AmericInn Designates Merchant Link Solution as Brand Standard for Payment and Data Security

SILVER SPRING, Md., April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Merchant Link, a leading provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, today announced it has been designated by AmericInn International, LLC as the preferred provider of payment and data security services for its franchisees. AmericInn® is one of the fastest growing limited service lodging chains with over 260 locations in 27 states. Locations utilizing an integrated property management system for payments are now required to install the Merchant Link solution.

"As credit card data breaches continue to make headlines, and as we continue to grow our business, we knew we had to do everything possible to secure the personal data of our guests," shared Mark Nicpon, CIO, of AmericInn International, LLC. "Merchant Link's hosted solution secures cardholder data from the moment of capture and ensures data is not stored anywhere on premise. The solution also helps ease PCI compliance effort and cost for our franchisees."

The comprehensive solution incorporates the Merchant Link Payment Gateway™, TransactionVault™ tokenization and TransactionShield® point-to-point encryption technology. The Merchant Link Payment Gateway provides connectivity to all major processors and sends payments quickly, while detecting and correcting errors along the way. TransactionVault removes guest credit card data from hoteliers' systems and stores it in a secure, hosted "vault" – away from the business and safe from hackers. TransactionShield encrypts data at the point of interaction and protects it as it travels through the hotel's IT environment. Decryption occurs within Merchant Link's cloud-based payment gateway, reducing the risk of comprise.

"AmericInn understands the importance of processing payment transactions securely as well as the value of the support services we provide their franchisees to access information and immediately remediate problems," said Dan Lane, Merchant Link's President and CEO. "We are proud that AmericInn has selected Merchant Link as the brand standard for its franchisees and we look forward to working with them."

Installations are already underway and adoption across the entire chain is expected to be complete over the next 12 months.

About AmericInn

AmericInn® is a leading mid-scale lodging chain with over 260 locations currently open or under development in 27 states. The brand is dedicated to providing an exceptional lodging value for its guests by offering great rates and amenities such as free, hot, home-style AmericInn Perk breakfast, free hotel-wide wireless high-speed Internet, inviting swimming pools and Easy Rewards. AmericInn is part of Northcott Hospitality, owner and developer of successful franchised hospitality brands for more than 50 years. For more information on AmericInn development opportunities visit www.AmericInnDREAM.com or call 1-866-220-7140. For AmericInn reservations visit www.AmericInn.com or call 1-800-634-3444.

About Merchant Link

Merchant Link is a leading provider of cloud-based payment gateway and data security solutions, removing the risk and hassle from credit card acceptance for more than 150,000 hotels, restaurants, and retailers. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Silver Spring, Md., Merchant Link currently enables more than 3 billion transactions annually for some of the world's best-known merchants, providing connectivity to the major U.S. payment card processors. TransactionVault™, our tokenization solution, and TransactionShield®, our point-to-point encryption solution, mitigate the risk of a data compromise while lowering the cost and effort of PCI compliance. Further information is available at www.merchantlink.com. For our expert opinion on encryption, tokenization and PCI compliance, visit the Merchant Link blog at www.merchantlinksecuritycents.com.

SOURCE Merchant Link