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Remote and wireless printing a real convenience for business travelers The Client Choice Hotels International, a leader in the lodging industry as an innovative company with nearly 5,000 properties, launched the Comfort Suites brand in 1986 as an extension of the highly regarded Comfort Inn brand. Comfort Suites is one of the leading performers in lodging today, positioned to capture the mid-scale “luxury- budget” segment. With almost 400 locations, the brand features oversized, “user-friendly” rooms and business suites at mid-priced rates. Choice Hotels continues to lead the lodging industry as an innovative company introducing technology trends in their market segment. In 2000, Choice Hotels became the first to offer wireless reservations via handheld computers. Now the Comfort Suites in Aurora, Illinois, a two- time Platinum Award Hospitality winner, is offering guests free high-speed Internet access in all rooms as well as wireless Internet access in the lobby. The Challenge To find a more convenient way for business guests to print Located in a high-tech business corridor in the suburbs of Chicago, the Comfort Suites Aurora caters to business travelers. “Many of our guests treat their stay with us as their temporary office away from home,” says Ira Lathan, IT manager for the Aurora property. Comfort Suites Aurora strives to cater to their business guests. At least 30% of their guests arrive with their laptop in tow. These guests all faced the same dilemma when it came to printing their important documents from their laptop. Guests saved documents to a disk and then had hotel staff print the documents from their PCs to the hotel’s local printer or waited while the correct print driver downloaded onto their laptops. Printing was “simply inconvenient for our guests,” says Lathan. “We needed to find a way to enable our guests with a better printing solution.” The Solution In-room remote printing via the Internet PrinterOn’s guest printing service was installed in the winter of 2003 to better service the printing needs of guests. “PrinterOn complemented our wireless Internet solution by extending the service offering, “ says Lathan. The PrinterOn service is an easy to install, low- cost printing solution that is an attractive amenity for the business traveler market. “Now guests simply email or upload documents to the printer,” comments Lathan. Comfort Suites Aurora has a Business Center accessible 24 hours a day, to provide convenient business amenities to guests whenever they may need them. There are two printers located in the business center, including a color printer. The unique in-room driverless printing lets guests in their guestroom remotely print documents, emails, email attachments and Web content securely from their Internet-enabled laptops to the business center. At their convenience, guests can pick up their documents at the business center where they sit securely spooled on the printer until they arrive and release them with their privacy release code. In the business center they are greeted by ample signage and a large ‘release your print jobs’ button PrinterOn Guest Printing Services Attractive to Business Travelers at Comfort Suites Aurora, Illinois PRINTERON CASE STUDY Comfort Suites HOSPITALITY www.printeron.net [email protected] "Once our guests use the service just once, they really appreciate how valuable and convenient the printing service is." Ira Lathan IT Manager for Comfort Suites Aurora
