UPLAND, CALIF.�May 7, 2003�The word �miser� has taken on a new, positive connotation amongst today�s increasingly budget-conscious hotel owners now that Green Suites International has unveiled the VendingMiserTM solution proven to save properties $150 to $200 per vending machine per year at a one-time cost of $90 to $180 depending on available utility rebates.

�There are more than 3.5 million vending machines operating today in the U.S., and more than 10 percent of them are needlessly sucking energy and money from hotel owners� pockets as they read this,� Chuck Philipp, VP of Sales & Marketing for Denver-based Bayview Technology Group L.L.C., the product�s manufacturer. �The VendingMiserTM, which provides a payback in less than 15 months, on average, conservatively saves the user $1,500 over the 10-year lifespan of the system.� 

Bayview Technology recently selected Upland-based Green Suites International, hospitality�s leading provider of profitable solutions with environmental benefits, as a marketing agent for the VendingMiser in hospitality. More than 60,000 VendingMiser units are installed, primarily in corporations, schools, universities and retail chains. To date, Bayview Technology has captured less than 1-percent market penetration in lodging due primarily to a prior focus on other vertical markets � but that is changing quickly with the recent positive testing of the VendingMiser in select lodging locations and the new marketing agreement with Green Suites International.

�Many of our hotel clients are realizing energy savings beyond even 50 percent simply due to the fact that their vending machines often are located in separate rooms, making our occupancy sensor-based solution that much more effective,� Philipp said. �The VendingMiser also helps hotels improve vending sales and deter theft.�

Dan Bornholdt, President & Founder of Green Suites International, said the VendingMiser maintains vending machine temperature and guest satisfaction with regard to cooling refreshments.

�Guests repeatedly tell our hotel clients that the only difference they see is that as they walk close to a VendingMiser-equipped machine, they are attracted to the refreshments and snacks even more so because the machine goes into full power up and the spotlight is literally turned on the products that the hotels want to sell just at the right moment: the point of sale,� Bornholdt said. 

Ray Burger, Green Suites International�s VP Sales and Marketing, estimated that more than 15,000 U.S. lodging properties are located in states with rebates that could trim the payback on the VendingMiserTM from 15 months to just six to eight months. Bayview Technology actively works with utilities and new rebates come out quarterly. 

�With current rebates ranging from $50 to $90 per unit, it�s very possible that hotels could reap an ROI of 15 times their upfront cost over the lifespan of the VendingMiserTM,� Burger said. �The key to capturing these limited-time rebates is to call us today toll free at 888-590-2285.

�Every management company has a fiscal responsibility to at least closely consider deploying the VendingMiserTM at all managed properties to save considerable monies,� he said. �Every hotel with multiple vending machines and every multi-property operator that has taken this approach in the past quickly has replicated VendingMiserTM retrofits throughout their systems � and that was before several states offered rebates of up to 50 percent for the solution.� 

The VendingMiserTM (U.S. Patent No. 6,243,626) represents a technological breakthrough in intelligent and economical control of vending machines, which significantly reduces energy consumption without compromising the vended product. Utilizing a custom passive infrared sensor, the VendingMiserTM powers down a vending machine when the area surrounding it is unoccupied and automatically repowers the vending machine when the area is reoccupied. The VendingMiser�s intelligent controller uses fuzzy logic to learn from the habits of the building occupants, and modifies the time-out period accordingly.

An optional Sensor Repeater allows the control of a bank of vending machines with a single sensor, minimizing installation time and visual impact. Additionally, the VendingMiserTM monitors the ambient temperature while the vending machine is powered down. Using this information, VendingMiserTM automatically powers up the vending machine at appropriate intervals, independent of occupancy, to ensure that the vended product stays cold.

The VendingMiserTM also monitors electrical current used by the vending machine. This ensures that VendingMiserTM will never power down a vending machine while the compressor is running, so a high head pressure start never occurs. In addition, the current sensor also ensures that every time the vending machine is powered up, the cooling cycle is run to completion before again powering down the vending machine. This unique process also ensures a cold vended product. Both Coke and Pepsi have tested the VendingMiser and have accepted it for use on their vending machines. 

The VendingMiserTM will also reduce the maintenance costs and extend the life of the vending machine by significantly reducing the number of compressor cycles that are run. The patented VendingMiser�s unique approach to power management makes it the most-advanced vending machine energy saver available.

Just as important to hotels as the savings, the VendingMiserTM is as easy to install as it is to afford, Bornholdt said.
 

�The VendingMiserTM can be installed in 5 minutes or less � and with no tools! This is something that even I could install,� Bornholdt said. �All kidding aside, we�re talking HUGE dollars saved via the VendingMiserTM. Take our �Pepsi Challenge� with a twist: Outfit just one of your vending machines with the VendingMiserTM and start plugging into savings today.�

Based in Upland, Calif., Green Suites International is lodging�s leading provider of profitable solutions with environmental benefits. Thousands of hotels in every state and more than two dozen countries use Green Suites International�s natural bathroom amenities delivered from elegant dispensers, non-toxic cleaners, air and water filtration systems, and energy and water efficient products and programs. For more information on the VendingMiserTM and other Green Suites International money-saving solutions, please visit Booth #143 at Choice Hotels International�s annual meeting at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando; contact Ray Burger, VP Sales & Marketing, at 888-590-2285, e-mail r[email protected]; or visit www.greensuites.com.