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Orlando, Fla. – (June 15, 2005). The world’s
largest hospitality destination has proved a fertile testing ground
for Ascenda, Inc., the hospitality technology firm that developed
the world’s most affordable, most efficient touch-screen
guest accommodations system for middle-market hospitality properties.
Gaidi Hartage, president of Ascenda, said the firm got its start
at the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator, and
credits the world renowned Rosen College of Hospitality Management
at UCF for sparking development of its touch-screen guest accommodations
system.
Ascenda will be a major exhibitor at the Hospitality Industry
Technology Expo and Conference (HITEC) in Los Angeles June 20-23,
Booth 655 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
“We live in the number one hospitality market in the world
and we have developed the premier digital guest accommodations
system in the hospitality industry,” said Hartage.
Ascenda’s Express Guest TM system offers a standalone kiosk
that’s packed with user-friendly technology designed for
middle-market hospitality and time-share properties, Hartage explained.
“We designed Express Guest as a turnkey amenity with full
technical support for properties that don’t have full-time
IT people on staff,” Hartage said.
“Express Guest is simple to install and set up”, Hartage
explained. “We provide all systems integration, all the upfront
technology work, and ongoing support as well. The system is easy
to use and maintain,” he added.
Ascenda’s secret is its web-based application, which permits
cost-effective system upgrades and supports a wide range of management
alerts that permit monitoring of transactions, including guest
check-in and check-out. “Guests can retrieve their reservations
and check in and check out in a matter of seconds,” said
Hartage.
Ascenda recently integrated with an electronic ticketing system
called ceIris®, developed by Cygnus eTransactions Group, Inc.
The Cygnus system will enable guests that purchased online to pick
up tickets for theme parks, attractions, shows, sporting events,
and resort activities at Express Guest Kiosks, providing a new
level of customer service and convenience. “Cygnus, also
a local company, works extensively with major theme parks, water
parks, resorts, and attractions all over the United States, including
Cedar Fair’s theme parks,” Hartage said.
Hartage said Ascenda’s national exposure at HITEC, one of
the world’s foremost hospitality technology trade shows,
will give the firm a big boost. “We are well known in the
Orlando hospitality industry, and we’d like to be just as
well-known nationwide,” Hartage said. “Our product
competes favorably with enormously expensive, complex systems in
use in most of the luxury hotels nationwide, and we are targeting
independent and middle-market properties,” Hartage said.
For more information, contact:
Gaidi Hartage, President, Ascenda, Inc. 407-841-7804.
Carol Ann Dykes, Chief Operating Officer, UCF Technology Incubator,
407.882.0202
Tom O’Neal, Chief Executive Officer, UCF Technology Incubator,
407.882.0202
Larry Vershel or Beth Payan, LV Communications Inc. 407.644.4142.
About Ascenda
Ascenda, (formerly Ascendovations) was founded in February 2001,
with a mission of delivering innovative real-time solutions for
marketing, sales, production lines and customer service. Using
web based technology, Ascenda provides companies with practical,
viable strategies to reach customers and improve business through
applications development, customized software development, and
software integration that makes connecting to legacy systems easy
and affordable. http://www.ascendainc.com
About Cygnus eTransactions Group, Inc. (OTCBB: CYGT)
Cygnus is a transaction-driven company that processes sales and payments for
its customers' wholesale and retail channels. Working primarily with customers
in the leisure and entertainment industry, the Company provides proprietary
technologies that enable its customers' eCommerce, ticket office, call center
and kiosk sales. In addition to online, point-of-sale and self-service solutions,
Cygnus also provides electronic ticket fulfillment via Cygnus' proprietary
print-at-home and kiosk technologies, admission control systems, stored value
cards and integrated payment processing.
About the UCF Technology Incubator
Since its founding in 1999, the UCF Technology Incubator has helped
more than 80 emerging technology companies create over $180 million
in revenue and more than 600 new jobs with an average salary of
$59,000. As a result of this success, the UCF Technology
Incubator was recently named the 2004 Technology Incubator of the
Year by the National Business Incubation Association. Headquartered
in Research Park near the University, the Incubator is a true collaboration
in economic development between UCF, Orange County, the City of
Orlando the Florida High Tech Corridor Council and the Metro Orlando
Economic Development Commission. For more information, please
visit http://www.incubator.ucf.edu
ceIris is a registered trademark of Cygnus eTransactions
Group, Inc.
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