14 Aug 2008

The Lake Constance thermal baths spa opened its doors at the end of July 2007.  The new baths now boast a sauna wing, thermal baths and an outdoor pool which together provide a water surface area of over 3,000 square metres which invites guests to swim, bathe and relax.  BGK Bädergesellschaft Konstanz, a subsidiary of the Constance public utility company, operates the Lake Constance thermal baths and all the other swimming pools in Constance.

In 2006, n-tree installed a multisite solution for the Constance public utility company linking its Schwaketenbad, Kurhalle and Rhineside swimming pools.  The Lake Constance thermal baths have now been incorporated into this network.  Cross-sector multisite solutions enable joint marketing of leisure facilities and regions and allow different facilities to be networked into a single functional entity.  Leisure facilities can be visited and used by purchasing just one ticket.  This means greater convenience and mobility for guests - fun and relaxation without restrictions.

A networked system gives participating operators the opportunity to collaborate cooperatively and to consolidate their marketing activities.  Operators can reach new customer groups at no additional expense, benefit from a single strong market presence and exploit marketing synergies in order to achieve more effective capacity utilisation.  There are plans to develop this multisite solution into a complete Citycard solution with electronic payment transactions.

"s'Kärtle" for ferries and baths

The new "s'Kärtle" customer card for ferries and baths is the first step towards a Citycard.  Ferry passengers and thermal baths goers can charge this customer card with any cash amount.  The amount paid in is equivalent to a number of points which can then be used to make payments on the ferry and in the Constance baths.  Discount levels depend on the number of points loaded.  Visitors enjoy a discount when they spend more than €25 on the ferry or €100 at the Constance baths.  The customer card can be used in the new Lake Constance thermal baths, the Schwaketenbad, the Rhineside pool and for the Constance ferry service.  70 ferry-service mobile point-of-sale terminals are integrated into the network.

With the LEGIC "s'Kärtle", payment is contactless.  Guests do not need cash; terminal operators simply debit the amount in question from the customer card.  Fumbling around for exactly the right money is now a thing of the past.  Customers are given a slip which shows their remaining points and the debited amount so that they can check and keep track of their expenditure.  Customers can top the card up at any time.  The discount level for the last number of points loaded always applies to the full point balance.

"Many of our visitors to the baths also travel regularly on the car ferry.  This is why we decided to introduce a common customer card," says Dr. Georg Geiger, CEO of Bädergesellschaft Konstanz mbH.  Over 2,000 "s'Kärtle" customer cards had been sold by the end of 2007.