MCRS (MM)

MICROS OPERA Enterprise is Key to WestCoast Hospitality's Success with Major Web Booking Sites MICROS OPERA System Centralizes Management of All Online Reservations COLUMBIA, Md., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MICROS Systems, Inc. , a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality industry, is playing a key role in the early success of an ambitious initiative launched by WestCoast Hospitality Corporation on August 1, 2003. Using the MICROS OPERA Enterprise Solution to centralize reservations data for all of its properties with all major hotel booking websites, WestCoast Hospitality's properties have already enjoyed incremental gains of more than 19%. As part of its Alternative Distribution Channel (ADS) Management program, WestCoast Hospitality has signed corporate agreements with the top nine leading hotel booking websites, thereby eliminating the need to have each property negotiate its own contract. The top nine booking websites collectively represent over 80% of all hotel rooms booked online. In addition to beneficial terms, WestCoast's ADS Management program was able to negotiate features for all its properties such as priority placement on search lists and real-time rate and inventory flexibility withthe various channels. "While only a small portion of overall room revenue for the industry is achieved through the online booking sites, these Alternate Distribution Systems continue to grow," said Barry Hughes, Vice President of Marketing and Distribution for WestCoast Hospitality. "One can't dismiss the value the leading ADS channels have amassed through aggressive investments in both technology and marketing." The technological key to the success of WestCoast's new program was the implementation of MICROS's OPERA Reservation System (ORS). All rates, availability and rules for the nine ADS web channels are entered into OPERA at the property level and transferred either electronically or via extranet to the appropriate channel. "With the amount of resources needed for effective ADS participation, it would be impossible to efficiently manage each of the nine ADS channels independently without the centralization OPERA provides," said Kirk Shearer, General Manager of one of WestCoast's premierproperties, the Red Lion Hanalei in San Diego. "With MICROS OPERA, managing nine channels is now no more difficult than managing one." "As a hospitality industry specialist, MICROS is always developing and refining the most sophisticated set of toolsfor multi-faceted operations like WestCoast Hospitality," stated Tina McClay, Vice President of the MICROS Independent Hotel Sales Division. "OPERA is a fully integrated, Windows(R)- based solution that is easily deployed, taught and maintained. Its modular design allows customers to add new functionality in response to changing needs at any point, and its scalability assures that a customer's technology investment is protected as its business grows. We're proud to be playing a central role in thesuccess of WestCoast's forward-thinking ADS Channel Management program." About WestCoast Hospitality Corporation WestCoast Hospitality Corporation is a NYSE-listed hospitality and leisure company primarily engaged in the ownership, management, development and franchising of mid-scale, full service hotels under its WestCoast(R) and Red Lion(R) brands. In addition, through its entertainment division, which includes its TicketsWest.com, Inc. subsidiary, it engages in event ticket distribution and promotes and presents a variety of entertainment productions. G&B Real Estate Services, its real estate division, engages in traditional real estate-related services, including developing, managing and acting as a broker for sales and leases of commercial and multi-unit residential properties. Registered trademarks of WestCoast Hospitality Corporation and its affiliates protect the use of "WestCoast," "Red Lion," "TicketsWest" and "G&B" and various derivatives of those usages. About MICROS Systems, Inc. MICROS Systems, Inc. provides enterprise applications for the hospitality and retail industries worldwide. Over 150,000 MICROS systems are currently installed in table and quick service restaurants, hotels, motels, casinos, leisure and entertainment, and retail operations in more than 130 countries. In addition, MICROS provides property management systems, central reservation and customer information solutions under the brand MICROS-Fidelio for more than 15,000 hotels worldwide, as well as point-of-sale and loss prevention products through it's subsidiary Datavantage for more than 50,000 specialty retail stores worldwide. MICROS stock is traded through NASDAQ under the symbol MCRS. For more information on MICROS and its advanced information technology solutions for the hospitality industry, please contact Louise Casamento, Director of Marketing at (443) 285-8144 or (800) 638-0985. You can also visit the MICROS website at http://www.micros.com/ or send an email to . The MICROS logo is a registered trademark of MICROS Systems, Inc. All other product and brand names are the property of their respective owners. DATASOURCE: MICROS Systems, Inc. CONTACT: Louise Casamento, Director of Marketing of MICROS Systems, Inc., +1-443-285-8144 Web site: http://www.micros.com/

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