InterContinental Chicago Launches FlytePass

Guests queuing up to use boarding pass kiosks from Flyte Systems

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. January 13, 2009

CHICAGO, IL, January 13, 2009 - Known the world over for its exclusive boutiques, spectacular shopping and trendy restaurants, Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" is a popular destination that attracts thousands of business travelers, conference goers and tourists no matter what time of year. Located in the heart of this exclusive boulevard is the InterContinental Chicago, a soaring two-tower, four diamond property whose faithfully restored historic 1920s architecture is often included in city tours.

The InterContinental is also the only downtown Chicago hotel that can lay claim to having an entrance directly onto the Magnificent Mile, a prime location that puts it in the center of the city's most sought-after attractions. The hotel recently underwent a quarter-billion dollar refurbishing of its 792 rooms and suites, along with more than 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, reinforcing its status as a premier property for conference planners and business travelers. Which is just one of the reasons why Director of Information Technology John Barbier decided several years ago to offer his airline travel guests an alternative to waiting for delayed and cancelled flights at the airport.

Worth Waiting For

"So many of our guests are here on business, which means flying in and out of Chicago O'Hare," Barbier said. "In the wintertime especially there can be long delays and cancellations. Since we are a very service-oriented property, I had previously placed a specially configured PC in the lobby whose sole function was supposed to be to access airline flight schedules." Barbier noted that while his idea was on target, the usage was not. "Most of the time children were trying to access the Internet or play games on it, and eventually the concierge staff became overwhelmed with guest requests to check flights or print boarding passes. Flyte Systems fixed that."

With guest convenience on his mind, Barbier was pleased to discover FlytePass from Flyte Systems, the only company that provides cost-effective, subscription-based feeds of real-time flight information - not FAA-regulated scheduled departure times. He recently installed flight information kiosks with both O'Hare and Midway airport airline activity in his lobby and in the concierge center and says the response from both staff and guests has been overwhelmingly positive. "It is very clear they provide flight information and boarding pass printing, and I can tell you that people are lining up to use them all the time. The other day a staff member overheard a guest say he didn't care about waiting in line because the service itself was such an extraordinary and valuable convenience."

Real-time Flight Information

What sets Flyte Systems apart from PC-based applications is the ability to post accurate, real-time airline flight arrival and departure information, not FAA-regulated scheduled departure times that do not list delays caused by air traffic control, aircraft maintenance, crew availability and weather.

FlytePass:

---| is a wall, floor or ceiling mounted high-definition, flat panel screen for lobbies, restaurants, bars and other public areas, displaying flight information for one or more airports.

---| combines FlyteTouch with free, secure boarding pass printing and can be provided stand alone or neatly packaged in an optional all wood kiosk or integrated metal kiosk, to match your d'ecor

---|permits guests to view live airport flight information conveniently and comfortably from their in-room television

---| enables individual guests to search flight information using an interactive touch screen that displays real-time flight arrivals and departures for one or more airports.

The Shopping Alternative

According to Barbier the number of people using the kiosks to check flight schedules and print boarding passes has grown exponentially over time. "Flyte Systems' travel solutions are especially useful now with the weather causing increasing delays and cancellations. Let's face it, if you have to wait, wouldn't you much rather do it here at the InterContinental, with the Magnificent Mile right outside your door?"