General Dynamics Interactive has installed its new, high-definition
Intrigue(R) Multimedia System in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group`s new
hotel in New York City. General Dynamics Interactive and the Mandarin
Oriental Hotel Group jointly conceived this revolutionary in-room guest
entertainment system—the first all-high- definition system in the
hospitality industry—in preparation for the launch of Mandarin Oriental
Hotel Group`s new flagship property in the Time Warner Center at Columbus
Circle.
General Dynamics Interactive is a leading provider of interactive in-room
digital entertainment and information systems for the hospitality
industry, with nearly 50 hotels currently served by installed systems. The
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the award-winning owner and operator of
some of the world`s most prestigious hotels and resorts, selected General
Dynamics to develop the revolutionary entertainment system for its new
Mandarin Oriental, New York property.

Working with partners that include InfoValue Computing
(http://www.infovalue.com/, Elmsford, N.Y.), Eagle Broadband
(http://www.eaglebroadband.com/, League City, Texas) and HDNet
(http://www.hd.net/, Dallas), General Dynamics developed a unique,
state-of- the-art high-definition digital entertainment solution that will
revolutionize the traditional hospitality-related business of
movies-on-demand.
Nick Price, director of technology for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group,
said, “What guests will see in the Mandarin Oriental New York City
property sets the entertainment and technology standard for five-star
hotels for the next five years. A Mandarin Oriental guest demands the
highest quality cinema choices, and the General Dynamics Intrigue
high-definition system delivers an unparalleled guest entertainment
experience. Mandarin Oriental is delighted to work with General Dynamics
to achieve our vision, and to deliver the personalized and customized
content that precisely meets the expressed needs, wants and aspirations of
our highly individual guests.”

The new high-definition Intrigue system uses LCD displays and surround-
sound systems to provide a home theatre-like guest experience. For
entertainment, guests can enjoy high-definition movies-on-demand with the
DVD- like ability to pause, fast-forward, rewind and bookmark the movie.
An AM/FM stereo radio and DVD/CD player also is seamlessly integrated into
the entertainment system. Guests can also access the Internet via the
television or a laptop in their room, or they can access the Internet
wirelessly in the hotel`s common areas. Another feature, not available in
any other hotel in the world, includes the ability for guests to select
high-resolution electronic artwork and coordinated music to display on
room televisions, technologically enabling various “moods” to meet guests`
desires.
The New York Mandarin Oriental installation represents a significant
advance in capability over current competitive offerings in the in-room
entertainment industry. For example, General Dynamics and InfoValue
Computing, a leading video server provider, have installed the largest
high- definition video server ever in a hotel, with over 2.4 terabytes of
content, capable of storing over 500 movies and streaming over 1Gbps
video-on-demand throughput. It is also the first hotel video server
solution to permit pause, fast-forward, rewind, and bookmark using
high-definition entertainment. Together with InfoValue, General Dynamics
and Eagle Broadband have jointly developed a set-top-box software solution
for Mandarin Oriental that enables guests to move seamlessly through the
various services such as movies, television, high-speed Internet, guest
services, and the “mood” services.

General Dynamics also is working with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group to
secure a collection of unique, high-definition entertainment content from
HDNet, which contains the largest library of high-definition content. The
HDNet high-definition entertainment, combined with Hollywood movies and an
avant-garde entertainment line-up including BMW Films, BBC America,
art-house films, Chinese and other Asian cinema, places the Mandarin
Oriental New York City on the cutting edge of digital guest-room
entertainment.

“We will continuously work with Mandarin Oriental to roll out new
features, functions, and services, keeping Mandarin Oriental at the
forefront of in-room hotel technology,” said Al Whitmore, vice president
and general manager of General Dynamics Interactive. “We have leveraged
our resources and partnerships to set a new technology and entertainment
standard for the five- star hotel market for the coming years.”

Mandarin Oriental is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the
world`s most prestigious hotels and resorts. In total, the Group operates
18 luxury hotels in key business and leisure destinations, with five
additional hotels under development, including New York, Washington D.C.
(opening 2004), Hong Kong (opening 2005) and Tokyo and Boston (opening
2006). Mandarin Oriental now operates some 7,000 rooms in eleven countries
with nine hotels in Asia, six in The Americas and three in Europe. For
more information on the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, contact Danielle
DeVoe at [email protected].
General Dynamics Interactive, a business area within General Dynamics C4
Systems, leverages the technology integration capabilities of General
Dynamics to deliver multimedia and broadband entertainment solutions to
the hospitality industry. General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church,
Virginia, employs approximately 66,900 people and anticipates 2003
revenues of $16.1 billion. The company has leading market positions in
mission-critical information systems and technologies, land and amphibious
combat systems, shipbuilding and marine systems, and business aviation.
For more information on General Dynamics Interactive, contact Augusta
Anderson at [email protected] or http://www.intrigueonline.com/ .
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