Red Lion Hotels & WestCoast Hotels Introduce Free 'Net4Guests(TM)' Wireless Internet Access for Guests
July 12 2004 - 6:10PM
PR Newswire (US)
Red Lion Hotels & WestCoast Hotels Introduce Free
'Net4Guests(TM)' Wireless Internet Access for Guests GuestAwards
Members Gain Password-Protected Internet 'Hot Spot' Service
SPOKANE, Wash., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hotel guests now
have another good reason to choose Red Lion Hotels and WestCoast
Hotels when they travel. With the ever-growing need to stay
connected while on the road, travelers are seeking fast, reliable
and secure ways to log on to the Internet. To answer that need,
WestCoast Hospitality Corporation (NYSE:WEH), representing Red Lion
Hotels and WestCoast Hotels in the United States and Canada, has
launched "Net4Guests(TM)," its proprietary high-speed wireless
Internet access (Wi-Fi) service, giving all guests staying at
participating hotels free, password-protected access in guestrooms
and public areas of the hotel. Unique in the industry, the
Net4Guests service utilizes the company's GuestAwards(R) frequent
traveler program to provide members instant log on access using
their member numbers and passwords. As an additional benefit to
GuestAwards members, they can access Net4Guests service any time
they are visiting a participating Red Lion or WestCoast property --
whether they are an overnight guest or not. The hotels become their
"hot spots" while they're on the road. "We want business travelers
to know they have an office-away-from-the-office where they can
check their e-mail or access their office virtual private network
[VPN] if they find themselves with extra time between appointments,
or while relaxing over coffee or a cocktail in one of our outlets,"
said John Taffin, Executive Vice President of Hotel Operations for
WestCoast Hospitality in making the Net4Guests announcement. Guests
with compatible wireless hardware will not need any special
software to connect to Net4Guests and will not have to make any
changes to their PC configurations. Those who do not have wireless
capability can check-out the easy-to-use and fully-supported (24/7)
Net4Guests Quick Start Kit containing a PCMCIA card and a software
CD to access Net4Guests. GuestAwards members use their member
number to log on. If a guest is not a member of the GuestAwards
program, the guest is given a User ID for use during that stay, or
the guest can enroll on the GuestAwards website and receive a
member number instantly. This gives them the convenience of not
having to register for Net4Guests at each hotel. The Net4Guests
Wi-Fi capability is enabled by Air2Data technology and is based on
the 802.11b protocol so that it is accessible to the largest group
of travelers with wireless functionality on their laptops and
handheld devices. A variety of security measures, including a
firewall and assigned IP addresses, are built into the Net4Guests
system to minimize the risk of unauthorized access. According to
Mark Rackham, Vice President of Operations for Air2Data, "In the
last 18 months, we have not had any problems with security with any
of our guests. That's a great track record." Rackham also praised
the partnership environment that created Net4Guests. "When we
started this collaboration with WestCoast Hospitality, we rolled
out the technology and the supporting documents we expected their
hotels' front desk associates would need to answer guest's
questions," he said. "They came back to us with suggestions that
custom-tailored their support manuals, guest collateral and log on
process to make implementation as user-friendly as possible for
both guests and staff. The Net4Guests result is a Wi-Fi
installation steeped in the hospitality and service tradition of
Red Lion and WestCoast Hotels. We think it will be a model Wi-Fi
program for the lodging industry." WestCoast Hospitality
Corporation is a hospitality and leisure company primarily engaged
in the ownership, management, development and franchising of
mid-scale, full service hotels under its WestCoast(R) and Red
Lion(R) brands. In addition, through its entertainment division,
which includes its TicketsWest.com, Inc. subsidiary, it engages in
event ticket distribution and promotes and presents a variety of
entertainment productions. G&B Real Estate Services, its real
estate division, engages in traditional real estate-related
services, including developing, managing and acting as a broker for
sales and leases of commercial and multi-unit residential
properties. This press release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of federal securities law, including statements
concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, projections of
future events or performance and underlying assumptions (many of
which are based, in turn upon further assumptions). The
forward-looking statements in this press release are inherently
subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed. Such
risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's annual
report on Form 10-K for the 2003 fiscal year and in other documents
filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact: Linda Anderson Title: Vice President, Marketing Phone:
509-777-6337 Internet: http://www.redlion.com/
http://www.westcoasthotels.com/ http://www.ticketswest.com/
http://www.g-b.com/ DATASOURCE: WestCoast Hospitality Corporation
CONTACT: Linda Anderson, Vice President, Marketing, of WestCoast
Hospitality Corporation, +1-509-777-6337, or Web site:
http://www.westcoasthotels.com/
Copyright
Westcoast Hospitality (NYSE:WEH)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Westcoast Hospitality (NYSE:WEH)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024