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DALLAS, Aug. 10, 1998 - Voice Control Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq: VCSI), the leading international supplier of speech recognition-based
auto attendants, and The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston, a leader of deluxe
hotel guest services, today announced that they have successfully integrated
Pure ReQuest!(TM) with the hotel's property management system (PMS). This
system integration represents phase two of the first-ever, speech-driven
automated attendant for the hospitality industry. Pure ReQuest! allows
callers to be transferred to any guest, staff member or hotel department
they want by simply saying the name. The call is transferred quickly and
automatically without the caller having to ask an operator for a guest's
room number or for the extension number
of a hotel service. Pure ReQuest! uses VCS's natural speech capabilities and an intuitive user interface to automatically answer and direct telephone calls with the same courtesy and convenience as a human receptionist. Because it interfaces directly with the hotel's PMS, Pure ReQuest!'s internal names database is automatically updated when a new guest is entered into the check-in system. This enables Pure ReQuest! to change dynamically as the hotel's guest register changes. Enhanced call handling is also available to the guests and employees of the hotel. Guests simply push the room to room option on their room telephone and speak the name of the registered guest or service they want; Pure ReQuest! then transfers the call. Since its initial installation, Pure ReQuest! has been used to automate all of Royal Sonesta's administrative calls 24 hours a day and 7 days per week. With the completion of the PMS integration, Royal Sonesta has expanded usage of Pure ReQuest! by offering enhanced call handling to their guests and outside callers. "We chose to integrate Pure ReQuest! because it fit well with our corporate philosophy of providing uncompromising personal service," said Alfred Groos, general manager, Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston. "With VCS we have increased the speed of call processing within the hotel, and we continue to pursue technology that keeps us at the forefront of our industry and this provides our guests with the convenience this technology brings." "Royal Sonesta has once again proven that they are dedicated to continuously improving guest services by implementing innovative conveniences," said Rene Thibault, vice president of sales and marketing for Pure ReQuest!, Voice Control Systems. "With this enhancement to Pure ReQuest! the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston is able to provide superior services while reducing operating costs." The Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston is a 400-room luxury hotel located on the banks of the Charles River offering spectacular views of the Boston skyline. The Royal Sonesta has 300 employees and features a full service health club with an atrium style indoor/outdoor pool with retractable roof, a locally recognized concierge staff and an award winning catering staff with state-of- the-art technology and extensive banquet facilities. Sonesta International Hotel Corporation (Nasdaq: SNSTA), based in Boston, operates a collection of 15 upscale hotels and resorts and 2 Nile cruise ships. Voice Control Systems is a leader in speech applications and technology,
offering vocabularies in over 50 languages with more than 2.5 million recognizers,
including over 500,000 in telecom, installed in 30 countries. Speech-driven
applications using VCS products are used today in telecommunications, automotive,
consumer electronics, and interactive multimedia software to enable computers
and electronic devices to understand and process human speech. VCS is headquartered
in Dallas, Texas, with regional offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, San
Jose, California and Portsmouth, England. The company's stock is traded
on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol VCSI.
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Profile: Tim Dempsey, the executive chef at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA |