Real time airline departure-arrival screens, provide hotel guests with a fast and vital airline flight information service.

With its sparkling new facilities, sky-line views, waterfront locale and direct access to the recently opened Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, it is no wonder The Westin Boston Waterfront bills itself as being at the center of this booming, New England business city. 

But it takes more than "location, location, location" to reap the lion's share of Boston's 12 million annual visitors, especially in a market blanketed by more than 15,000 rooms.
 
For hotels in Boston, the weather at Logan International and other airports nationwide often plays a role in guest travel plans. General Manager David Connor was seeking travel-related technology innovations that would help his guests be better informed so they could plan their airport departure arrangements with greater confidence. 

The threat of severe winter weather, he says, spurred his search for a property-based airline information service.  "It's very important in winter to know what's going on outside," said Connor. 

"Our business is mostly convention and business people who are locked up inside all day and when they get out of their meetings to head to the airport, the last thing they need is to waste precious time sitting in a crowded terminal waiting for a flight that is weather delayed." 

That is why Connor chose to install the FlyteBoard airline information display system in the lobby of The Westin Boston Waterfront.
 
Providing Vital, Real-Time Flight Information
FlyteBoard, developed by Chicago-based Flyte Systems, is a wall-mounted high-definition, flat panel screen designed for use in hotel lobbies, conference centers, restaurants, bars and other public areas, that displays airline flight information for one, or more, airports. 

What sets it apart from other PC-based systems is its ability to post accurate real-time airline flight arrival and departure information, not FAA-regulated scheduled departure times that do not list delays caused by:
 
· Air Traffic Control
· Aircraft maintenance
· Crew availability
· Weather
 
According to Connor, the property's FlyteBoard panel is fully integrated with real-time information from Logan International Airport and all flight times are updated minute by minute via high-speed Internet connection. 

The Westin Boston Waterfront decided to show only departure times so it was able to use larger font sizes for easier, faster viewing – a convenience valued by clock-watching travelers. 

"Pages renew automatically as airline departure times change," Connor noted. "Our bell staff tells us that many guests look at the Board and thank them for offering a great service.  It is a real convenience for our guests and sets our hotel apart." 

The FlyteBoard display lists flights with airline logos just like the screens at the terminals, and Flyte Systems also provides boarding pass printing and other capabilities.  
 
Large Digital Displays Installed Quickly
According to Connor, FlyteBoard's "glance-and-go" viewing, with revolving displays is equivalent to ten airport TV monitors.  Best of all, he says, the installation was extremely easy, pairing a hotel electrician with the Flyte Systems team. 

"It took less than two weeks to implement the system after we decided on the size of flat panel equipment we wanted to use.  The real benefit to our guests is that they do not have to needlessly run to the airport; they can choose to stay at the property if they see their flight is delayed."