BOCA RATON, Fla. and LONG BEACH, N.Y., Dec. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Agilysys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AGYS), a leading provider of innovative IT solutions, including specifically-designed hospitality industry solutions, and Planet Payment [LSE: AIM: PPT and PPTR], a leading international multi-currency payment and data processor, announced today the launch of a solution for integrated payment systems for the lodging, restaurant and retail sectors. The first client to utilize the joint integrated payment solution is The Venetian(R) Macao Resort-Hotel, one the largest hotels in Asia, which is also offering Planet Payment's Pay in Your Currency(TM) service, providing hotel guests and customers using foreign-issued MasterCard(R) and Visa(R) cards the convenience of paying in their home currency.
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Agilysys has established itself as one of the world's leading providers of highly scalable and robust integrated property management systems to the hospitality and gaming sectors. The Lodging Management System(R) (LMS) property management solution by Agilysys, currently in use at some of world's largest resorts and casinos, is designed to manage and automate every aspect of a hotel's operations - from advance reservations to credit card processing to accounting to management reporting. The LMS property management solution platform is highly flexible, allowing properties to seamlessly add additional modules to suit a property's specific business needs, including event management, remote check-in and food and beverage.
Planet Payment recently announced an initiative to expand its support for integrated payment solutions to Asia Pacific where, historically, merchants processed credit card transactions through credit card terminals that run completely independent of merchant's business management solutions, such as property management systems. Through this initiative, point-of-sale technology providers can route credit card transactions to a Planet Payment transaction switch, which delivers the transactions to the appropriate acquiring bank or processor for further processing. This simplifies the delivery of integrated support by eliminating the need for technology providers to certify to multiple acquiring banks.
Agilysys was selected as the property management system for The Venetian Macao, one the largest hotels in Asia, featuring 3,000 all-suite rooms, 1.2 million square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, world class entertainment in a 15,000-seat arena, and more than 1 million square feet of premium retail space. One of the core requirements for The Venetian Macao project was integrated payment support, which would allow the property to process credit card transactions received from the diverse range of point-of-sale devices and environments, including the hotel front desk, food and beverage and retail outlets, advance reservations website and call center and event ticket sales, through the LMS property management system by Agilysys.
Through the solution announced today, Agilysys and Planet Payment have delivered integrated payment support for The Venetian Macao, allowing the property to streamline and increase the efficiency of its operation by processing its Visa, MasterCard and JCB credit card transactions through the LMS property management system by Agilysys. In addition to integrated payment functionality, the joint solution in use at The Venetian Macao includes support of Planet Payment's Pay in Your Currency service, which provides guests and customers of The Venetian(R) Macao who use MasterCard or Visa cards with the convenience of paying for their stay in their home currency.
Commenting on the launch of the integrated payment solution, Tina Stehle, senior vice president and general manager of Agilysys Hospitality Solutions, said:
"We believe that Agilysys and Planet Payment have developed a truly unique solution for the rapidly growing hospitality and gaming sector in Macao. As more of our U.S. based-customers like The Venetian(R) look to Asia Pacific as a core component of their growth strategy, Agilysys, through this collaboration with Planet Payment, is well positioned to fill the market with property management solutions that create efficiency through integrated payment support. In addition, our support of Planet Payment's Pay in Your Currency is a powerful product enhancement that provides our customers - located anywhere in the world - with a powerful marketing and sales tool to improve sales and profitability."
Commenting on the launch of the integrated payment solution, Philip Beck, Chief Executive Officer of Planet Payment said:
"Planet Payment is delighted to be working with Agilysys to provide integrated payment solutions and our Pay in Your Currency service to The Venetian(R) Macao. The initiative announced today is another example of our approach to the market - rather than pursing a static one solution approach, we are dedicated to working with our partners to develop leading-edge processing solutions that help merchants process transactions more efficiently and meet the merchant's specific business needs."
About Agilysys, Inc.
Agilysys is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions to corporate and public-sector customers, with special expertise in select markets, including retail and hospitality. The company uses technology - including hardware, software and services - to help customers resolve their most complicated IT needs. The company possesses expertise in enterprise architecture and high availability, infrastructure optimization, storage and resource management, identity management and business continuity; and provides industry-specific software, services and expertise to the retail and hospitality markets. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., Agilysys operates extensively throughout North America, with additional sales offices in the United Kingdom and China. For more information, visit www.agilysys.com.
About Planet Payment
Further information on Planet Payment [LSE: AIM: PPT and PPTR for unrestricted and Reg S common shares respectively] can be found at: www.planetpayment.com. This website is the one required to be maintained by the Company pursuant to AIM Rule 26 and the information required to be provided under Rule 26 is accessible by clicking on "Investors".
Planet Payment is a multi-currency payment and data processor, enabling processors, acquiring banks and their merchants to accept, process and reconcile credit card transactions in multiple currencies, allowing cardholders to view prices and settle transactions in their native currency. Planet Payment's systems also enable it to provide enhanced data reporting and data management and integrated payment solution support to merchants using multiple systems in different countries. The "Pay in Your Currency" service is a component of Planet Payment's suite of multi-currency processing solutions, which include a multi-currency pricing e-commerce service and a Dynamic Currency Conversion service. Planet Payment also recently launched BuyVoice(TM), a mobile payment and commerce solution, which allows merchants to accept payments and sell product to customers using any mobile or landline phone.
The Planet Payment business was established in 1999. Planet Payment is headquartered in New York and has offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
