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In a Service-oriented hospitality industry, reliability, speed and performance are key issues. Choice Hotels International's almost 5,000 hotels open and under development--Comfort, Quality, Clarion, Sleep, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and MainStay Suites--serve guests

This pioneer in the use of Web-based purchasing system registers more than half of its 3,100 franchisees, while more than 150 of its endorsed suppliers represented on the system offer in excess of 7,000 products--from hard goods to linens to shampoo.

To improve network performance and reduce end-user response times, Choice also realized that providing its franchisees quicker access to the business-critical data and systems would boost profitability. Choice' s search began for a Web-acceleration solution for its satellite-based extranet.

Now, the company is rolling out an extranet that allows franchisee locations to access business systems and information, including Choice's central reservation system, agreements and contracts, inspection scores, property demographics, inventory and performance reports.

Choice Hotels selected Venturi from Fourelle Systems, an accelerated content-delivery platform that uses patented core technologies in concert with other standards-based content-delivery technologies. The solution supplies effective transmission of dynamic Web content across WAN networks, including satellite, frame relay, wireless, cable, DSL and dial-up. By saving 50% to 90% of the bandwidth traditionally required to deliver content, it delivers real-time application data to the end-user significantly faster and for less money.

The Venturi Server sits at the teleport, hub or corporate data center, where it accesses data from Choice' s Web server. The Venturi Personal Client--going to another 2,500 locations later this year--runs on desktop computers at North American franchisee locations and is configured as a proxy to the Web browser. Choice can now maximize its satellite links, resulting in faster downloads, lower operating and infrastructure costs, increased network reliability, and, most importantly, increased franchisee satisfaction.

"This product allows both Choice and our franchisees to operate more productively by providing critical reports in real time vs. waiting 10 or more days for the reports to arrive in the mail," says Gary Thomson, CIO for Choice Hotels. "In addition, Choice avoids the effort and expense of printing and mailing thousands of reports each month."

www.fourelle.com Circle 263 for more information from Fourelle Systems