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SPECIAL HOTEL/MOTEL TRUNKS
OPERATION OVERVIEW
In certain areas of the country there are special trunks for hotels and motels about which you should be
aware. At one time they were widely used but today they are found generally in rural areas. The trunks
generally are called HOBIC lines by telephone company personnel. The acronym stands for Hotel Billing
Information Center.
Actually, there is nothing different about the lines; it’s the service that’s different. The service is the Hotel
Billing Information System (HOBIS), which provides automatic time-and-charge information to the inn
each time a guest makes a call.
A similar service known as Centralized Charge Quotation Service (CCQS) provides the same information
for hospitals, law firms, advertising agencies, and other customers who need to keep accurate records.
A hotel/motel subscriber to the telephone company’s HOBIS service would be equipped with the trunks
and a special printer. A guest initiates an outside call over a HOBIC trunk by dialing a special entry code,
most often the number “8”. The HOBIS system immediately begins computing time and charges and relays
the information to the HOBIC center. When the call is completed, the center automatically sends a signal
over a data line to a modem which is connected to the printer. The printer lists the time and charges for the
call. This saves the motel operator or desk clerk from having to request the time/charge information for
each call. It also saves the hotel/motel dollars by allowing it to add the charges to the guests' room bill
before they checkout.
The AT&T Horizon PBX offered a special Hotel/Motel software feature package which used Hobic lines.
The feature package provided the software, modem, printer, and RJ11 line connector. Recently,
sophisticated optional accounting systems, such as CAS PLUS Hospitality Version available on the
MERLIN LEGEND Communications System have replaced the Hobic method, except in smaller, family-
owned “mom-and-pop” type motels. These new systems do not use Hobic at all; they accumulate SMDR
data and calculate the price of each call based on rate tables included with the Call Accounting software.
MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING
Whenever installing or programming lines/trunks there can be problems encountered. This is a quick
reference guide to use when difficulty occurs.
When difficulties arise on the lines/trunks, consult the Maintenance section (page 5-39),
LEGEND Installation, Programming, and Maintenance Manual (IPM).
Also consult the Lines/Trunks Error codes/Solutions matrix in the Troubleshooting section
(page 5-46), in the IPM.