Singapore, 20 October 1999 -- StarHub, Singapore’s new operator for fixed and mobile telecommunications services, has reached an agreement with The Pan Pacific Singapore to provide the hotel with high speed Internet access and a host of integrated fixed and mobile telephony services. These services will be made available in all of the hotel’s 784 guestrooms, 26 meeting rooms and business centre, making The Pan Pacific Singapore the first premier business hotel in Singapore to be eReady in all guest rooms, starting January 2000.
StarHub, together with its wholly owned subsidiary, CyberWay, will be providing the fast Internet access facilities to The Pan Pacific Singapore. Riding on StarHub’s predominantly fibre-optic cable infrastructure and Internet Protocol-based network, hotel guests will be able to enjoy Internet access speed of 100 times of current conventional data ports available at most business hotels.
Within the privacy of their hotel rooms, guests will be able to plug and play from their laptops and conveniently access the World Wide Web, their private corporate networks, email systems, and scheduling programs.
StarHub’s high-speed connectivity will help to eliminate lengthy downloads and in turn enable the Internet to be used as a real-time resource for guests’ business use and entertainment. They will also enjoy complimentary features such as customized web pages that offer information on the hotel amenities, business services, restaurants, special online conference services, as well as information on local attractions, transportation and shopping venues and activities in Singapore.
In addition, StarHub will also be delivering other telephony services, including a hotel mobile virtual private network (VPN). The mobile VPN will deliver StarHub’s true fixed and mobile convergent services on an integrated Intelligent Network platform – a first ever in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. This means that hotel guests can remain contactable on their single hotel telephone number at all times and anywhere in Singapore, may it be through the telephone unit in the guestroom or on a mobile handset provided by the hotel. All hotel guests will be able to use their mobile handsets when on the move to dial into any of the hotel services such as the concierge desk or retrieve their voice mails, in the same manner as they would should they dial their guestroom telephone units. Mobile handsets will be made available for guestrooms in The Pan Pacific Singapore when they check in.
This partnership between StarHub and The Pan Pacific Singapore is set to revolutionize the hospitality industry. As hotels increasingly recognize the importance of communications to modern travellers and seek to meet their needs, what is considered a service innovation for The Pan Pacific Singapore today, will soon become a norm for all hotels.
Mr Peter Kaliaropoulos, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operation, StarHub said, "Communications are fast becoming an integral part of our lives, be it for leisure or for work. Business travellers are like road warriors, ever mindful of for the latest information and news breaking developments. Hotels have to increasingly gear up and equip their rooms to provide them with that ability and convenience to communicate and receive real-time information while on the move. We are pleased to work with The Pan Pacific Singapore to bring innovative leading-edge info-communication technologies to the hospitality industry and to their guests. We will bring end-to-end communication solutions, ranging from the Internet, wireline, mobile to other wireless communications to enhance the hotel guests’ experience at The Pan Pacific."
Mr Steve Halliday, Vice President of The Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts, and General Manager of The Pan Pacific Singapore said, "As the hospitality industry evolves, we need to continue developing innovative technologies for our business and leisure travellers."
