Danvers, Mass. — March 6, 2013 — Who said you can't have it all? In today's mobile-dependent environment, consumers have come to expect it all and more during their travels. RoamingAround, hospitality's mobile technology experts, is providing hotels of all sizes and brand affiliations with a full-service mobile marketing strategy that addresses issues with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), offers front desk bypass and self-service check-in/-out, customizes branded mobile apps, processes mobile payments, generates mobile offers, and amplifies the buildings cellular coverage.
 
"Hospitality is the number two industry for mobile engagement (behind retail), but unfortunately, hotels are still struggling with implementing their own mobile strategies," said Michael Garvin, President of RoamingAround. "Granted, resources are tight and the mobile landscape continues to evolve, making technology execution extremely confusing for most hotels. Throw in the vast number of new providers of mobile services and hoteliers' jobs of implementing a mobile strategy get much more complicated. That's where RoamingAround comes in. Our team is comprised of former hotel general managers, technology systems integrators, and mobile marketing experts to give today's owners and operators the broad-spectrum mobile initiative they need and the peace of mind to know they can offer it all to guests at a fraction of the cost of working with multiple providers."
 
Today, 70 percent of business travelers and 53 percent of leisure travelers are using their mobile devices to access travel-related information. RoamingAround establishes multiple touch-points throughout the hotel to greatly enhance the mobile service provided to guests during their stay, and enable hotel marketers to stay in constant contact with travelers before they arrive and long after they depart. Here's how:

Mobile Key
Mobile Key by OpenWays gives travelers more freedom of choice for check in. With Mobile Key, guests avoid lines and go straight to their rooms by using their mobile phones as their room keys. Modern mobile-based self-service options are expected by today’s travelers. Mobile key provides hotels with the ability to enhance their direct sales channels, promoting a loyal customer base and building a powerful mobile database. The OpenWays Mobile Key module is compatible with the major lock brands, and it can retrofit to existing electronic-locking systems. The solution also reduces plastic keycard waste and promotes a positive brand image by offering an eco-friendly access option. Mobile Key is designed to stimulate more direct bookings and therefore It contributes better profit margins and cash flow. Mobile Key improves hotel operations and security, as its online Master Key service scrutinizes accessibility with full audit trail and provides real-time management, cancellation and tracking of the data-based key.

MobileApps
RoamingAround develops custom, branded mobile apps that stay relevant and establish brand/hotel differentiation. The service quite literally places a hotel's services and amenities in the pockets of today's travelers, placing the guest experience at their fingertips. This drives guest loyalty and satisfaction by giving guests complete control over how they engage with the hotel, using the mobile tools they are most comfortable using.
 
RoamingAround's Mobile Apps service provides total integration with a hotel's proprietary systems such as property-management, point-of-sale and central reservations to support mobile booking, property information, local scene, push notifications/specials, social media links, QR scanning capabilities and more. The service supports guests' various devices, including: iOS (iPhone, iPad, iTouch), Android, Windows phones and web tablets.

MobilePayments
RoamingAround's secure Mobile Payments service enables hotels to process all major credit and debit cards used for mobile transactions. The service enables operators to set state tax rates for auto calculations to total, accept tips, record cash and card transactions, record customer contact details for targeted marketing, conduct offline transactions, issue receipts to customer’s email, and void/refund transactions.

MobileOffers
With Mobile Offers, RoamingAround assists hotels with generating incremental revenue for its various outlets. The program promotes offers direct to guests' mobile phones, and is email, QR code, Facebook and Twitter compatible.  Creates, promotes and manages all offers on behalf of the hotel and provides payment and tracking reports to show all clicks, revenue, success rate, history and more.

RoamBoost
"One of the leading sources of guest complaints today is insufficient mobile broadband," Garvin said. "Therefore, RoamingAround has developed Roam Boost to eliminate these complaints once and for all. Roam Boost amplifies and strengthens a hotel's cell coverage, ensuring that mobile calls and data transactions are conducted quickly and securely. RoamingAround identifies areas in the hotel where bandwidth is needed the most -- lobby, meeting room, basement, top floors, etc.  This service not only fixes mobile broadband issues, but it is available to hoteliers today at a fraction of the cost of a distributive antenna system."

With Roam Boost, hotels receive 24/7 access to mobile broadband services and applications. Productivity is enhanced by enabling quicker information flow to guests, and loyalty increases by eliminating problems associated with cell coverage.

According to the 2013 Lodging Technology Study: Insufficient IT budgets are no longer considered the biggest challenge facing hotel technol­ogy executives. Instead, rising pressure from consumer expectations coupled with limited technology talent to meet those expectations are becoming larger con­cerns.
 
"RoamingAround brings a mobile marketing and management talent pool to the table like no other hospitality company," Garvin said. "Couple that with more than 50 years of hands-on hotel management experience, and you will find a company that is dedicated to keeping up with the latest mobile technology enhancements to the benefit of hoteliers and guests alike.
 
"Better yet, our solutions are designed to grow with a hotel on an as-needed basis," he said. "A hotel can choose one solution to start and expand their mobile presence as demand increases. Hoteliers no longer need to spend their time looking for partners to assist in their mobile endeavors. We are RoamingAround and can implement the best mobile strategy for any hotel, regardless of size or brand affiliation."

Hoteliers who want to keep up-to-date on "everything mobile" are encouraged to become friends and followers of RoamingAround via the leading social media channels, including:

Facebook:
Twitter
YouTube

About RoamingAround
RoamingAround is a mobile marketing company providing cutting edge, mobile technology exclusively to hotel chains and independents looking to establish differentiation while increasing occupancies, generating new revenue, strengthening customer loyalty and positively impacting the guest experience. As hoteliers, RoamingAround understands the importance of staying current and the beneficial effect of innovative technology. RoamingAround helps clients identify business solutions and stay connected with their guests for the ultimate hotel experience. For more information, email [email protected] or visit  www.RoamingAround.com.