Austria Hotels International (AHI) has selected Swisscom to lead its IT upgrade programme in its 13 properties in Austria and Czech Republic, many of which are classified as historical buildings. The network overhauls, which started in May 2008, are now about to conclude, allowing AHI to offer their guests a consistently high Internet user experience through Swisscom's reliable managed network and application services.

The AHI Group includes flag-ship First Class Hotel de France in the centre of Vienna, Austria; the unique Boutique style Grand Hotel Bohemia in the heart of Prague, Czech Republic; and eleven more hotels in Prague, Brno, Vienna, Baden and Eisenstadt. All AHI hotels are known for their authentic charm, their tasteful décors and their great hospitality in the best local tradition. A stunning 90% of guests are international, which adds to the profile of some AHI properties as top conference venues.

"We are convinced that our continued success in the corporate business segment depends on a reliable, modern IT infrastructure whose capabilities can grow along with our guest expectations", says Hans D. Turnovszky, AHI's General Manager. "In view of the rapid development of consumer technologies on the one hand, and the complexity of our hotel portfolio with 13 very distinctive buildings on the other, we clearly needed a partner to future proof our properties. Swisscom has turned out to be most competent, adding enormous value to our ongoing hotel refurbishments and maximizing the value of our investment."

The collaboration started in Spring last year, when Swisscom successfully upgraded the network of Vienna's Hotel de France, preparing it for the expected peaks in occupancy and Internet usage during the Euro soccer championship. Since then, Swisscom has surveyed nine more AHI properties and elaborated proposals for their network upgrades. Wherever retro-fitting was required, it was successfully linked to more complete guest room renovations while paying particular attention to each hotel's individual building structure. Similar Network and service upgrades will be performed in AHI's three properties in Czech Republic over the next few months.

"I am proud we have gained the trust from Austria Hotels International, a hotel chain with a unique hospitality and service culture", states Leo Brand, CEO of Swisscom Hospitality Services. "Our collaboration with AHI shows that tradition and technology are by no means contradictory. To the contrary, having a scalable hotel Local Area Network (LAN) in place, AHI properties can now market themselves even better towards their international business clientele. The recent technology IP upgrade will allow AHI to serve all the future Internet-based needs of their guests and to make their back-office operations more cost-efficient. Our tailored applications for the guest and the meeting room and our onsite conference support will additionally help AHI properties to attract and retain its corporate customers."

About Austria Hotels International

Founded in 1955, Austria Hotels International consists of 14 properties in Vienna, Baden, Eisenstadt, Prague and Brno, offers approximately 1.600 rooms and employs 800 employees. AHI is managed by General Manager Hans D. Turnovszky and Managing Director Johann Pichler.
http://www.austria-hotels.at

About Swisscom Hospitality Services

Swisscom is a leader in IP convergent technology solutions for the global hospitality industry. Leveraging more than 150 years of telecommunications experience, the company provides clients with network-based communication solutions designed to meet their guests' unique service requirements. Swisscom's hotel and guest services are presently available in more than 2'000 partner hotels across Europe and North America, encompassing some 223'000 hotel rooms. Moreover, the company provides customised conference services at more than 10'000 events worldwide every year.
www.swisscom.com/hospitality

Contact:
Austria International Hotels
Silvia M. Kahler Public Relations, Tel: 00 43 664 22 15 255
E-mail: [email protected]

Swisscom Hospitality Services

Arndt Mielisch, Tel: 0041 79 476 67 41,
E-mail: [email protected]