Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to Offer Passkey in a Landmark Brand-Wide Initiative

Business Wire, Feb 4, 2008

Global Brand-Wide Deployment of Passkey Makes its Advanced Group Reservation Technology Available to All Planners Across Fairmont's Portfolio; Reaffirms Fairmont's Global Commitment To Leadership Excellence In The Group/Meetings Marketplace

TORONTO -- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts ("Fairmont"), a global hospitality leader, today announced the deployment of Passkey's online group reservation solution as a brand standard across more than 50 Fairmont hotels worldwide.

Fairmont's brand-wide deployment of Passkey represents a bold stroke in the company's continuing commitment to offering meeting planners the world's premier event experience, including best-in-class technology and booking convenience. The decision to deploy Passkey as a brand standard provides Fairmont's meeting planners and guests with consistent and reliable group booking capabilities across the portfolio. Whether an event is planned at the brand's flagship, The Fairmont San Francisco, at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Bermuda or at The Fairmont Dubai, Passkey will be available.

"Throughout its 100-year history, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has been the epicenter for legendary meetings and been chosen to host political figures and industry leaders alike. Our goal of creating extraordinary experiences for our guests starts from the moment they book," said Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Jeff Senior. "Passkey allows us to personalize each group's program and provide the perfect setting for a memorable event while also delivering tangible benefits to our hotels."

"Fairmont is to be applauded for its decision to deploy Passkey as a brand standard. As a meeting planner, knowing that Passkey is available across the portfolio just makes Fairmont that much better as a partner. Passkey provides tools needed to execute successful events at any destination," said Jim Schultze, Director of Events at Financial and Insurance Conference Planners (FICP). "With Passkey, FICP is now able to integrate hotel reservations at any Fairmont property with our registration software, and report on who has signed up for the meeting but has not yet made hotel reservations. Passkey will also enable my attendees to make their own changes online, yet another bonus benefit that simplifies the entire process. This system has cut rooming issues by over 60% compared to last year."

"Positioning Passkey as a brand solution provides Fairmont's clients with a consistent experience at all of its hotels," said Greg Pesik, president and CEO of Passkey. "Moreover, the centralized oversight of Passkey creates superior operational consistency; ensuring that hotels see immediate benefits, both from a financial and client satisfaction perspective."

With Passkey, Fairmont will be able to offer every group or meeting its own customized hotel reservation website, where event attendees can make and manage their hotel reservations online, while planners can track hotel block pick-up and reservation status in real-time. Reservations made via the Passkey-enabled websites will flow directly to Fairmont's central reservation system through an advanced two-way live interface between Passkey and the myFairmont branded Central Reservation System.

Fairmont is currently deploying Passkey and is working towards completion by the end of February.

About Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

A leader in the global hospitality industry, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is an extraordinary collection of luxury hotels which includes iconic landmarks like The Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Monte Carlo and New York's The Plaza. Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership program. Fairmont's portfolio includes over 50 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Beijing, Abu Dhabi and South Africa.

Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with over 80 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissotel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties. For more information or reservations, please call 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com.

About Passkey

Passkey (www.passkey.com) is the worldwide leader and recognized industry standard in online group reservations. The Boston-based technology company offers event planners and providers a powerful web-based solution for managing group hotel reservations. The heart of the Passkey system is an innovative online booking engine that lets group attendees make their hotel reservations online in the contracted group block, while allowing event planners and hotels to access real-time reports and event information. Offered as an onDemand solution, Passkey delivers benchmark speed, security and scalability.