Real-Time Flight Info Helps Westin Tampa Bay Guests Counter Unpredictable Holiday Airline Schedules

12/22/2009

Travelers appreciate it anytime when hotels provide real-time airline flight information to help them plan when to go to the airport to board their flights, but the service is winning special praise from families with children who are vacationing this holiday season.

That is the experience Westin Tampa Bay is having with the Flyte Systems solutions it implemented in its lobby and guest rooms when it opened this year. "We cater to business travelers most of the year," says Ron Alicandro, general manager of the Four Diamond, 255-room property on the waterfront just two miles from the Tampa International Airport. "Airport travel information proves its value again and again to those guests, but the families traveling to this Florida destination over the holidays are especially appreciative of the service."

Unpredictable holiday airline schedules
Holiday travel is different from the rest of the year. The primary concern of the business traveler is making connections and arriving on time. But with families on holiday, the stakes are higher, one has the welfare and comfort of one's children to consider. The Flyte Systems solutions play an important role in meeting that need.

Winter weather makes holiday flight schedules unpredictable and children are not as accustomed to waiting in airports as their parents might be, so being able to check on changing flight departure times in the comfort of the hotel is a helpful service. "About a third of our guests arrive from the airport and we wanted to provide an amenity that families and business travelers would value, particularly during the busy holiday season when we have a large number of leisure family travelers," say Alicandro. "Guests can verify their flights schedules on a large FlyteBoard digital signage monitor strategically located in our lobby, or on their guest room television with the FlyteChannel service from Flyte Systems. They tell us our flight service helps them plan their trips with confidence and avoid long waits at the airport."

With rooms beginning on the seventh floor and each one offering water views, The Westin Tampa Bay is the newest and brightest full-service property in Tampa. According to Alicandro, the Flyte Systems service is a particular "wow" for family members who are not as accustomed to travel as their business counterparts. "Many guests have not seen anything like the FlyteBoard before and as we want to offer the very best to our guests, Flyte Systems is an important part of achieving this goal. It helps relieve the stress of family holiday travel and, we hope, keep our vacationing guests coming back in future years."

Real-time flight information
What sets Flyte Systems apart from PC-based applications is the ability to post accurate, real-time airline flight arrival and departure information, not FAA-regulated scheduled departure times that do not list delays caused by air traffic control, aircraft maintenance, crew availability and weather.

Flyte Systems offers a suite of products that serve the traveling public: FlyteBoard, FlytePass, FlyteChannel and FlyteTouch.Ã•

FlyteBoard is a wall, floor or ceiling mounted high-definition, flat panel screen for lobbies, restaurants, bars and other public areas, displaying flight information for one or more airports.
FlytePass combines FlyteTouch with free, secure boarding pass printing and can be provided stand alone or neatly packaged in an optional all wood kiosk or integrated metal kiosk, to match your décor.
FlyteChannel permits guests to view live airport flight information conveniently and comfortably from their in-room television.
FlyteTouch enables individual guests to search flight information using an interactive touch screen that displays real-time flight arrivals and departures for one or more airports.

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