business center near the front desk gives front-desk staff an opportunity to help guests�and that�s a plus�or the guest can pick up the direct, no-dial help-line to a VSi tech-support desk. �The computer and all the equipment are top-of-the-line, technical support from VSi has been outstanding, and even the installation process was impressive�in our case, VSi�s Vice President of Engineering, Idris Kothari, did the installation himself,� Zilber added. �The bottom line for us is that guest feedback has been fantastic�guests tell us they�re very happy with the VSi Automated Business Center�s convenience and functionality.� There are other, literal bottom-line benefits as well, said the Crystal Gateway Marriott�s Swann. �The VSi Automated Business Center eliminated labor costs completely, compared with our former, staffed business center,� he said. �Our property is saving about $3,600 a month, and since the start-up costs for implementation weren�t all that aggressive, we should show return-on-investment within six months.� Among the benefits and features the VSi Automated Business Center offers are:
In addition to being an approved vendor for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, VSi also holds that distinction with Hilton Hotels Corp. VSi�s Automated Business Centers also are found in Marriott properties, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts (Starwood), Holiday Inns and Crowne Plaza Hotels (InterContinental Hotel Group), Best Western Hotels, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Fairmont Hotels, Accor Hotels and many independent properties. For more information on the VSi Automated Business Center and other VSi products and services, visit the VSi Web site at www.ver-sys.com. About the Crystal Gateway Marriott Conveniently located in Arlington, Va., across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., the Crystal Gateway Marriott offers exceptional accommodations, luxurious amenities and top-quality service to both business and leisure travelers. Surrounded by Arlington`s best shopping and dining at the Crystal City shops and the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, the 697-room hotel is ideal for conferences, meetings and other events, with 33,000 square feet of meeting space, 25 meeting rooms, a 4,902 square-foot amphitheater and the 16,000 square-foot Arlington Ballroom. This comfortable and inviting Arlington hotel is also conveniently located near Reagan National Airport. For more information on the Crystal Gateway Marriott, visit www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-rooms/wasgw-crystal-gateway-marriott. About the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables The Hyatt Regency Coral Gables is an elegant Mediterranean-style hotel located within walking distance of the shopping, dining and day spas along Coral Gables� famed Miracle Mile. Convenient to Miami Beach and other local attractions, the 242-room property features 13,400 square feet of function space, 2,732 square feet of pre-function space and 2,732 square feet of exhibition space. Its elegant Hall of Ambassadors accommodates as many as 400 guests theater-style. For more information on the Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, visit www.coralgables.hyatt.com. About Vertical Systems Inc. (VSi) 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, self-service 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, Automated Business Centers operators can provide reliable, virus-free, state-of-the-art computer systems to customers with zero maintenance. |
Barb Worcester
Shaukat Anjarwala
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