Allin Interactive Selected by Costa Crociere as ITV Provider for Its Two Newest Cruise Ships
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 26 -- Allin Corporation (BULLETIN BOARD: ALLN) announced that it has secured an agreement with Costa Crociere to install Allin's digital interactive television solution on the Costa Luminosa and the Costa Pacifica, Costa's newest cruise vessels scheduled to be delivered in April and May 2009.
Allin's solution on Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica will provide exciting in-cabin entertainment and information including the ability to pause and bookmark on-demand movies, preview and purchase shore excursions and learn about onboard offers and highlighted events via in-cabin messaging. All services will be available in six different languages which can be selected at the touch of a button.
"We are very pleased to have Allin continue as our ITV solution provider of choice," stated Mr. Antonio De Rosa, Costa Cruises V.P. Cruise Operations. "We look forward to utilizing the newest tools in Allin's ITV modules such as ship-to-cabin messaging and shore excursions to provide more services to our guests and increase our promotional capabilities."
"We are happy to be selected by Costa to install our latest ITV platform on Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica," stated John Troutwine, Director of Business Development at Allin Interactive. "This will be our seventh and eighth installations for Costa Crociere which shows Costa's continued commitment to delivering the best in-cabin entertainment and information to its passengers."
Costa Luminosa, currently under construction by Fincantieri in Marghera, Italy, will be the 13th ship in the brand's fleet and is scheduled for delivery at the end of April 2009. The 92,700-ton ship is a new class for Costa, with a sister ship, called Costa Deliziosa, on order for delivery in January 2010. Costa Luminosa will have 1,130 staterooms and suites, with 772 of them having private verandas, the largest percentage (68%) of any Costa ship. She will be a unique ship, a trendsetter in contemporary design, with a perfect blend of service excellence and stunning, lavish interiors. At the cutting edge of the fleet, the Costa Luminosa will be Costa Cruises' most exclusive and innovative cruise ship, made to exceed the expectations of even the most discerning customers. The many innovations include a 4D cinema, a show lounge with spectacular special effects, a Golf Simulator featuring 37 virtual golf courses plus a 90 square meter outdoor area with a putting green as well as a jogging and rollerblading track.
Costa Pacifica, currently under construction at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yard near Genoa, Italy, will be the 14th ship in the brand's fleet and is scheduled for delivery at the end of May 2009. Costa Pacifica will be a sister to the 114,500-ton Costa Concordia and Costa Serena, and will have 1,500 staterooms and suites, many of which will have direct access to the spa area. Costa Pacifica will be the "music" ship: the best music from every era will not only be the central "theme" for the interior design of the various public areas, but also the basis of a total experience that will take guests on a "musical journey" around the ship.
Both Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica will deliver the successful design features of the latest Costa ships such as: the Samsara Spa (including the spa itself, conveniently located cabins with direct access, and a dedicated restaurant); a Grand Prix driving simulator; unique to the Costa fleet, with the most accurate representation ever of GP driving on the world's best racing circuits; and a central lido extending over two decks, fitted with a sliding glass roof as well as a giant 18 square meter video screen.
The naming ceremonies of the Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica will be a first for the cruise industry; the two new fleet members will be christened together on June 5, 2009 in Genoa, the city where Costa Cruises -- this year celebrating its 60th anniversary -- has always been headquartered.
About Allin Corporation
Allin Corporation is a leading provider of solutions-oriented application development and technology infrastructure consulting and systems integration services. Allin specializes in Microsoft-based technologies and was recently recognized as Worldwide Partner of the Year for Competing to Win: Search and Partner of the Year for Microsoft's Western region. These awards were in addition to being recognized as Partner of the Year for the Eastern Region in Microsoft's prior fiscal year. Allin's operations are centered on four practice areas: Technology Infrastructure, Collaborative Solutions, Business Process and Interactive Media. Allin leverages its experience in these areas to work with clients through a disciplined project delivery framework to ensure that solutions are delivered on time and on budget. Allin delivers these services through the trade names Allin Consulting, Allin Interactive, CodeLab Technology Group and SharePoint Hosting.com. The Company maintains offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Wakefield, Massachusetts; and San Jose and Walnut Creek, California. For additional information about Allin, visit the Company's Internet sites on the World Wide Web at http://www.allin.com/, http://www.codelabtech.com/ and http://www.sharepointhosting.com/.
About Costa Crociere
Costa Cruises is Italy and Europe's number one cruise vacation line. For the past 60 years its ships have plied the seas of the world, offering the best in Italian style, hospitality and cuisine and providing dream holidays with the utmost in terms of fun and relaxation. In 2007 over 1.1 million guests chose to go cruising with Costa, a record for the European cruise industry. The Company's fleet of 12 ships, each with her own distinctive characteristics and unique style, all fly the Italian flag and sail each year to 250 destinations in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean, South America, the United Arab Emirates, the Far East and the Indian Ocean. Five more vessels are on order and will enter service by 2012. Costa Cruises has been certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register) with the BEST4, an integrated system of voluntary certification of corporate compliance with the highest standards governing social accountability (SA 8000, issued in 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 2004), safety (OHSAS 18001, 1999) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2000). All of Costa's ships have been awarded RINA's voluntary "Green Star" notation based on the highest environmental protection standards. Costa Cruises is also an official partner of the WWF for the protection of the marine ecoregions of the Mediterranean, the Greater Antilles and Brazil.
