FCS i-Guest with OpenWays Mobile Key Has Power to Drive Mobile Hospitality Strategy for Hotels

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, June 20, 2013 (Press-News.org) A groundbreaking integration between two of the hospitality industry's most innovative guest-service solutions has now been certified by both technology partners and is set to make its official debut to the global hospitality market at HITEC 2013.

i-Guest with Mobile Key—the result of a partnership between OpenWays, the leader in mobile-based access-management and security solutions, and FCS Computer Systems, a leading global provider of comprehensive hospitality guest services applications and solution design services—is enhancing mobile travel experiences for guests and improving bottom lines for hotels. FCS i-Guest, the most comprehensive guest self-service mobile application on the market, now features OpenWays' Mobile Key embedded inside, making for an incredibly convenient, personal and stress-free guest arrival process.

Both FCS and OpenWays are showcasing the integrated solution at HITEC 2013 in Minneapolis, June 25th - 27th. For a demo of FCS i-Guest with OpenWays Mobile Key, please visit FCS at Booth 1115 and OpenWays at Booth 1324.

OpenWays streamlines the hotel arrival process by harnessing the power of mobile technology and using its triple-play technology platform including Crypto Acoustic Credential (CAC ), Pure NFC, and RFID to enable guests to skip the traditional check-in process and open their room doors using any of the 6.5 billion mobile phones in the world—all makes, models and mobile networks.

The FCS i-Guest app with OpenWays Mobile Key built in is a unique smartphone application that lets users access hotel information, room reservation details, local attractions, restaurants, and other amenities—including going straight to their room upon arrival and unlocking their doors. After check-in, they can also make service requests, listen to voicemails left in their room, see text messages from the front office, place in-room dining orders, view their membership points and the recommended redemptions, and perform express check-outs without having to wait in line at the front desk. From an operations perspective, the joint solution reduces the need for hotels to purchase, issue and dispose of plastic keycards, saving time and labor costs, and significantly helping the environment.

The joint technology integration of FCS i-Guest with OpenWays Mobile Key is jump-starting hotels' mobile strategies by ensuring that the property's guest-facing mobile apps are indeed being used, not simply downloaded and forgotten, as is the case with other guest service mobile apps on the market. In fact, one of the biggest challenges facing hoteliers regarding mobile strategy is keeping guest-service apps prominently displayed on the user's home screen. The powerful utility of Mobile Key helps to ensure that i-Guest avoids relegation to the forgotten corners of a mobile device.

"Because Mobile Key resides on the i-Guest app and is used multiple times during the guest's hotel stay, it keeps the full arsenal of hotel services available on i-Guest front-of-mind with guests," says Akina Ho, FCS vice president of strategy and global business development. "This makes it easier for guests to engage with the hotel, improve two-way communications and provide more incentive to interact with the hotel and its departments."

Michael Cohen, senior VP of business development for OpenWays agrees, adding, "FCS i-Guest is the 'Swiss army knife' of hospitality guest technologies, offering a wide array of easily accessible services at the guests' fingertips. In that context, it's easy to think of Mobile Key as an impactful and valuable tool within the overall utility. The i-Guest with Mobile Key solution takes root from the moment it is deployed and enables hoteliers to really grow their mobile strategy and generate significant return on investment."

With Mobile Key by OpenWays on i-Guest, travelers who opt in for Mobile Key are given all the information they need to access their room. Guests press an "unlock" button in i-Guest to receive a virtual and secure mobile room key to unlock the room door. Mobile Key by OpenWays does not require hotels to purchase new locking systems as it upgrades the major electronic-locking systems on the market today.

i-Guest with Mobile Key allows for improved hotel operations efficiencies by reducing the number of transactions processed by front desk agents and allows for the reallocation of staff to where they are needed most.

About FCS | Founded in 1982, FCS is a comprehensive hospitality technology solutions and services provider, with an extensive portfolio of integrated products used by more than 4,000 hotels with over 8,000 installations in 32 countries. FCS Mobile Applications are available on guests' own mobile devices, as well as the hotel's devices, allowing convenient access to hotel information and services. These services are managed through five web-based guest serving applications, including e-Connect, e-Engineering, e-Housekeeping, e-Concierge and e-Recovery. These applications all seamlessly integrate with the hotel's PMS and other third-party systems via FCS Gateways products; Unicorn and Phoenix. For more information, please visit http://www.fcscs.com.

About OpenWays | OpenWays is a global solutions provider of mobile-based access-management and security solutions. With offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seoul and in Europe, OpenWays provides technology solutions allowing for the secure issuance and delivery of access rights and keys processed via any cell phone operating on any network. The OpenWays solution is truly unique as it is built on the concept of credential dematerialization. The OpenWays mobile room key solution works on ALL the 6.5 billion cell phones in service in the world today. For more information, please contact Barb Worcester at +1 440 930-5770 or email barbw@prproconsulting.com. More information can be found by visiting http://www.OpenWays.com.