Swisscom's Hospitality Services today launched its new premium service: Room 2.0. The first Internet service of its kind, Room 2.0 features a variety of web 2.0-based information and communication services responding directly to business travelers' needs in hotels. Swisscom thus effectively reinvents the guest experience for those staying at one of its 2'300 partner hotels.

Swisscom's new premium service is firmly based on guest insights gained from two major surveys that have been conducted over the last 12 months to better understand business traveler needs. Interviews with 1'100 hotel guests in five countries indicated that in terms of service customization, traditional Internet service falls short of guest expectations. In fact, hotels have to deal with four different emotions in each business traveler: their need to keep in touch with home and office, their desire to explore the city they have just arrived in, their need to relax and enjoy their stay and finally their wish to efficiently prepare their onward journey.

Putting these insights into practice, Room 2.0 proposes a range of customized services on top of unlimited data downloads and priority bandwidth. The "Stay in touch" service module allows guests to make unlimited long-distance phone calls, while "Explore" features location-based information about points of interest in the hotel's surroundings. To help guests fully "Enjoy" their stay, Room 2.0 enables them to download their home newspaper (more than 350 publications available) and to listen to one of their preferred radio stations (among a choice of 8'000). Finally, the "Streamline your Journey" service module brings real-time flight information to the fingertips of the traveler. All services are available through an advertising-free web interface and included in the premium package.

"Our analysis shows that for hotel guests and business travelers in particular, time is becoming increasingly limited and thus more valuable. We aim to help travelers get maximum satisfaction out of their stay. Internet access is just the means, the true end is to stay in touch, to explore the city, to enjoy the stay and to streamline the journey", says Christian Petit, CEO of Hospitality Services. "By bringing that value to the guest, Swisscom not only positions itself as the hospitality specialist seeking true guest satisfaction. It also empowers the hoteliers by providing them a powerful tool to differentiate through innovation".

As of today, Room 2.0 is available at 16 hotels in Amsterdam and The Hague. In the coming weeks the new premium service, which requires limited network upgrade, will be progressively rolled out to Swisscom's 2'300 partner venues across Europe and North America. This service enhancement is activated in all Swisscom partner locations free of charge, being part of the company's distinctive mission to offer constant service improvement. Usability tests, continuous user feedback and regular guest surveys will ensure the ongoing development of Room 2.0 services and guide the introduction of further value-added functionalities during 2007.

About Hospitality Services | Swisscom operates a broadband Internet access network in its partner hotels across Europe and North America under its hospitality-focused subsidiary Hospitality Services Plus S.A., spanning more than 2.300 active properties and encompassing 200.000 hotel rooms. Additionally, the company supports close to 10'000 events annually on a global basis. This makes Swisscom a leading provider of broadband Internet-based services to the hospitality industry: Swisscom services are available in well-known hotel chains such as Hyatt, Hilton, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, Marriott, and NH.

Ida Hammar
Marketing Executive
+46 (0)8 555 685 26