Source: runtriz™

Award-winning AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Five Star property in Cary, North Carolina, puts luxury hotel and spa services at guests' fingertips via customized 'Umstead Connect' app

Los Angeles – August 10, 2011 – Named the No. 10 best hotel in the United States and Canada by Travel + Leisure in 2011, The Umstead Hotel and Spa now enables its discerning guests to control their experience before, during and after their stay through "Umstead Connect" powered by runtriz™. Using its Hotel Evolution mobile, location-based technology platform, runtriz facilitates a host of guest service transactions – from ordering room service and luggage pick-up to requesting spa services and more – for The Umstead‟s guests. With runtriz, each hotel‟s mobile app is customized to mirror the hotel membership group, brand or independent flavor (vs. using a cookie-cutter template) thereby enhancing guest service, maximizing revenues and creating true differentiation.

A member of The Leading Hotels of the World®, The Umstead is a 150-room, award-winning AAA Five Diamond, Forbes Five Star rated hotel and spa in Cary, N.C., located in close proximity to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and downtown Raleigh, adjacent to Umstead State Park and central to all attractions in the Triangle area. The six-story property is nestled on 12 acres of lakeside grounds and epitomizes comfort and serenity through its embrace of art and nature.

"When it comes to luxury lodging and sophisticated service, The Umstead Hotel and Spa is second to none," said Matthew Allard, runtriz founder and CEO. In addition to its stellar accommodations, the property is known for providing consistent and meticulous service, exceeding guest expectations and maintaining impeccable standards of excellence. A property of this caliber can't deliver mobile guest services in the same format that is being deployed at other hotels regardless of their segmentation and membership or brand affiliation. Instead, runtriz has customized The Umstead‟s app to mirror its distinctive style.

"A luxury service culture such as theirs dictates that guests have instant access to what they need and desire," he said. "Our ability to mirror the look and feel of The Umstead Hotel and Spa and its clientele, rather than presenting the property in the same generic light as any other hotel, is what sets runtriz and its customers apart."

Whether onsite or off property, The Umstead‟s guests can communicate with the property from virtually anywhere using their mobile device. The Umstead‟s hotel app facilitates guest requests or "touches" that are then processed by the runtriz web platform and seamlessly delivered to the appropriate hotel department, keeping the guest apprised of the status at anytime they desire.

Mobile Convenience

"Technology is everywhere, and as such, we knew we needed a mobile solution for those tech-savvy guests who demand convenience," said The Umstead Hotel and Spa's General Manager Jim Beley. "We selected runtriz because of its simple concept and ability to be implemented without us having to invest in a lot of new technology. We are delighted to have launched Umstead Connect."

Because art is a hallmark of The Umstead, Beley said using the hotel‟s mobile app is an exciting component because it enables guests to peruse a selection of the hotel‟s 95-piece collection – viewing an image, title and artist's bio of each piece. Guests are often intrigued by this collection, he said, and using the mobile application is easier for some guests to navigate, versus the property's more detailed art collection book.

"With art and nature central to The Umstead‟s simple, yet sophisticated décor, we are able to promote the hotel‟s art, floral designs, and imaginative, locally-sourced cuisine via the mobile app to stir each guests‟ interests," Beley said.

"We are just as delighted to have The Umstead Hotel and Spa a new part of the runtriz family, as guests are to experience Umstead Connect," he said.

About runtriz™ | runtriz™ is the premier Los Angeles-based global hospitality network specializing in mobile solutions for innovative hospitality brands. The firm has developed cutting edge interactive applications that allow their partners to provide customers with unparalleled service. The brand's portfolio of services, including the highly lauded Hotel Evolution application, puts consumers back at the center of the value proposition by placing retail, hospitality and residential services in the palm of their hands. For more information, visit .

About the Umstead Hotel and Spa | Nestled lakeside on 12 acres of beautiful grounds in Cary, N.C., The Umstead Hotel and Spa is a calming retreat and luxury destination conceived and constructed to highlight and explore art and nature. Founded on genuine hospitality and Southern sophistication, The Umstead features 150 oversized guest rooms, elegant furnishings and signature amenities. The Umstead welcomes and inspires guests to find comfort, tranquility and indulgence in the meticulously landscaped property and the adjacent Umstead State Park, as well as the plush Umstead Spa and contemporary American cuisine of chef de cuisine Steven D. Greene at its signature restaurant, Herons. Independently owned and operated since opening in 2007, The Umstead Hotel and Spa is North Carolina's first full-service hotel to receive the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, is a Forbes Five Star rated property and a member of Leading Hotels of the World. The Umstead was named 10
th best large-city hotel in the United States and Canada in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2011 and also was named to the publication's T+L 500 list in 2011 and 2010. For reservations and information, call 866.877.4141 or visit .

For The Umstead Hotel and Spa:
Molly McFerran
The Reynolds Group, Inc.
Tel: (404)888-9348
[email protected]

Flinn Flexer
Chief Operating Officer
+1 323-230-9727 x212