Through this agreement, Percipia will sell Guest Tek’s GlobalNet, GlobalMeeting and GlobalAdmin solutions to its international customer base.  The companies will also cooperate in the development of new technologies to advance the state of the art of high speed guest room internet access and will co-market their advanced communications solutions both in the U.S. and internationally.

“Our customers have been asking us for high speed internet access,” said Tim Rocco, president and CEO of Percipia.  “We evaluated the alternatives and felt that Guest Tek offers the best combination of features and performance.  We also found them to be an entrepreneurial technology company like us with a great ‘can-do’ attitude.  It’s a natural match.”

According to Hari Kesavan, chief technical officer of Percipia, Guest Tek’s unique spoofing technology guarantees that more guests will be able to access the service.  “They’ve been seeing success rates of 85% to 95%,” Kesavan said.  “There’s not much point in offering internet access if only 45% to 55% can successfully use it.  We think that’s one of the reasons why guest usage rates have been stagnant for the past year.”

“We’re extremely excited about the opportunities presented by this partnership,” said Arnon Levy, president of Guest Tek.  “Percipia has a great reputation with its customers and is known in the industry for its technological abilities and its systematic, quality-oriented business approach.  Most of all, we’re excited by the depth and audacity of their vision of hotel communication technology.”

According to Rocco, Percipia will offer Guest Tek’s internet access products for sale or lease rather than on a revenue sharing basis.  “Our target customers see technology as a strategic asset for attracting and keeping guests, for differentiating their properties and their companies and for improving operating efficiency.  They want to retain full control of the customer relationship instead of handing it over to a disinterested third party just to save some money up front.  Our customers understand that the guest relationship is their most important asset and they’re willing to make prudent investments to safeguard it.”

Erik Anderson, vice president of channel development for Guest Tek, said that the ground rules of the high speed internet access business are changing.  “When the technology appeared on the hotel scene a couple of years ago, “ said Anderson, “revenue sharing seemed like the way to go.  But the business models haven’t panned out and many companies are struggling.  In addition, customers are beginning to think about the flexibility and control they give up with ‘free’ solutions.”  According to Anderson, part of the attraction of the partnership with Percipia is that the two companies see eye-to-eye on the strategic role of technology solutions.

Percipia, Inc.
Established in 1992 as ICSS, privately held Percipia Inc. of Gahanna Ohio, USA, is the hotel industry’s next-generation communication company, helping its customers make the transition to the communication technologies of the 21st century and the dramatic benefits they can bring in the areas of cost control, operating efficiency and strategic advantage.  

Guest Tek Interactive Entertainment, Inc. of Calgary Alberta, Canada 
Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment Ltd. ("Guest-Tek") is a technology company that provides turnkey broadband Internet & e-commerce solutions to businesses servicing the mobile marketplace, with a proven track record providing plug-and-play high-speed Internet access to business travelers at hotels throughout North America.

Guest-Tek's solutions - through partnerships with such suppliers as IBM Global Services, Intel Corp. and Lucent Technologies Ltd. - have been adopted as a solution of choice by the hospitality industry. Guest-Tek is a private corporation registered in Alberta since 1996. Guest-Tek is venture-financed by LaunchWorks Inc. and others.