CTRA Centra Software (MM)

Centra Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: CTRA), a leading provider of software and services for online learning and training, today announced that InterContinental Hotels Group (Lon: IHG, NYSE: IHG (ADRs)), the world's largest and most global hotel company, has expanded its implementation of Centra's business collaboration software to increase the scope of IHG's training and communication abilities and decrease the cost of its IT infrastructure maintenance. Through Centra's Enterprise Advantage Subscription, a flat fee, volume licensing program designed to enable large organizations to meet increasing demand for online collaboration solutions, IHG now has ubiquitous access throughout its hotels. IHG, which owns, manages, leases or franchises approximately 3,500 hotels, including such well-recognized and respected brands as Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza, recently expanded to an enterprise license, creating the ability to provide access to its hotels in a fundamentally new way. As an enterprise application service provider (ASP) customer, IHG has also realized cost savings of approximately $30,000 a year in terms of IT maintenance, reducing the impact on IT infrastructure, data center and support desk. Along with these cost savings, Centra is also enabling a more efficient workforce. According to John Courtney, Learning Technologies Manager at IHG, "IHG had 220 collaboration and training events last year with 3,200 users attending those sessions. Out of that, we had very few support calls to Centra, a testament to Centra's functionality and ease-of-use." "As a franchise community," Mr. Courtney added, "each of our hotels has different informational needs, yet we still need to provide consistency in terms of brand-wide initiatives and proprietary systems. Centra enables us to deliver training efficiently and effectively, enhancing our position in this dynamic and competitive market. By making it easier and quicker to connect, Centra has also opened up lines of communications between our corporate office and hotels across all seven of our brands worldwide." Since their ability to use Centra's collaboration software is now not limited by the number of seats, IHG can offer the functionalities to any internal group that would benefit. Centra's Enterprise Advantage Subscription is designed to help leaders like IHG expand its collaboration initiatives by overcoming buying challenges related to limited software licenses, usage forecasts, up-front capital expenditure justification and overage charges for exceeding usage allowances. Centra's portfolio of collaboration solutions enable groups of people to work faster, smarter and more efficiently by allowing dispersed workers to communicate and collaborate from their home or office computer in real time using fully integrated voice-over-IP technology (VoIP). With solutions specifically tailored for deploying enterprise applications, increasing sales effectiveness, effectively transferring knowledge throughout an organization's extended supply chain, and enhancing customer acquisition programs, Centra facilitates online collaboration that delivers increased business value and return on investment. "Centra can help companies address many important business issues - from departmental training and cost reduction to change management associated with enterprise application rollouts and other initiatives impacting how people work and learn," said Leon Navickas, CEO of Centra. "We are pleased to have InterContinental Hotels Group as part of our growing list of leading customers in the hospitality industry, including Wyndham International and Royal Caribbean." About Intercontinental Hotels Group InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom (LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)) is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 534,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental(R) Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn(R) Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express(R), Staybridge Suites(R), Candlewood Suites(R) and Hotel IndigoTM, and also manages the world's largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club(R) Rewards, with more than 24 million members worldwide. In addition to this, InterContinental Hotels Group has a controlling interest in Britvic, the second largest soft drinks manufacturer in the UK. For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online Press Office at www.ihgplc.com/media. About Centra Online learning and training solutions from Centra create workforce efficiencies and enable organizations to share and exchange business-critical information with geographically distributed customers, partners, prospects and employees. Centra's solutions integrate real-time communication, collaboration and learning and departmental business processes with specialized applications that increase sales effectiveness, improve collaborative learning and accelerate enterprise application rollouts and customer acquisition initiatives. Currently available in 9 languages, Centra solutions can be deployed as on-site software or through its ASP service and are supported by an active ecosystem of value-added partners, including Siebel, PeopleSoft, SAP and Deloitte Consulting. Organizations across every major industry and market sector choose Centra, including Wyndham Internation, Weyerhaeuser, Underwriters Laboratories, BMW and Stanford University. Headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, Centra serves a worldwide customer base throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.centra.com. Safe Harbor Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements With the exception of the historical information contained in this release, the matters described herein contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements about the beliefs and expectations of management regarding the Company's future performance, the Company's strategic initiatives, its ability to achieve and maintain a leadership position in real-time conferencing and collaboration, demand for the Company's software services and management's goals and objectives regarding future results of operations. These statements reflect management's beliefs and expectations as of the date of this statement, and involve risk and uncertainties that may cause actual results, events and performance to differ materially. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the Company's ability to successfully execute its strategic plan, the effect of the Company's cost-cutting measures on its operations, acceptance by customers of the Company's Enterprise Advantage Subscription pricing model, significant changes in our senior management team, customer fulfillment of the entire term of multi-year subscription contracts, uncertainty of market reaction to the Company's sales and marketing efforts, product demand for and market acceptance of the Centra 7 collaboration platform, the Company's ability to sell and deliver its Enterprise Application Rollout and Sales Effectiveness solutions and other future products, the effect of economic conditions generally on the market for IT spending and for the Company's products, the results of future research and development activities, the impact of competitive products and pricing, technological difficulties and/or other factors outside the control of the Company. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to implement its growth and operating plans as anticipated, or achieve its revenue and earnings goals. For a description of additional risks, and uncertainties, please refer to the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 and its Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2005, which are available at http://www.centra.com/investorrelations. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Centra is a registered trademark of Centra Software, Inc. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.