Hotel Online Special Report StayOnline Reports Explosive Growth in Usage of Broadband Wireless Service – Wireless User Take Rates Now Match Wired in Hospitality Setting Atlanta, GA – April 5, 2004 — StayOnline, the leader in 100% property coverage wireless High Speed Internet access solutions for the hospitality industry, reports that usage rates at its customer properties nationwide jumped 400% from January to December of 2003, and continue to show exponential growth during the first quarter of 2004.
“We attribute this phenomenal growth to a number of factors,” said Antonio DiMilia, President and CEO of StayOnline. “In 2003 we more than doubled our number of installed hotels. There has also been a nationwide boom in wireless, and a hospitality industry shift to making Internet services free to guests.”
StayOnline’s usage statistics for unique users increased four-fold during 2003, with the number of installed properties doubling. Each month, StayOnline’s customer hotel cumulative usage totals rose steadily, with the biggest jumps occurring from April to May and from October to November. Total unique users logging on to the Internet from StayOnline’s HSIA network at its 200+ installed hotels as of the first quarter of 2004 exceeded 200,000.
There’s no question that the needle on 802.11 wireless technology has moved way forward, as millions of consumers have come to expect a wireless connection wherever they go. The anticipated convergence of cellular with other technologies has happened; it’s no longer on its way, it is here. Meaning consumers can access their PDAs, cellular phones and laptops, anytime, anywhere.
Usage rates at StayOnline’s wireless properties have equaled the rates at competing wired properties. While the adoption of wireless cards and imbedded chipsets has definitely helped these rates, the StayOnline EZAirsm wireless Ethernet Bridge has enabled thousands without their own 802.11 equipment to experience the freedom of wireless.
“By 2007, Wi-Fi will become the dominant technology for road warriors who wish to access the Internet or check email”, said John Yunker, analyst for Pyramid Research and author of the report, The New Wireless Road Warrior. “The hotel service providers market is booming. Regardless of what Wi-Fi business model evolves, those providers installing Wi-Fi into hotels are enjoying a lucrative market, set to triple in size over the next four years.”
There’s sweet irony in all this for StayOnline, the original all-wireless HSIA supplier for the hospitality industry. Formed in 1999 specifically to supply what its founders recognized as a coming boom, StayOnline has experienced tremendous growth as business travelers and consumers have caught onto the ease, speed and security of wireless. The company has also prioritized establishing partnerships and seeking vendor verification status with key players in the wireless industry, such as Boingo, iPass, and Intel.
”High speed access has grown from an amenity to a core requirement, and in doing so, has become a key factor in customer relationships,” said Al Zaccario, Director of IT for New Castle Hotels. “Meetings are now judged on how successful and convenient the Internet access was, and whether a VPN connection made it ‘just like being in the office.’ Eventually, when most of the properties have deployed high speed access, the market differentiation will ultimately be in how reliable and easy to use the service is for the guest.”
“It will be a matter of engineering,” adds DiMilia. “Our RF engineers go beyond the standard ‘hook up,’ designing systems that fit the unique needs of every property while providing the security and ease of use both hotel and hotel guest require. And we’re prepared to continue advancing our products to meet the changes of both technology and marketplace.”
About StayOnline, Inc. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, StayOnline provides secure wireless high-speed Internet access solutions for the hospitality industry. With more than 200 installed locations, StayOnline operates the largest, 100% WLAN in hotels in North America. StayOnline meets the highest quality standards and is Intel® Centrino™ certified. StayOnline boasts an impressive customer base, including properties in over 30 national lodging brands, as well as several unique boutique and historic properties. For additional information on StayOnline, visit www.stayonline.net
Contact:
StayOnline Karin P. Koser 404.636.9311 Kpkoser1@mindspring.com
Sharon Kraun 770.804.8865
Also See: Making the Connection Without Wires; Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre finds Positive + Connection with Wireless / February 2004 History Meets High Tech; Holiday Inn at Six Flags Brings High-speed Internet to 1800’s Building / March 2004 As 2003 Comes to a Close, StayOnline Hits 23,000 Rooms in 203 Hotels / December 2003 Magna Hospitality Group Selects StayOnline; Wireless Provider to Start with Half of Magna Properties / December 2003 StayOnline Installs First High Speed Wireless Connection in Douglas County / November 2003 Cool Springs Marriott Goes Wireless with StayOnline / September 2003 Two More Davidson Hotels Go Wireless with StayOnline; Wireless HSIA Installed at Marriott Hunt Valley and at Park Vista Memphis / July 2003 StayOnline to Market AT&T Wireless WI-FI Service in Thousands of Hotel Rooms Across US / June 2003 StayOnline and Boingo Wireless Announce WI-FI Network Roaming Agreement; StayOnline’s network of fully wireless hotels featuring in-room Wi-Fi hot spots to be integrated into Boingo network / June 2003 StayOnline Connects Hotel Biltmore; Intel campus hotel partners with StayOnline for high speed wireless Internet / June 2003 New Castle Goes Wireless With StayOnline; Leading independent hotel operator to use StayOnline for high speed wireless Internet / June 2003 CNL Hospitality Selects StayOnline – StayOnline becomes approved vendor for installing high speed Internet access / June 2003 StayOnline’s Wireless Solution is Verified by Intel; Nation’s Largest 100% Wireless LAN Provider for Hospitality Industry Now Verified on Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology / June 2003 Lane Hospitality Goes Wireless with StayOnline / May 2003 Coakley Williams Goes Wireless With StayOnline / May 2003 StayOnline Partners With PrintMe To Add Convenient Mobile Printing To Spectrum Of Guest Services / April 2003 The Warwick Hotel Seattle and the Warwick Regis San Francisco Add StayOnline’s Wireless High Speed Internet Service to Their Formidable List of Amenities / April 2003 StayOnline and iPass Announce Agreement – StayOnline to Integrate its Wireless Access Points into the iPass Global Virtual Network for Enterprises / Feb 2003 StayOnline Announces 100 % Wireless High Speed Internet Installation at 100th Hotel / Jan 2003 StayOnline Introduces Hospitality Industry’s First Online Quote Application / Jan 2003 Top North Shore Hotel Now Offers Full Property Wireless High Speed Internet Access / Dec 2002 Davidson Hotel Company Selects StayOnline to Install Wireless High Speed Internet Access / Oct 2002 Foundry Park Inn & Spa Massages History With High Tech; Adds Wireless High-Speed Internet Access through Partnership with StayOnline / Aug 2002 Innkeepers Hospitality, Inc. Connects with StayOnline’s Wireless High-Speed Internet! / July 2002 Noble House Hotels & Resorts Selects StayOnline for Wireless High-Speed Internet Access Program / Nov 2001