Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Arner

Michael Arner

Chief Technology Officer, RoamingAround.com

Michael Arner is the CTO and a principal at RoamingAround.com, an industry and thought leader for location-based services with particular expertise in Hospitality. His team is comprised of veteran superstars from Mobile Payments and Mobile Carrier Applications. The RoamingAround platform is the most sophisticated, most flexible, most comprehensive solution currently on the market for hyper-personalized, location-contexted, dynamic mobile engagement and machine learning. It is also one of the very few to focus on the particular opportunities offered in Hospitality. Prior to RoamingAround, Mr. Arner was the co-founder and CTO of ROAM Data, a leading mCommerce platform provider. ROAM Data grew from zero to a $26M annualized run rate before being majority-sold for $120M to Ingenico. ROAM turns merchants' mobile devices into secure point of sale (POS) terminals and turns the mobile marketing channel into a mobile sales channel by enabling secure commerce in mobile applications with convenient mobile checkout. The company won the 2010 Technology Innovations Award at ETA. Mr. Arner was also the CTO and co-founder of Marbles, the world's first thin-client mobile software company focused on enterprise mobile workforce applications. Marbles was also the winner of multiple innovation awards. A longtime interdisciplinarian, Mr. Arner received his B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University and his Ph.D. in English Literature from Boston University. He has published essays on art and technology in both academic and popular presses.

Please visit http://www.roamingaround.com for more information.

Mr. Arner can be contacted at 978-777-8787 or marner@roamingaround.com

Coming up in May 2019...

Eco-Friendly Practices: Corporate Social Responsibility

The hotel industry has undertaken a long-term effort to build more responsible and socially conscious businesses. What began with small efforts to reduce waste - such as paperless checkouts and refillable soap dispensers - has evolved into an international movement toward implementing sustainable development practices. In addition to establishing themselves as good corporate citizens, adopting eco-friendly practices is sound business for hotels. According to a recent report from Deloitte, 95% of business travelers believe the hotel industry should be undertaking “green” initiatives, and Millennials are twice as likely to support brands with strong management of environmental and social issues. Given these conclusions, hotels are continuing to innovate in the areas of environmental sustainability. For example, one leading hotel chain has designed special elevators that collect kinetic energy from the moving lift and in the process, they have reduced their energy consumption by 50%  over conventional elevators. Also, they installed an advanced air conditioning system which employs a magnetic mechanical system that makes them more energy efficient. Other hotels are installing Intelligent Building Systems which monitor and control temperatures in rooms, common areas and swimming pools, as well as ventilation and cold water systems. Some hotels are installing Electric Vehicle charging stations, planting rooftop gardens, implementing stringent recycling programs, and insisting on the use of biodegradable materials. Another trend is the creation of Green Teams within a hotel's operation that are tasked to implement earth-friendly practices and manage budgets for green projects. Some hotels have even gone so far as to curtail or eliminate room service, believing that keeping the kitchen open 24/7 isn't terribly sustainable. The May issue of the Hotel Business Review will document what some hotels are doing to integrate sustainable practices into their operations and how they are benefiting from them.

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