Samsung checks-in at London 2012 with Holiday Inn
GALAXY S III enables hotel group to deliver effortlessly simple and intuitively smart services to residents throughout the London 2012 Olympics
London, UK - July 25, 2012 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today an end-to-end hotel hospitality solution for the new Holiday Inn London Stratford City, situated next to the Olympic Park. Samsung has partnered with Fingi Inc., a Samsung Enterprise Alliance Program partner to enable Holiday Inn London Stratford City to offer residents’ a full suite of hotel services, remote control of room settings and a special Samsung & Holiday Inn ‘Olympic Newsletter’ with the latest updates from London 2012 – all on the new GALAXY S III smartphone. Holiday Inn, one of nine leading hotel brands owned by InterContinental Hotels Group Plc (IHG), is the Official Hotel Services Provider to the London 2012 Olympics.
The joint solution combines the GALAXY S III with a fully customizable app to provide a complete connectivity and room control solution. The mobile solution provides a flexible, scalable and easy-to-install solution through a downloadable Holiday Inn for Android app. Following phase two of the installation, the customized app will enable the hotel to extend services such as express check-in/out, hotel services including room service, laundry services and hotel facility booking, and the ability to use the GALAXY S III as an in-room phone extension. The solution also provides localized content and Olympic Games information, results and updates, and is capable of providing location based offers. The mobile solution provides complete integrated control of TVs, lighting, AC and many other audio-visual and in-room functions as well as serving as the room key. The service will initially be available to VIPs staying at the Holiday Inn London Stratford City and see 40 rooms at the hotel equipped with the hospitality solution.
“As a hotel visitor, you not only expect to have all the services you need at your fingertips, but you want to be able to take full advantage of them in a way that is effortless simple and intuitively smart,” said Bumcoo Cho, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Business Team, Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics., Samsung. “Working with market specialists such as Fingi, we are enabling businesses to use the power of the GALAXY S III to transform the experience they can deliver to their customers. This project with fellow London 2012 Olympic Games partner Holiday Inn allows us both to bring to life our Olympic Games experience in a way that has never been seen before.”
“The next few weeks in London will see records broken, experiences shared and an Olympic Family come together,” said Chris Hale, IHG Head of London 2012. “In offering the first truly connected hospitality experience for our Olympic Games guests, we are working with Samsung to enhance and personalize the hotel guest experience by using the latest GALAXY S III smartphone. As the Games open, we’re excited to be part of what promise to be the most connected Olympic Games ever.”
The project at the Holiday Inn London Stratford City is the first time this hospitality industry solution has been seen outside Asia. It builds on a successful deployment by Samsung and Fingi at the Aloft Hotel in Bangkok, which was the first to offer the new in-room technology, powered by the GALAXY S II and Fingi technology.
The combination of travel industry products and services on the Samsung GALAXY S III smartphone are a new and revolutionary solution for hospitality properties through an integrated customer-branded platform for smart-room technologies, communications, mobile voice and data solutions with on-site amenities and services. The Holiday Inn guests will access these services using the app on the Samsung GALAXY S III smartphone, integrating into existing hotel property management, point of sale, and PBX systems, increasing guest satisfaction and operational efficiency. Using a familiar smartphone experience on the Samsungs GALAXY S III smartphone, the products and services will bring revenue generation to in-room technology at the Holiday Inn.
“Samsung has the vision of leveraging our Olympic and Paralympic Games sponsorship to leave a lasting legacy in the market for the Hospitality industry and consumers. We are not only breaking new ground for Olympic partnerships, we are committed to enabling consumers to connect with mobile and services for 2012 and beyond,” said Seokpil Kim, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics Europe.
Samsung is the official worldwide Olympic partner for mobile communications, providing wireless telecommunications equipment to the Olympic Family to support the operations of staging the Olympic Games. With its wireless telecommunications equipment, Samsung also helps Olympic athletes share their experiences with family and friends around the world. Samsung's commitment to the Olympic Games is one of the company's most significant efforts in promoting international goodwill. Samsung became a Worldwide Olympic Partner when it joined the TOP Programme in 1997 under the category of wireless telecommunications equipment.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 206,000 people in 197 offices across 72 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world’s most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
For more information on Samsung Enterprise Mobility solutions, please visit http://www.samsungmobileb2b.com
About IHG
IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global organisation with nine hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites®, as well as our two newest brands, EVEN™ Hotels and HUALUXE™ Hotels & Resorts. IHG also manages Priority Club® Rewards, the world’s first and largest hotel loyalty programme with over 65 million members worldwide.
IHG franchises, leases, manages or owns over 4,500 hotels and more than 661,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories. With more than 1,000 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG expects to recruit around 90,000 people into additional roles across its estate over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
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