RCN To Provide Digital Cable TV And High-Definition (HDTV) In Guest Rooms At TheWit Hotel In Chicago
HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of video, data, and voice services to residential, small business and commercial customers, announced today the signing of a multi-year contract with the Lincolnshire-based development firm, ECD Company, Inc., to provide Digital Cable TV and High Definition (HDTV) services to guest rooms at theWit, a newly constructed four star hotel located at the corner of State and Lake Streets in Chicago. RCN will deliver Digital Cable TV and High-Definition Television services (HDTV) to the facility's 298 guest rooms.
"Given the emphasis placed on the design and the property's location at the epi-center of Chicago's revitalized theater, hotel, retail and restaurant district, we needed to work with a team who could bring an advanced solution to our facility," said Cindy Herzog, Director of Hospitality for ECD. "RCN designed and will deploy a system to deliver content without requiring a cable box in each room. More impressive was RCN's ability to feed multiple signal types based on the type of television in room, making it easy for us to make future changes and upgrades," continued Herzog.
"When you own and operate an advanced fiber-rich network like ours and maintain control over end-to-end distribution, you can deploy top quality services quickly," said Tom McKay, Senior Vice President Technical Operations and General Manager, RCN Chicago. "theWit required state-of-the art, reliable service and we will deliver the crystal clear programming that guests demand."
RCN plans to bring the hotel on-line in time for doors to open in May, 2009. Hotel guests will enjoy RCN's Premiere Hotel Lineup consisting of a wide selection of Digital programming including Broadcast, Cable, High Definition and Premium channels.
"Where other ‘telecommunications providers' simply hand off service, we take the customer commitment a step further," said PK Ramani, President, RCN Business Services. "From the initial contact through installed services and beyond, our dedicated in-house team of experts works with you every step of the way to ensure you and your guests are more than satisfied."
About RCN Corporation
RCN Corporation, http://www.rcn.com, is a facilities-based, competitive broadband telecommunications services provider delivering digital television, high-speed data and voice services to residential and small-medium business customers under the brand names of RCN and RCN Business Services, respectively. In addition, through the RCN Metro Optical Networks business unit, RCN delivers fiber-based high-capacity data transport services to large commercial customers, primarily large enterprises and carriers, targeting the metropolitan central business districts in the company's geographic markets. RCN's primary service areas include Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley (PA), New York City, Boston and Chicago.
(RCNI-G)
About ECD and theWit Hotel
ECD Company (www.ecdco.com )was established in Denver, CO in 1965. Over the past 40 years, the company portfolio has grown consistently creating apartments, condominiums, single family homes, industrial buildings, commercial spaces, mixed use developments, and hotels. Since 1985, ECD's growth has been overseen by its president, Scott Greenberg. The current portfolio is valued at $250 million, in addition to new projects under development valued at over $200 million.
Currently under construction, theWit (www.thewithotel.com) towers above Chicago's State Street, at 300 feet tall with 27 stories. The building is expected to be topped out this August and is scheduled for a May 2009 opening. theWit will have two destination restaurants adding further to the night-time vitality of State Street with a cool, sophisticated rooftop lounge that can operate as an open-air venue in the summer and fall months and, in the winter months, as a warm and inviting night-retreat for Chicagoans. Additionally, this State of the Art, boutique hotel will feature the finest private digital cinema screening room available in Chicago, as well as beautiful banquet facilities with fabulous views of State Street and a deluxe intimate spa.
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