July 26th, 2004

As an immediate follow-on to the interoperability demonstrations by HTNG vendor members at the recent HITEC conference, Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) announces that the Mandarin Oriental New York City and Washington DC properties have implemented three vendor technology solutions that seamlessly inter-operate, thus providing a quantum leap for the hotels to provide better guest services through technology.

The hotels’ property management system, SMS|Host by Springer Miller Systems, communicates with two guest-centric technologies in the hotel rooms, the high-definition entertainment-on-demand system from General Dynamics Interactive and the Internet protocol telephony system, managed by Percipia Networks. These three vendors independently collect guest requests and information and seamlessly transfer that data between each technology to facilitate the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s ability to serve its guests’ requests.

Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG) is a non-profit organization founded by leading hotel technology executives seeking to facilitate the development of new, customer-centric technologies to better serve the needs of the global hotel community. HTNG aims to achieve a flexible technical environment by establishing technology standards that will allow multiple vendors’ systems to inter-operate. Gebhard Rainer, the Chairman of HTNG said, "The Mandarin Oriental deployments are the first step in a revolution in how hotel technology is utilized. HTNG’s Executive Board represents a who’s who of leading hotel companies including, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Wyndham, Mandarin, MGM Mirage, Destination, and Marcus, and these brands will be announcing similar technology break-throughs in the near future."

Nick Price, [Nick Price] Group CIO/CTO for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and an Executive Board Member of HTNG was the driving force behind the two Mandarin Oriental properties’ deployment of vendors who utilize the HTNG standards. Nick Price said, "For too long, technology vendor solutions have been islands inside our hotels. My vision, and that of HTNG, is that these technology islands have bridges between them so that the Mandarin Oriental staff can gather guest information from each island and collectively share it between technology vendors to better serve our guests."

"Our new SMS|Diplomat technology heralds a truly new way to manage interoperability between vendors," said John Springer-Miller, President of Springer-Miller Systems, Inc. "Instead of one vendor sending a message and waiting for a response, vendors have direct access to both data and business rules in other systems, and can proactively access what they need. Not only does this make it much easier and more efficient to communicate between systems, but it also allows guests and users to interact directly with our SMS|Host system through in-room devices like telephones and televisions. The possibilities for the industry are endless."

General Dynamics Interactive (GDI), the leading provider of digital video-on-demand for the luxury hotel market, deployed its revolutionary, high-definition Intrigue® Multimedia System entertainment-on-demand solution on Mandarin Oriental’s high-definition LCD televisions. Michael DiBiase, senior director of commercial hardware systems for General Dynamics describes the enhanced guest experience. "Mandarin Oriental guests are welcomed by name on the customized Intrigue television user interface from information provided by the SMS|Host Hospitality Management System. If the guest expresses a preference, Intrigue will turn the television on automatically in the guest’s favorite language such as Chinese or French. If the guest has a voicemail or a FAX message, a notification is displayed on the guest’s television and the guest can retrieve them from Percipia Networks and play the voicemail in surround sound through the Intrigue high-definition entertainment-on-demand system or view the FAX on their television."

Percipia Networks, the preeminent global supplier of IP telephony software for the hotel industry, deployed its software solution in Mandarin Oriental’s converged IP telephony network. Percipia’s system interfaces with the SMS|Host Hospitality Management to greet guests by name on the screen of the in-room telephone and display telephone and voice mail menus automatically in the preferred language of the guest. For guests who are members of groups, the system provides an up-to-date speed dial listing of group members on the telephone itself. A parallel interface with Intrigue’s high-definition entertainment-on-demand solution allows guests to review all of their voice, fax and text messages from a single convenient web page accessed from Mandarin’s in-room TV system.



About General Dynamics

General Dynamics Interactive, a business area of General Dynamics C4 Systems, leverages the technology integration capabilities of General Dynamics to deliver multimedia and broadband entertainment solutions to the hospitality industry. More information can be found about the Intrigue product at www.intrigueonline.com. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 68,400 people and anticipates 2004 revenues of $19 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at www.generaldynamics.com.



About Springer-Miller Systems

Springer-Miller Systems Inc. is a leading provider of hospitality management solutions that meets the technology needs of all types of hospitality enterprises including city-center hotels, destination spa and golf properties, timeshare properties and casino resorts worldwide, setting the pace as a pioneer in the hospitality industry. Springer-Miller Systems’ SMS|Host Hospitality Management System is distinguished from other property management systems with its truly integrated design and unique approach to guest service. The SMS|Host product suite, including more than 20 seamlessly integrated, guest-centric application modules, provides hotel/resort staff with the tools they need to personalize service, exceed guest expectations, and increase revenue. For more information on Springer-Miller Systems, visit our website at www.springermiller.com.



About Percipia Networks

Percipia Networks is a privately held global communications software company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio USA. With hundreds of hotel customers in the United States and elsewhere, Percipia has established an international reputation as a technology thought leader and has been instrumental in the opening of the hotel market to IP telephony. In addition to developing and supplying IP communications software, Percipia sells and installs voice mail and call accounting systems in both traditional and IP telephony environments, offering customers deep industry expertise, project management skills, and the convenience of one-stop shopping. Visit our website at www.percipia.com.