Contact:
Vicki Banner/Suzanne LaFrance
KeatingPR
973.376.9300
vicki@keatingpr.com suzanne@keatingpr.com
The
Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino & InnTechnology
SHOWCASE BLUETOOTH HOSPITALITY SERVICES
- IBM, Texas Instruments,
WIDCOMM, Silicon Wave, Pistachio Inc., TROY Group and HP Demonstrate Bluetooth™ Wireless
Services -
Las Vegas, Nevada,
October 10, 2000 -Glendale, CA-based InnTechnology, a leading
provider of technology products and services for the hospitality
industry and the trend-setting Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino,
have teamed up with industry leaders to provide live presentations
of soon-to-be-available wireless guest amenities. Actual hands-on
demonstrations, featuring wireless guest check-in and wireless
printing utilizing Bluetooth™ technology, will
be staged on-site at The Venetian during Fall Comdex 2000,
November 13-17. Members of the press are invited for a demonstration
on Monday, November 13. Please call (973) 376-9300 to reserve
a space.
The Bluetooth (www.bluetooth.com)
specification is a rapidly emerging cable replacement technology
that provides low-cost, short-range (approximately 10 meters)
radio links among mobile devices such as laptop PCs, PDAs, cellular
phones, printers, fax machines and computer networks. The Bluetooth specification
has been endorsed by many of the market leaders in the telecommunications
and computing industries. Consumer products enabled with Bluetooth wireless
technology will begin shipping Q4 2000. According to Cahners
In-Stat Group device shipments of products enabled with Bluetooth are
likely to surpass 1 billion by 2005.
"We are very excited
to participate with InnTechnology in this demonstration of Bluetooth
wireless technology," said Michael D. French, senior vice-president
of operations for The Venetian."We believe that the applications
being demonstrated here are representative of the actual services
that The Venetian may consider offering to its guests in the
near future. The leadership that InnTechnology has shown in conceiving
these applications enables a hotel such as The Venetian to bring
these cutting-edge services into the hands of each guest."
The
invitation-only demonstration will showcase "real-world" Bluetooth applications
in action. Beginning in The Venetian Hotel lobby, InnTechnology
will demonstrate wireless guest "check-in" using a Handspring
Visor Deluxe Personal Digital Assistant equipped with a BlueConnect™ expansion module by WIDCOMM and Bluetooth Access Points (provided
by TROY XCD, a subsidiary of TROY Group, NASDAQ: TROY). Conveniently,
the Visor Deluxe will also provide directions to the specified
guestroom and act as a virtual "key" - unlocking the guestroom
door via Bluetooth radio link. Once inside The Venetian
guestroom, the demonstration of wireless file transfer between
the Visor Deluxe and an IBM ThinkPad T20 series (equipped with
a Bluetooth PC card from IBM) will occur. This will then
be followed by a demonstration of TROY Group wireless printing,
via Bluetooth, to an existing HP OfficeJet 520 multifunction
printer/fax/scanner/copier that InnTechnology installed as standard
equipment in each of The Venetian's 3,036 guestrooms.
"InnTechnology is proud
to host this exciting Bluetooth demonstration at The Venetian.
Our partners have enabled us to show the most up-to-date, technologically
superior applications for the business traveler to enjoy in the
near future," exclaimed Mac Graham, executive vice president
of operations for InnTechnology. "Integrating Bluetooth wireless
technology as an extension of our existing services will contribute
to the ultimate convenience for the business traveler and efficiency
of operations for our hotel customers."
Companies participating
in the demonstration are at the forefront of bringing Bluetooth
products and applications to the consumer marketplace:
- IBM will offer
a ThinkPad notebook PC with a Bluetooth PC card from IBM.
- Texas Instruments provides
the digital baseband for both Bluetooth Access Points, part
of TIÍs Bluetooth chipset used in TROY XCD devices.
- WIDCOMM has
developed the BlueConnect expansion module to Bluetooth-enable
the Handspring Visor PDA.
- Silicon Wave provides
its Odyssey Bluetooth radio solutions including the SiW1502
Radio Modem IC to TROY XCD.
- Pistachio Inc. has
written the Bluetooth software application for the Handspring
Visor.
- TROY will
provide Bluetooth Access Points in both the Venetian lobby
and the demonstration suite.
- Bachmann Software will
provide its PrintBoy software, enhanced to enable printing
from the Handspring Visor using Bluetooth wireless technology.
- Hewlett-Packard
Company is the manufacturer of the HP OfficeJet 520 printer/fax/scanner/copier,
the-all-in-one printer that will be used for the demonstration.
- InnTechnology has
designed and integrated this Bluetooth solution. It will provide
the central server and software to manage these different devices,
including: the delivery of the automated check-in; the control
of the door lock access; the in-room printing capability; and
billing of all services (including in-room printing) to the
guest's folio (through an interface to the Venetian's Property
Management System).
- The Venetian will
provide a 700 square foot suite to demonstrate future functionality
applications available to their guests. For contacts to the
individual participants in this demonstration, please go to http://www.inntechnology.com/bluetooth
About InnTechnology
InnTechnology, Inc.
is an industry leader for in-room hard copy solutions in the
hospitality industry. As Bluetooth wireless technology becomes
widely available, InnTechnology will extend its offerings through
strategic partnerships like that of TROY GROUP, becoming a key
provider of in-room and in-hotel wireless connectivity for handheld
and other devices. InnTechnology focuses on creating and offering
technological solutions to the hospitality industry that are
aimed toward enhancing the guest's stay in its serviced hotels,
increasing hotel operational efficiency, while at the same time
enhancing revenue and decreasing costs to the hotel.
_
About The Venetian
The Venetian has continuously
demonstrated strong leadership in providing its guests with the
foremost in technological services. A prime example of this leadership
is their engagement of InnTechnology, which installed HP OfficeJet
520 all in one, color printer/fax/scanner/copier in all of its
3,036 suites in May, 1999. Guests at The Venetian can print from
their laptops, send and receive faxes, and make copies. Just
as importantly, every guest can now also enjoy the luxury of
receiving a hard copy of his hotel bill, faxed directly to his
room at checkout, without the hassle of going to the front desk.
The BLUETOOTH trademarks
are owned by Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson, Sweden.
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