Cross-Property Room Charging Now Available to Hospitality Industry.

Business Editors

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 2000

Systems Research & Development (SRD), a Las Vegas-based developer of strategic systems, has licensed its Central Messaging Engine (CME) technology to Mirage Resorts Inc. (NYSE:MIR).

CME technology greatly enhances guest service by allowing hotel guests to charge dining, retail and shows back to their rooms from other hotels.

This unique technology gives guests at Mirage Resorts' strip properties -- Bellagio, The Mirage and Treasure Island -- the ability to dine at any of these properties with the convenience of charging their meal to their hotel room bill. Cross-property charging benefits the resort because it reinforces the company's brand by encouraging guests to stay within its family of properties.

As an added benefit, guests of the marketing department can dine at any of the more than 30 world-class restaurants throughout these properties.

CME is a sophisticated cross between a messenger and a translator that leverages industry-standard Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) and Extensible Markup Language (XML). When receiving a transaction from a system, CME converts it into a "universal message format" then routes it across the organization.

Once a transaction arrives at its destination, CME translates it into a format familiar to the receiving system.

"The unique architecture of our CME product makes it capable of interfacing an unlimited number of properties, each with entirely different hotel and point-of-sales systems," said Jeff Jonas, president and founder of SRD. "What makes this system even more appealing is that its sophistication is invisible to the customer as well as the hotel employee."

Glenn Bonner, chief information officer of Mirage Resorts, believes that the CME technology will enable the organization to enhance its guest service programs.

"While our hotel guests have enjoyed our exclusive cross-property room charging for years using a proprietary system, CME technology now provides us with the same capability at a significant cost advantage and improved product maturity," Bonner said. "Additionally, CME (creates) a powerful standard enabling our systems to interact on a near real-time basis from which we can launch revolutionary customer marketing and service concepts in the future."

For 17 years, SRD has designed and implemented leading-edge technology solutions for high-profile companies all over the United States. Their design and development projects have a proven track record in data warehousing, human resources, financial and security/surveillance systems. In addition, SRD provides companies with powerful new tools to combat fraud.

The company's past and present client list includes Mirage Resorts Inc., Station Casinos (NYSE:STN), Boyd Gaming (NYSE:BYD), Cendant (NYSE:CD) and Central Credit.