STSN launches in Europe to help hoteliers satisfy growing guest demand for enhanced Internet connect

Added: (Wed Nov 15 2000)

Pressbox (Press Release) - STSN launches in Europe to help hoteliers satisfy growing guest demand for enhanced Internet connectivity

 Poor online services now recognised as potential threat to hotel brands
 Rapid growth since 1998 US launch is clear testament to STSN’s ability to satisfy European hotelier online needs

Following success in the US and Asia-Pacific, STSN announced today that it is bringing its ‘pain-free’ online services to guest, meeting and conference rooms in hotels across Europe. STSN will help European hoteliers to retain and grow their business traveller guest portfolio, by satisfying a growing demand for secure access to guests’ private corporate networks, email systems and the Internet at speeds much faster than conventional dial up.

Moreover, unlike other market players, STSN also understands the urgency of hoteliers’ demands and has already established the European presence and management experience to be able to deliver today - the result is a number of sizeable contracts already in the pipeline.

Offices are currently in operation in the UK and Germany with additional establishments set to follow in other key European cities. STSN’s promise to hoteliers of long term partnership - demonstrated by the up-front investment that STSN makes in each new contract - has also focused the company’s attention on securing a good blend of experience and breadth for its European team which is already 25 strong.

STSN launched in the US in 1998 to address a rapidly growing demand for enhanced Internet connectivity, brought about by the increasing number of business travellers that carry laptops and wish to connect to the outside world. Customer take-up from a number of the world’s leading brands, including Marriott, is clear testament to the demand for STSN’s offering, which has already been installed in over 100,000 rooms worldwide.

Mark Sait, director of European sales and marketing at STSN, believes the company is well set up to replicate its swift US success in Europe. “STSN’s simple, secure and cost effective Internet connectivity and value add services are designed to help hoteliers dramatically improve their business travellers’ guest experience by eliminating the hassle of connecting to the outside world.

“Over the last six months we have been inundated with requests to bring our services across the water, as European hoteliers recognise the value of providing enhanced Internet connectivity - and the pain and brand damage if they do not. Hoteliers cannot afford to ignore online services, they also cannot afford to risk their reputation on an unproven partner that cannot meet guests' changing connectivity requirements. We have the people presence and the experience to get it right today and are already setting new standards for hotel Internet connectivity.”

Setting new standards for online hotel services

STSN’s strong European presence and tested proposition provides the company with the opportunity to drive the market and set new high standards for online hotel guest services. Key benefits for hoteliers and laptop user guests include:

Online access across the entire hotel - unlike other solutions which limit online access to a few select rooms, STSN’s solution provides guest room connectivity for the entire hotel. Moreover, as the service is ‘always on’ guests can also connect and disconnect within the same 24 hour period or even stay continuously online and only pay one £12 connection fee.

True plug and play - the system is easy to use, requires no re-configuring of laptop computer settings and if needed is supported by a 24x7 multilingual helpdesk. The guest simply plugs their laptop into the hotel room’s desk STSN box using a provided standard Ethernet or USB cable and launches their normal browser. As the system allows the hotel to combine voice and data on the same line, guests also have the added benefit of being able to talk on the telephone while they are accessing the Internet.

Complimentary web page to advertise hotel services - the system incorporates a complimentary customised web page that offers information about hotel amenities, business services, restaurants, special online conference services, local attractions, transportation and shopping.

No compromise on security - STSN is the only viable solution that provides the hotel adequate protection from liability. The system’s unique active security solution will not allow broadcast or multicast traffic to pass through to anywhere other than its intended destination. The guest is protected by incoming and outgoing firewalls in every room.

Helping hoteliers to maximise their Internet potential- one of STSN’s key differentiators is its partnership approach. STSN account managers will not only support the hotel throughout the contract and advise on service promotion to guests, they will also act as part of the hotel Corporate sales team helping to highlight the value that the system brings to the hotel.

Sait continues: “Over the forthcoming months we look forward to meeting with hoteliers to discuss the specific online issues that they and their business guests currently face - a good guest brand experience is no longer just related to the swimming pool or restaurant. We are confident that we will be able to quickly establish a powerful differentiator for them by removing a growing source of customer dissatisfaction and delivering added value to their hotel.”

About STSN
STSN helps hoteliers to attract the right business customers by providing hassle free online connectivity from guest and conference rooms to the outside world. The company is a global provider of high-speed, simple to use, secure Internet access and online services tailored to satisfy all of a guest's connectivity requirements. Guests benefit from secure access to their private corporate networks, email systems and the Internet at much faster speeds than conventional dial up.

Founded in 1998, STSN has already delivered its solution to over 100,000 hotel rooms across the world, and is recognised as one of the fastest growing technology and information service providers to the hospitality industry. The company is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah with additional offices in San Jose, Ca., London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Seoul, Brisbane, Tokyo and Hong Kong. To find a list of hotels that already benefit from STSN's high-speed access and online services, visit www.stsn.com.

For further information please contact:
Simon Riley or Julia Clements at Kaizo
Tel: 020 7580 8852
Fax: 020 7580 5035
Email: simon.riley@kaizo.net / julia.clements@kaizo.net