Press Release
April 4, 2001
WHITE PLAINS, New York -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced yesterday the acquisition
of the Hotel Systems Division of Geac Computers, Inc., a subsidiary of Geac Computer Corporation Limited (TSE:GAC),
for $1 million. This acquisition was spearheaded by Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems (STARS) -- a newly
formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Ownership of Geac Hospitality Systems further enables Starwood to deliver first class technology services to all
of its Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W brands. The Geac/UX system
provides the technology to effectively manage all hotel operations ranging from reservations, guest registration
and group processing to concierge services, accounts receivable, and telephone services.
"This acquisition highlights Starwood's focus on meeting and exceeding the needs of not only our hotel guests,
but hotel owners and operators as well," says Steve Hankin, president, Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems
(STARS). "With the acquisition of one of the industry's leading multi-hotel property management system (PMS)
products, we are looking at increased customer service levels, rate maximization and streamlined operations at
Starwood's managed, owned and franchise properties."
The Geac/Property Management System has the flexibility to manage hotels that range from one hundred to several
thousand guestrooms. The system also can successfully run more than one hotel on a single server, a strong advantage
over other property management systems on the market today. Starwood's four properties in Waikiki take advantage
of this feature, and operate more than 4,300 rooms on one UX server.
Geac Computer Corporation Limited (TSE:GAC) is a provider of mission critical software and systems solutions to
corporations around the world. Geac solutions include cross-industry enterprise business applications for financial
administration and human resources functions, and enterprise resource planning applications for manufacturing,
distribution, and supply chain management. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Geac ranks as one of the world's largest
software companies.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with
more than 725 properties in 80 countries and 120,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. With internationally
renowned brands, Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts including:
St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, W brands, as well as Starwood Vacation
Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts.
For more information, please visit us at www.starwoodhotels.com.
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CONTACT:
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Nadeen N. Ayala, 914/640-8259 or Toll-Free: 866/4-STAR-PR (866/478-2777)