News Releases

03/15/1999

Bass Hotels & Resorts (SM) (BHR) Endorses Hitachi's PBX in Landmark Property Upgrade Program

ATLANTA, GA

Mar 15, 1999 16:52 PM

Hitachi Telecom (USA), Inc. today announced that Bass Hotels & Resorts has endorsed the Hitachi HCX5000 PBX (private branch exchange) product family as the "PBX solution of choice" for all North American BHR hotels with sizes greater than 150 rooms. BHR hotel brands include Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Sunspree Resorts.

Under the agreement, Bass Hotels & Resorts will recommend the Hitachi HCX5000 to their hotel franchisees along with voice mail and other voice system peripheral devices. The recommendation is a part of a BHR corporate initiative to upgrade the appearance, service and amenities of all franchised properties. Specifically, all properties must have such amenities as two-lines per room and voice mail by certain dates extending to the year 2003. Telecommunications Value Network, Inc. (TVN) will administer the technology initiative as program manager. According to BHR executives, the company has identified over 800 properties which may require upgrades to their telephone systems to meet the new standards. In addition, they anticipate continued growth of this segment through competitors converting into the BHR system as well as planned new construction projects exceeding 100 hotels annually.

"We seek to offer to our hotel guests the finest amenities in every area," stated M.L. Gable, BHR Senior Manager - Hotel Telecommunications. "Hitachi's HCX5000 is widely recognized as having superior capabilities for the hospitality industry, and we are pleased to be able to make these Hitachi systems available to all of our hotels as they update their technology systems." Continued Mr. Gable, "In keeping with our leadership position in the hospitality industry, we believe that this is the largest and most comprehensive technology upgrade ever undertaken by a single hospitality operator".

For many years we have supplied Holiday Inns and other brands in the BHR group with Hitachi PBX products - the HCX5000 family and the DX Series PBX before that," stated Masakatsu Toiya, Hitachi Telecom president, "Hitachi has had a continuous commitment to the lodging industry since the 1970s, and our ability to understand and meet the industry's needs is reaffirmed by Bass Hotels & Resorts' commitment to our product."