Expedate Registers With Royal Lahaina Resort
Guests at Maui's Royal Lahaina Resort will no longer have to wait in line to check-in thanks to an innovative electronic registration system developed by ExpeData. The resort is the first in Hawaii to use this creative registration solution for a process which historically has been a time consuming manual procedure.
In making the announcement, Melody Jones, regional director of information systems for Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Royal Lahaina, says, "Our guests feel like royalty with this very personalized, convenient service. The entire check-in occurs in the comfort of their room in a matter of seconds, allowing them to start their vacation immediately, by-passing the Front Desk all together."
Jones notes the resort has even registered guests on the golf course and upon arrival at Maui's airports in private jets. She explains, "The exceptionally mobile ExpeData Digital Writing Platform is a true breakthrough and allows our Guest Services Agents to remotely capture all of the necessary registration and credit card information, as well as, the guest's signature.
"A special ballpoint pen with a tiny camera in the tip is used to electronically capture the handwritten information and securely route it via cell phone into our reservation system. No more waiting in line for our guests. No more manual data inputting for our staff."
The pen accurately records the handwritten information on forms containing a micro-printed dot background. This dot background, invented by the Swedish technology company Anoto, functions as a positioning matrix, which tells the pen exactly where it is writing on the paper.
The handwriting is securely transmitted to the ExpeData Digital Writing Platform (EDWP) via the Sprint wireless network, where the captured information is converted into handwriting. The handwriting is then changed into text using a series of sophisticated handwriting interpretation engines, leveraging a patent pending artificial intelligence program.
The combination can read legible handwriting with very high accuracy. The EDWP then outputs digital image files, e.g., PDF, TIF, GIF, and formatted XML files. "It's like magic watching the handwriting turned into useful data before our eyes," says Jones.
Credit card information is also gathered remotely, when the card is swiped using the AirCharge scanning device attached to a Motorola i615 phone.
Guests are impressed with the personal attention, efficiency, and interesting use of technology. This system was originally introduced in 2004 in other industries such as healthcare, field service, banking, and other financial services. "The Royal Lahaina is the first in the hospitality industry to apply this proven system to its business," comments Doug Patterson, general manager for ExpeData. "The customer experience is greatly enhanced and, at the same time, the resort's operations are more streamlined and efficient."
For more information visit online at www.royallahaina.net
About Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts
Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts, which owns and operates the Royal Lahaina Resort and the Royal Kona Resort, is a division of Pleasant Travel Service, a family-owned company headquartered in Newbury Park, CA. Pleasant Travel Service has helped over five millions guests create unforgettable vacation memories in Hawaii since 1959. For additional information, visit the Hawaiian Hotels & Resorts website at www.hawaiihotels.com.
About ExpeData, LLC
ExpeData is the global leader in digital writing through the use of the ExpeData Digital Writing Platform and the technology developed by Swedish company Anoto. The ExpeData platform allows immediate capture, transfer, and interpretation of handwritten data from mobile users and routes it back to the company's systems.
SOURCE: ExpeData, LLC