| BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 2, 1999 - It’s no easy task coordinating
a year-long, $100 million-dollar renovation of the largest hotel and convention
complex in Washington, D.C. Especially considering this hotel boasts 173,000
square feet of meeting space, 1340 guestrooms, and five dining areas—all
spread across a vast 16-acre facility. But today’s successful grand opening
of the newly renovated Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is due in some part
to the wireless communication capabilities provided by Nextel Communications
Inc. One hundred twenty five Nextel digital phones facilitated instant
communication among hotel staff, construction contractors and hotel engineers
throughout the renovation.
Using Nextel’s palm-sized all-in-one digital phone, text/numeric pager,
and digital two-way radio, Marriott Wardman ensured that those critical
to the project had instant access to one another. With Nextel’s Direct
Connect® feature, more than a hundred workers were able to communicate
at the push of a button, streamlining the time to complete this enormously
complex undertaking.
Now that the Marriott Wardman is officially complete, the hotel has
outfitted its staff with an additional 150 Nextel phones, for a total of
275. The Nextel system will play a pivotal role in the hotel’s communication
infrastructure and guest support.
Hotel guests hosting convention and meeting events will be loaned Nextel
digital phones, allowing them to be in constant contact with Marriott Wardman
personnel throughout the sprawling facility, and enable hotel guests to
instantly alert Marriott personnel at the push of a button. James
Karson, senior convention service manager at Marriott Wardman, has been
using the Nextel system for the past year. “I can get things done in microseconds,
so this is a huge benefit,” said Karson. He added, “When guest convention
planners ask us to do something, they get confirmation that it was done
while we’re right in front of them. Our guests are simply wowed.”
“We wanted to ensure that Marriott guests are on the winning side of
the telecommunications revolution,” said Senior Vice President of Marriott’s
Mid- Atlantic region John Marriott. “To us, that means utilizing technology
to create an enhanced level of communication between the guest and our
staff.” “This is a great example of a how a company like Marriott, which
prides itself on customer satisfaction, is looking for new methods to deliver
a superb experience,” said Bob Johnson, president of Nextel Mid-Atlantic.
“Nextel’s technology makes it possible for Marriott guests to have their
hotel and convention needs met instantly, and we’re honored to play a part
in the success of the renovation and future customer satisfaction of this
flagship hotel.”
 Nextel
Communications, Inc., based in Reston, Va., is the leading provider of
fully integrated wireless communications and has built the largest guaranteed
all-digital wireless network in the United States covering thousands of
communities across the United States. Nextel and Nextel Partners, Inc.,
currently serve 92 of the top 100 U.S. markets. The Nextel National Network
offers a fully integrated wireless communications tool with digital cellular,
text/numeric paging and Nextel Direct Connect® -- a digital two- way
radio feature. In addition, through Nextel International, Inc., Nextel
has wireless operations and investments in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil,
the Philippines, Peru, Japan and Shanghai, China.
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