(London, June 6, 2012) - iBAHN, a global leader in IP platform-based systems and broadband technologies for the hospitality industry, has strengthened its EMEA sales group as it builds on the interest in the company’s Freemium connectivity solution in the hospitality sector, offered in its EMEA region only.

The appointment of Andrew Moss as sales manager UK & Ireland and Pierre Kessler as sales manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland strengthens the iBAHN team focused on a new, guest-sensitive connectivity solution for hotels based on its unique Freemium model.

Andrew Moss has more than 23 years’ experience, latterly as key account manager for Airwave Europe and national sales manager for Satellite Communication Services.

Pierre Kessler has worked in the hospitality sector for two decades, latterly as regional sales manager Germany for Nasdaq-listed Opentable.

The Freemium service reflects growing demand from hotel customers for free WiFi connectivity and iBAHN’s strategic approach to the evolving hospitality market in EMEA.

The “free-versus-paid” connectivity debate has become increasingly complex, in part due to the explosive growth in mobile networked devices carried by hotel guests, who expect a “home away from home” internet experience when they book into a property.

Andrew Moss says: “I am joining a team with a winning strategic proposition in the hospitality sector that gives hoteliers and their customers the best of all worlds, allowing free WiFi connectivity for low-bandwidth engagement and tasks, while allowing people to choose premium connectivity as a paid-for service if they have more bandwidth-intensive needs.”

Pierre Kessler comments: “The Freemium proposition is one of the key reasons I joined iBAHN and I’m looking forward to demonstrating the benefits of this flexible answer to hotels so that they can deliver a range of connectivity solutions to suit every guest.”

Graeme Powell, MD iBAHN EMEA says: “Andrew Moss and Pierre Kessler add their considerable experience to the sales group driving change in hospitality connectivity that delivers benefits for our customers and their guests. We have seen explosive growth in the use of multiple devices and a doubling in data transferred per session every year, which has made the free to guest model unrealistic for many hoteliers. We believe our Freemium model offers a low-cost, revenue-generating opportunity for the hotel, simply by allowing users to choose their level of access, thereby increasing guest satisfaction.”