BALTIMORE, June 24, 1997 — The hospitality and food service industries’ best and most innovative technological solutions were recognized today by Microsoft Corp. at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC). For the first time, the annual Microsoft® Retail Application Developer (RAD) awards program was extended to include new categories, highlighting cutting-edge solutions developed for the hospitality and food service industries. The winning applications provide tangible business benefits to customers and make the best use of Microsoft technology, the Internet and corporate intranets. The following are the 1997 hospitality and food service RAD award winners:
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In-Room Technologies: ATCOM/INFO Inc., San Diego, Calif. (http://www.atcominfo.com/) This software company from San Diego has a background in public Internet access kiosks and is now making its products available to in-room systems. The ATCOM Cyberbooth provides high-speed access to the Internet, e-mail, advertising and information services for the data-intensive and time-sensitive business traveler. The Cyberbooth hospitality solution was the first installation of its kind in the hospitality industry, appearing in the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., and the Claremont Spa and Tennis Resort in Berkeley, Calif.
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Central Reservation Systems: Global Resources Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. (http://www.globalaz.com/) . Global Resources Inc.’s FALCON is a central reservation system solution built from the ground up on Microsoft technology. FALCON is a scalable, multitiered client/server system that utilizes the Internet as its primary form of communication between hotel properties and the central reservation center. The judges particularly noted its superior integration of reservations functions and the Internet.
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Food and Beverage Point of Sale: Ibertech Inc., Hurst, Texas (http://www.ibertech.com/) . Ibertech’s Aloha software had the winning entry in the food and beverage point of sale (POS) category. Aloha TableService and Aloha QuickService restaurant automation software are 100 percent Microsoft Windows® operating system-based and are designed to serve the changing needs of the food service and hospitality industries. Aloha POS systems were among the first to utilize the networking capabilities of the Microsoft Windows NT® operating system. This solution was recognized especially for its richness of functionality.
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Enterprise Property Management Systems: MAI Systems Corp., Irvine, Calif. (http://www.maisystems.com/) . MAI Systems is a full-service, worldwide hotel automation solutions provider. The Lodging Touch program is intuitive, well-structured and powerful. Modules consist of front office, group sales, guest history, accounts receivable, travel agency and yield management. The program has established a strong industry presence since its launch. It is well-designed for medium-sized to large properties and is noted for its upward scalability. New users of the program can be trained in an average of four hours’ time, thus significantly reducing training costs.
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Small Property Focus: Nextra Oy Ltd., Turku, Finland (http://www.webtravel.fi/linx/) . This Finland-based Microsoft Solution Provider won the RAD award for small property focus. Nextra’s Hotel Linx is one of the first property management software offering control over various kinds of resources, such as rooms, meeting rooms and restaurants, in a single program and user interface. Hotel Linx is an innovative system well-designed for the needs of smaller properties and stands out from other systems because of its aggressive pricing model.
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Food and Beverage Back Office: Radiant Hospitality Systems (formerly ReMACS), Pleasanton, Calif. (http://www.radiantsystems.com/) . Radiant Hospitality Systems offers a comprehensive food-service technology back-office solution for restaurants and corporate chains that includes inventory control, food and beverage cost analysis, financial management, business forecasting, labor scheduling, and time and attendance. Its solution focuses on improved control, information and efficiency, and was noted by judges for its completeness of function. With this winning solution, operators typically see a 2 percent to 3 percent reduction in food costs as a percent of sales, as well as a 1 percent reduction in labor costs.
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Other: Systems Design and Development Inc. (SDD), Boca Raton, Fla. (http://www.sddsystems.com/) . The winning solution developed by SDD is JAZZ Call Accounting, a 32-bit, Windows NT-based, client/server telemanagement system that is seamlessly integrated with the PMS, thereby eliminating the need for stand alone hardware and interfaces. It was chosen because of its ease of use and significant positive effect on a hotel’s bottom line in increasing phone revenues and reducing telecom expenses.
“The depth and quality of applications was impressive,” said Stan Julien, hospitality industry marketing manager at Microsoft. “In the last year, we have seen a dramatic growth in the number of Microsoft Solution Providers developing hospitality-specific solutions. Today, numerous software developers are finding creative new ways to apply Microsoft technology to create tangible business benefits for the hospitality industry.”
The RAD awards program challenged developers to create best-of-breed retail, hospitality, food service, distribution, transportation and logistic solutions. Criteria included quantifiable business benefits, best use of the Microsoft Windows operating system-based technology, ease of use and adoption, and integration and exploitation of Internet and intranet technology.
The panel of judges was made up of the following hospitality, food service and technology experts: Tim Harvey, vice president of technology, Promus Hotels Corp.; Richard Brooks, vice president of operations, Bridgestreet Accommodations; Jules Sieburgh, vice president, hotel systems, Intercontinental Hotels; Dennis Hadley, director, Independent Cash Register Dealer Association; Don McDowell, MIS and systems development manager, Lettuce Entertain You; and Robert Grimes, president and CEO, Cyntergy Corp.
For more information on Microsoft solutions, visit the Microsoft Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/industry/ .
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