10 May 2005

SIEMENS SHOWCASES INDUSTRY-LEADING HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS AT HOFEX 2005 THAT HELP ENHANCE HOTEL'S SERVICE QUALITY AND COMPETITIVENESS

Siemens is one of the exhibitors and sponsors at the HOFEX 2005 from 10 to 13 May 2005.  It showcases a series of comprehensive start-of-the-art solutions, namely HiPath Hospitality Solutions and AlgoRex Intelligent Fire Safety System, for the hospitality industry.

Two newly launched items in Hong Kong from Siemens Communications Group are the demonstration highlights at their booth.  The first one is Siemens HiPath Hospitality Service Centre while the second one is the first Siemens HiPath Voice-over-WLAN professional handset with a colour screen for enterprise usages. 

Siemens HiPath Hospitality Service Centre is a PC-based specialized guest service centre application designed for the hospitality industry.  It is a powerful offering that combines the advanced real-time communication features of the HiPath IP system with a hotel service application package that can interface with leading third party Property Management Systems (PMS).  It gives medium to large hotels the sophisticated communications features they can use to help them enhance guest comfort and service as well as giving them tools to capture revenue, increase efficiency and better manage operations.

A key feature is the Service Tracking Module.  Functions such as checking in or checking out and billing can be handled via a software-based attendant console, and the wishes of guests can be forwarded, monitored, and centrally evaluated, from the moment they are received to the time they are carried out.  Service tracking can be performed efficiently.  A ticket is opened each time a guest makes a request – for fresh towels, for instance.  The staff member who receives the request by SMS on a PDA or DECT phone will deal with it and then confirm that the request has been handled by pressing a button on the mobile device.  The system thus recognizes that the service loop has been closed.  Such easy and reliable services will lead to higher guest satisfaction and result in increased loyalty. 

Hotels may also better utilize personnel resources and at the same time improve service quality, or may even obtain the potential for cost reductions.  The central recording of all service processes makes it possible to issue intelligent reports regarding the utilization of employees, the distribution of requests by time, and other indicators.  This information can be used as the basis for measures to improve customer satisfaction and to ensure better planning of the use of resources, and for other control instruments.

The second highlight, OptiPoint WL2 WLAN phone, is a VoWLAN professional phone with colour screen.  It is the first Siemens’ colour WoWLAN handset launched in Hong Kong.  Together with the wireless access points, the mobile network is scalable to cover the whole building of a hotel for seamless mobile communication.  These devices make uninterrupted real-time communication and high mobility a possibility in the WLAN environment.

Besides these newly launched items, at HOFEX 2005, Siemens also demonstrates its OptiPoint 420 IP-based telephone, the latest model of IP-based telephone with LCD key label display supporting hotel-specific application, and OptiPocket PDA softphone which offers enterprise mobility for hotel staff.  Besides, Siemens has also got the capability of supporting wide variety of end-user devices for different types of users, from TDM/IP-based telephones and PC / PDA softphone to DECT cordless handset and Voice over Wireless LAN handset.  It offers products with full scalability in supporting seamless system integration with other Facility Management Systems at the same premises such as Fire Safety System and Building Management System.

HiPath is the Enterprise Convergence Architecture from Siemens.  According to Analysts, HiPath has ensured that Siemens is the world’s number on supplier of VoIP connections.  With a market share of 38.6%, Simens aims to further expand this position.  Over 70% of the Fortune 500 corporations have selected a HiPath solution.  HiPath customers include BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Bank, Ford, IBM, Kodak, SAP, BP and Volvo.

In addition to communication systems and devices, Siemens Building Technologies Group also demonstrates its trouble-free Fire Safety Systems at HOFEX 2005.  These include the risk-appropriate AlgoRex fire detection system with foolproof early fire warning to make hotels virtually fireproof, as well as an option of wireless fire detectors which are also error-proof & highly secure for the hospitality industry.

In the family of Siemens AlgoRex fire detection system, interactive fire detectors are the latest trend.  They are used whenever there are demanding situations and high fire risk calls for trustworthy alarms and detection.  In other words, false alarms will no longer happen.  Even in environments with many kinds of deceptive phenomena such as workshops, restaurants, kitchens, or smoking areas, the intelligent AlgoRex fire detection system will still be able to carry out supremely dependable detection based on programmable application algorithms.  Moreover, the AlgoRex fire detection system allows seamless integration with other communication networks, PABX systems and mobile devices so that real-time alerting messages can be sent to pre-assigned personnel so as to speed up fire extinguishing process and minimize possible loss.

Siemens Communications is one of the largest players in the global telecommunications industry.  Siemens is the only provider in the market that offers its customers a full-range portfolio, from devices for end users to complex network infrastructures for enterprises and carriers as well as related services.  Siemens Communications is the world’s innovative leader in convergent technologies, products and services for wireless, fixed and enterprise networks.  It is the largest Group within Siemens and operates in more than 160 countries around the world.  In fiscal 2004 (year-end September 30), its 60,000-strong workforce posted sales of approximately 18 billion euros.

More about Siemens Communications at: http://www.siemens.com/communications

Siemens Building Technologies, an operating group of Siemens, combines offerings for building security and life safety and building automation within one company as a service and system provider and as a manufacturer of respective products. By virtue of the unique combination of these business sectors, the company occupies a leading position worldwide. The Siemens group consists of Siemens Building Technologies Ltd, Zurich (Switzerland), Siemens Building Technologies GmbH & Co oHG, Erlangen (Germany), Siemens Building Technologies Inc., Buffalo Grove, IL (USA), their subsidiaries and affiliates and all significant Siemens activities in the field of building technologies.

The company totaled sales of 5 billion Euros in the 2002/2003 fiscal year (October 1, 2002 - September 30, 2003) and currently employs a workforce of 29’000 in 42 countries.

For more information, visit the company's web site at www.sbt.siemens.com