NetPort Hospitality Systems will provide Mirvac hotel guests with NetPort-Connect�, a high-speed, convenient and easy-to-use connection to the Internet, and other NetPort-Office� technologies in the comfort of their own hotel room. The services will also include the NetPort-Boardroom� product, a suite of services for hotel conference centres, meeting rooms and business centres.

NetPort-Connect� is accessible 24 hours a day for a low per minute rate, up to a cap of only AUD$20.00 for unlimited access within a 24-hour period.

Quay West Suites, Auckland, a member of the Mirvac Group, is set to become the first international hotel to go online with NetPort?. Three Mirvac hotels in Australia have trialed NetPort?, with installation completed earlier this year in the Chatsworth Plaza Suites in Chatswood, the Chateau Hotel in Potts Point and Quay West Suites in Brisbane.
 
�As increasing numbers of business people travel with a mobile office, in the form of laptop computers and mobile telephones, and with many all-suite hotels providing guests with additional in-room workspace, it was a logical step for Mirvac to meet our customer�s business communication needs by providing the convenience of 24-hour cost-effective in-room Internet access and associated office facilities,� said Andrew Turner, CEO of Mirvac Hotels.

�Mirvac Hotels are positioned to cater to the business traveller markets with a high proportion of our properties based in city centre locations and all offering business facilities such as conference rooms and business lounges.�

�The rapid acceptance and high access levels for our first NetPort? installations confirmed our decision to extend the service across all properties in the chain.  Our partnership with NetPort Hospitality Systems to upgrade our business communications facilities will not only meet current market needs,  but will also expand the capacity of our hotels to meet changing technology and guest requirements into the future.  In installing NetPort? across the chain, Mirvac continues to set the standard for business and conference accommodation and facilities across Australasia.�

NetPort Hospitality Systems President and CEO, Terence Nickolls said: �The Mirvac partnership is a significant contract for NetPort Hospitality Systems and was won against fierce competition from overseas Internet technology companies.�

�Not only is the partnership significant in terms of number of properties but also as a recognition of the bottom-line value of NetPort to hotels, as a differentiator in the business marketplace, as a revenue stream and as a cost-effective means of upgrading hotel technology infrastructure. Our investments in research, development and technology are already paying off for our customers.�

According to NetPort Hospitality Systems Pty Ltd General Manager, Ron Ross, addressing  the opportunity from a hotel�s perspective, not a technology perspective, was a key factor in winning the contract.

�The Mirvac contract demonstrates NetPort�s commitment to developing sustainable partnerships with hotel and hospitality groups through marketing and technical support, such as the co-branded point of sale materials that will be used to promote the service in Mirvac hotel rooms, and Customer Services 24-hour support line.�

NetPort-Connect  has been designed so that business travellers and conference attendees can simply plug in their laptop, double-click on the NetPort icon and start working, without having to change the laptop�s settings or install additional communication software or network hardware. In addition to Internet and e-mail access, NetPort? is linked into the hotel�s communications infrastructure, allowing guests to use NetPort?�s �office� facilities such as printing, faxing and voicemail. 

The first phase of the installation rollout to the Mirvac Hotels will include The Sebel Suites, St Kilda Road; Hyde Park Plaza Suites, Sydney; Quay West Suites, Auckland; and The Sebel, Sydney. The second stage of installation will bring Quay West Suites, Sydney, Sydney Marriott, Quay Grand Suites, Sydney and The Como of Melbourne online.  The rollout is expected to be completed by the end of 1999, in readiness for the huge influx of national and international business guests expected to visit Australia and New Zealand during the Millennium celebrations and the Olympics.

About Mirvac Hotels
Over 25 years, the Mirvac Group has established a leading reputation for quality and innovation in property development. Mirvac is now earning a new reputation for excellence as the name behind some of Australia and New Zealand�s leading hotels, managing over 2,500 rooms in the region. Mirvac Hotels� portfolio of four and five-star properties offers a wide choice of accommodation to suit the requirements of every traveller. For further information, visit Mirvac Hotels on the Internet at www.mirvachotels.com.au

About NetPort Hospitality Systems
NetPort Hospitality Systems is an Australian based company that partners with the hospitality industry to provide Internet access, value added business services and emerging communication technologies to business travellers. NetPort�s communications infrastructure spans all areas in a hotel where Internet access may be required, including guestrooms, conference centres and business lounges. Further information can be found on the Internet at www.netporths.com