BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) today rolled out its first GoThere Virtual Meetings studios at the New York Marriott East Side Hotel and Bethesda North Marriott Hotel near Washington, D.C. GoThere Virtual Meetings are part of a roll-out of AT&T TelePresence Solution, using Cisco TelePresence(TM) studios enabled by AT&T network and the AT&T Business Exchange at Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels and Renaissance Hotels around the world.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100127/NE44826 )
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090217/MARRIOTTINTLLOGO )
Key Facts / Highlights:
-- Marriott is the first major global hotel company to offer Cisco
TelePresence meeting options with the AT&T network to its customers in
locations worldwide.
-- The first GoThere Virtual Meetings studios are now open at the New York
Marriott East Side and the Bethesda North Marriott just outside
Washington, D.C. Marriott plans to expand to 25 hotels around the world
in the first phase. The next hotels to offer GoThere Virtual Meetings
will be Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel; JW Marriott Hong Kong;
Renaissance Sao Paulo; JW Marriott Marquis Miami; Renaissance
Washington, D.C.; Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway; and Dallas/Fort
Worth Airport Marriott with more to follow.
-- Marriott's corporate customers told the company they would hold more
meetings at its hotels if an appealing virtual meeting option was
available. GoThere Virtual Meetings will give Marriott customers
additional opportunities to hold more productive, collaborative small
meetings.
-- By being the first major global hotel company to build out a global
network of Cisco TelePresence rooms with AT&T, Marriott International
expects to gain a competitive edge and attract more small business
meetings typically of 20 or fewer people in multiple locations. Marriott
hotels will be able to offer corporations a whole new meeting experience
built around telepresence.
-- GoThere Virtual Meetings will create new revenue streams for Marriott
hotels, and we expect that most of this new business will be
incremental. Customers will now have real time, high-definition meeting
alternatives to less productive global telephone or video conference
calls.
-- GoThere Virtual Meetings will expand the current private Cisco
TelePresence network by making the technology more widely available
worldwide. Customers will also be able to connect to other Cisco
TelePresence rooms on the AT&T Business Exchange, AT&T's unique
intercompany, multipoint, meet-me bridging capability. There are nearly
700 existing private Cisco TelePresence locations throughout the world
connected to the AT&T Business Exchange.
-- The GoThere Virtual Meetings utilizes AT&T's fully-managed AT&T
TelePresence Solution. Cisco TelePresence technology helps enable
Marriott to offer its customers the widest array of meeting options,
whether in-person, virtual or both.
-- To book a meeting room online or keep updated on new locations,
customers can go to https://www.gotherevirtualmeetings.com/.
-- Telepresence is a rapidly growing and increasingly popular technology
that enables groups to meet and collaborate in multiple locations
worldwide in real time. By combining high-definition video, real time
audio and interior design for GoThere Virtual Meetings studios, groups
feel as if they are actually gathered together in the same room across a
virtual table, even if they are thousands of miles apart.
-- Marriott chose AT&T TelePresence Solution because it combines AT&T's
global communications networking capabilities with the Cisco
TelePresence technology.
Supporting Quotes:
-- "Marriott continues to lead the lodging industry in delivering the latest meeting technology to its customers. GoThere Virtual Meetings with AT&T and Cisco TelePresence will offer our customers a new way to hold more productive, collaborative meetings linking locations around the world, and open up new revenue opportunities for our company and our hotels. We are proud to work with AT&T and Cisco to enhance innovative communications technology at our hotels and offer it to our customers." -- David Marriott, chief operations officer, Americas Eastern Region, Marriott International
-- "In an increasingly interconnected business world, companies of all sizes are seeking the ability to hold a more internal and client meetings across the globe. With the opening of GoThere Virtual Meetings with AT&T and Cisco, Marriott customers are able to easily collaborate 'in-person' with partners around the world. We look forward to working with Marriott to further expand intercompany connectivity and accelerate global innovation and collaboration." -- Bill Archer, executive vice president - Global Strategy and Transformation, AT&T Business Solutions.
-- "Marriott International is demonstrating its leadership in the lodging industry by using innovative technologies like Cisco TelePresence to offer its customers the widest array of meeting options, whether in-person, virtual or both. Working with leading global companies, Marriott and AT&T, Cisco is delighted to bring the vision of a global Cisco TelePresence network to reality." -- Mark Weidick, vice president and general manager, TelePresence Business Unit for Cisco
Links / URLs:
-- GoThere Virtual Meetings with AT&T and Cisco TelePresence Information Site (www.marriott.com/gotherevirtualmeetings) -- GoThere Virtual Meetings with AT&T and Cisco TelePresence Booking Portal (www.gotherevirtualmeetings.com) -- Follow Cisco on Twitter -- Read the Cisco "The Platform" blog -- Follow Marriott International on Twitter -- Follow AT&T Business Solutions on Cisco Service Provider 360 on Twitter
Tags / Keywords: Marriott International, Marriott, Renaissance, JW Marriott, GoThere, Go There Virtual Meetings by Marriott, AT&T, AT&T TelePresence Solution, Cisco, Cisco TelePresence, TelePresence, hotel, meetings
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Embedded Video:
-- GoThere Virtual Meetings Demo -- Cisco TelePresence Solutions
Photos
-- http://www.flickr.com/photos/marriott/sets/72157623151050381/
About Marriott International
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SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.