NASHVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - Jun 20, 2013) - Increasing business and leisure traveler expectations for connectivity and access to information wherever they go and stay has created opportunities for hotels and resorts in every segment to distinguish themselves from the competition by providing seamless service in a consistent, trusted way.
Given the spectrum of digital touch points in any hotel -- fixed and mobile, from public-access computers to digital signs and interactive kiosks -- hotel operators face a daunting technological and managerial challenge to ensure the information they present is up to date, consistent with brand standards and that guests using their equipment are protected from online threats.
This task is beyond the capability of most individual operators and expensive for those that attempt to deal with it on their own. Enter Uniguest Inc., a leading technology provider to the global hospitality industry based in Nashville. Uniguest provides an integrated package of hardware, software, content and support to help hoteliers deliver a consistent connectivity experience to their guests that protects their privacy and data.
Total Content and Device Management
Uniguest calls this approach "total content and device management," meaning it provides an end-to-end strategy from a single source for managing information and devices on property, whether powered by Apple, Android or Microsoft operating systems. That includes designing the system architecture, developing software, procuring equipment, deploying systems, managing everything remotely, analyzing usage and supporting systems with 24/7 service.
"It's not the device or screen that matters most; it's about delivering relevant and timely information and having a robust platform that manages content and pushes it to any mobile or fixed device," said John Bearden, Uniguest chief executive officer. "Our highly integrated system of proven software elements comprise the Uniguest Platform. It's our secret sauce."
(Bearden and other members of the Uniguest senior leadership team will be available to discuss the company's products and services at HITEC 2013, the world's largest hospitality technology exposition, to be held June 24-27 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Uniguest's booth number is 1437.)
A Diversified Product Line
Uniguest's product line includes:
- U-Mobile, a comprehensive, mobile device management solution for property-owned tablets and smartphones.
- U-Print, a secure mobile printing service that enables guests and employees alike to print documents from their smartphones, tablets and personal computers.
- U-Local concierge station that provides information on all points of local interest on a 24/7 basis without the need for full-time staff.
- U-Table, an Internet-enabled work surface designed to enhance productivity and social interaction.
- U-Connect business centers with public-access computers displaying content available in 18 of the most widely spoken languages that can be customized with multiple languages and currencies, date and time formats and specialized Internet content filtering.
- U-Sign digital information boards that provide up-to-the-second information including meetings and events, flight status, menus and weather.
- Boarding Pass Stations, where guests can securely check into flights and print boarding passes.
- Specialty printing for custom menus, guest directories, door hangers, name badges, room keys, folders and stationery, banners, posters and signs, all either fully managed or ad-supported.
The Uniguest Platform
Uniguest's proprietary integrated platform features three key elements -- Unicore™, Secured Advantage™ and U-Crew™ -- that function together to ensure a consistent, flexible, secure and reliable connectivity experience.
Unicore™ delivers relevant and timely information presented in a way that is consistent and supportive of each hotel's respective branding and business standards. Unicore enables hotel and brand management the ability to make a content update and populate the entire system within moments.
Unicore™ is fully compatible with the Windows 8, Android and Apple OS X and iOS operating systems.
The privacy and security of patrons who use Uniguest public-access computers in business centers and kiosks are protected by Secured Advantage™, a proprietary Uniguest product that ensures each digital touch point is used only for its intended purpose and is insulated from cyber-security threats, viruses and malware, all to protect users' privacy and data security.
Uniguest installations are supported by U-Crew™, a certified, extensively trained multilingual, U.S.-based, in-house technical support team that is available 24/7 to ensure equipment and software functions as intended and expected.
"Our expertise in total device management and information delivery solutions enable companies to effectively communicate with their audiences on any device, anywhere at any time," Bearden said. "We remind ourselves every day that while our clients' business is their customers, our business is keeping them connected to our clients."
Uniguest's Scope, History and Long-Term Clients
Uniguest enjoys a 27-year track record as a strategic partner with the hospitality industry. The company has exclusive relationships with Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International and Choice Hotels International, among others, and manages more than 12,000 public-use computers and devices, information kiosks and digital signs for 7,000 clients in 29 countries. By 2015, Uniguest expects its systems to be deployed in every Hilton-branded property, giving it representation in nearly half of the U.S. full-service segment.
The company was established in 1986 as U.S. Hospitality, marketing advertising-based, in-room guest directories. In 2005 the company introduced free public-access personal computers in hotels. U.S. Hospitality acquired Uniguest in 2009 and adopted the name for the combined corporate entity. In 2010 the company acquired pay-per-use contracts from Showcase Technology and was awarded the single-source mandate contract for the Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand worldwide.
Uniguest's clients also include the following brands: aloft, Autograph Collection Hotels, Best Western, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Hampton, Hard Rock Hotel, Holiday Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hotel Indigo, Hyatt, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels & Resorts Radisson, Red Roof Inn, Ramada, Ritz Carlton, Sheraton Hotel, Sleep Inn, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Super 8, Marriott, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, among many others.
Authorized Reseller for Major Hardware Brands
Uniguest is an authorized reseller for Apple OS X and iOS devices, Samsung and Acer Android tablets, Microsoft Windows 8 tablets, Lenovo desktop and laptop computers and tablets, Dell desktop and laptop computers and printers and Hewlett-Packard printers.