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Technology Stocks : Elastic Networks: ELAS (Nasdaq) ELAS -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: W. Randy Gast who wrote (112)	11/13/2000 8:46:00 AM
From: Condor	Respond to of 173

(Applies to: MAR MSFT ELAS) Meyer Jabara Hotels Chooses Everest Broadband's FastRoom High-Speed Internet And Broadband Applications FORT LEE, N.J., Nov 13, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Meyer Jabara Hotels has selected FastRoom(TM) from Everest Broadband Networks to supply its owned and managed properties with high-speed Internet and other broadband services in guest and meeting rooms. The 23-property Meyer Jabara Hotels includes Holiday Inn, Sheraton, Marriott Courtyard, Hampton, Hilton, and Ramada flags. Everest is a rapidly growing leader in high-speed Internet and network applications to hotels and multi-tenant unit office buildings. The deal was negotiated by the Hospitality Technology Consortium, LLC, a Danbury, CT-based organization which assists its member properties in the selection of emerging technologies and aggregates member buying power for the purchase of products and services. Meyer Jabara Hotels is a member of the Hotel Technology Consortium. For hotel guests and meeting participants in Meyer Jabara properties, FastRoom from Everest features Internet access at up to 100 times the speed of a dial-up modem and easy access to e-mail, hotel services and amenities. FastRoom is easy to use - guests simply plug their laptop into the system's dataport - and it does not interfere with guest use of in-room telephones. Powerful applications for the meeting room include Interactive Learning, Web-casting, high-speed downloading of presentations, and support for collaborative tools like Microsoft's NetMeeting(R). Meyer Jabara cited several reasons for choosing Everest from among five top competitors. Among them was Everest's ability to deploy FastRoom rapidly. Because FastRoom is sold and serviced exclusively through a channel of hospitality-focused distributors, installations can be completed within 90 days compared to the 150 to 365 days often required by other vendors who sell direct. Another key reason for selecting Everest was its ability to deliver targeted, customized content and to allow hotels to flexibly manage prices in guest and meeting rooms. FastRoom allows hotels to target customized Web content to specified meeting rooms, guests, room types and/or properties. Individual hotels also have complete control over how guests are charged. The hotel may set rates by property, room type, or individual guest. Finally, Everest's unique cost/revenue modeling tool, which includes Everest's own cost information, allows each property or chain to select and monitor financial arrangements best suited to both their guest and meeting rooms (revenue share, fee-based, or a combination). Meyer Jabara chose a fee-based approach in guest rooms and a revenue sharing scheme in meeting rooms that evenly splits net profit after cost thresholds are met. "After looking at the numbers, we found that this arrangement made much more sense for us financially," says Richard Jabara of Meyer Jabara. "And with Everest's modeling tool, our properties can 'Web-in' and keep track of how well their FastRoom service is performing and see exactly when they'll turn a profit." The FastRoom product combines a powerful new broadband delivery platform from Atreus Systems with CAT 5 or next generation EtherLoop(TM) Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) technology from Elastic Networks. The highly flexible Atreus platform allows Everest to remotely manage all of its hotel customers from Everest's centralized Network Operations Center (NOC) by accessing a current copy of the hotel's database stored within the NOC. The Atreus platform also offers customized applications, portal content, and billing options for each hotel or group of hotels. Elastic Networks' EtherLoop(TM) DSL technology utilizes existing copper wire infrastructure, so that no additional cabling expenditure is required and installation causes a minimum of disruption to hotel operations. "This is another major step for Everest," said Dayna Kully, vice president of Everest's Hospitality Group. "It validates our strategy of working with owners to optimize profits for both the hotel and for Everest and it puts us in the top tier of high-speed Internet access providers to the hotel industry. We believe that our win-win approach, backed by the financing and support to deliver our services quickly is the new model for high-speed Internet in the hotel industry." About Everest Broadband Networks Everest Broadband Networks brings high-speed Internet, advanced broadband applications, and telephone and video services to the hospitality market as well as to occupants of multi-tenant office and residential buildings. To the hospitality market, Everest offers high-speed Internet and customized Web applications in guest and meeting rooms. In order to reach the sizable market of hotel chains and franchised properties throughout North America, Everest offers its services exclusively through a distribution channel of well-established providers of hotel technology and telecommunications services. For more information about Everest Broadband Networks, visit www.everestbroadband.com, contact us at hospitality@everestbroadband.com or call 1-888-686-9779. CONTACT: Daly Gray Public Relations Jerry Daly, 703/435-6293 or Everest Broadband Networks Mike Granieri, 800/918-1900 x435