Manufacturers working on hotel initiative

Thursday, Nov. 11, 1999 | 10:57 a.m.

The Gaming Manufacturers Association said it joined a major initiative designed to develop a common standard for the computer systems used by the hospitality industry.

The initiative, called the Hospitality Industry Technology Integration Standards, is maintained by the American Hotel & Motel Association, and is sponsored by such companies as Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Marriott International and the SABRE Group.

The goal of the project is to develop common communication standards for the various computer systems used in the industry. Once a standard is developed, it will allow the linking of everything from in-room movies to restaurant charges.

"This agreed standard will facilitate communications between various host systems all the way to gaming devices, triggering a whole new world of features in the gaming industry that we have never seen before," said GAMMA Chairman Peter De Raedt.

GAMMA was founded to define, promote and control computer communication standards for gaming equipment. The organization was launched last year.

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