In-Room Flight Info Aids Snow-Bound Travelers at Crowne Plaza Dulles
Record-breaking snows created challenging conditions for travelers in the mid-Atlantic region last week. Washington DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia reported more than two feet of snow. Snowbound airports resumed limited operations last Thursday but many flights were still canceled or delayed. Guests at the Crowne Plaza Dulles Airport, located just two miles from the Capital's busiest airport, fared better than many grounded travelers thanks to the hotel's in-room flight status information channel.
According to general manager David Welliver, CHA, "Our hotel is in the business of providing guests with tools to make their travel safe and pleasant, but none of our guests were prepared for the recent four-day blizzard. Fortunately, we have a guestroom television channel from Flyte Systems dedicated to real-time airline flight information from Washington Dulles International so guests could track their flight delays with some confidence. This information kept them safely at the hotel until they were sure they could get a flight out." Flyte Systems is the leading provider of airport travel information displays and digital signage content for the hospitality industry, digital signage, convention centers and related businesses.
"We had 350 grounded guests confined to the hotel most of last week, but they were able to monitor their flight status from their rooms, and this cut down on calls to the front desk," says Welliver. "Our Houlihan's outlet in the lobby did a lot of business because guests stayed on property rather than wait-out the delay in a crowded boarding area." Welliver said. "FlyteChannel is a win-win. Guests stay safe out of the weather with a full knowledge of when their flight will be rescheduled; and the property gains added revenue from providing services to snowed-in guests."
It is easy for an experienced airport hotel manager to understand the value of real-time flight status information to travelers. "There is no learning curve with this technology; it is highly valued by our guests â╬€å" no one took it for granted last week," says Welliver. "This is a valuable service for guests that has a low cost."
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 weather, air traffic control, aircraft maintenance, and crew availability.
Flyte Systems offers a suite of products that serve the traveling public: FlyteBoard, FlytePass, FlyteChannel and FlyteTouch.
- 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 any 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.
Many hotel properties also use Flyte Systems' applications to increase revenue with innovative marketing approaches for distressed travelers.