CHICAGO – (May 11, 2015) – Hotel Technology Next Generation (HTNG), the membership association that unites the world’s hospitality companies and technology innovators to solve industry challenges, announces the addition of three new members – all from management and ownership groups – to its Board of Governors.

“HTNG has always been fortunate to have strong representation from the industry’s leading brands from around the world on our Board, but we recently identified the need for stronger representation from management and ownership groups,” explained Douglas Rice, Executive Vice President and CEO of HTNG. “We sought out some of the best leaders from that segment and are very pleased to have the volunteer support of these three distinguished executives on our Board. The Board drives the organization to address the most pressing technology problems facing the hotel industry, so diversity is essential.”

Raman P. “R.P.” Rama is one of the owners and the Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer/Chief Information Officer of JHM Hotels. R.P. is responsible for establishing JHM’s management information system and technology initiatives. R.P. has a Certified Hotel Administrator and CHA Emeritus designation from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He is also a Certified Hospitality Technology Professional and has a Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive designation from the Hospitality Financial Technology Professionals Association. He has been a member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association since its inception, and serves on several committees. He is a Past President of HFTP and is currently on the Executive Board of the South Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association. He serves on Brand IT Advisory Councils and is a founding board member of Global Hospitality Technology Professionals, which was created in India in March 2015.

Jason Shane joins the board representing Hersha Hospitality. As Senior Director of IT, Jason reports to the CEO and leads technology strategy and planning for the Hersha group of companies. Under Jason’s leadership, HHM’s IT team manages all technology for more than 4,000 associates at over 105 hotels across brands, geographies and ownership groups. After starting his career by building his own IT services firm, he joined Hersha Hospitality in 2004 to build the IT department to support the rapidly growing organization. Jason holds a BS in Information Technology Management from Western Governors University and lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Martin F. Stanton is Chief Information Officer for Lowe Enterprises / Destination Hotels, where he leads a team of over 50 technology professionals who focus on driving the company’s technology vision toward unified, aligned applications and solid, secure infrastructure. He has worked nearly 30 years in hospitality after graduating from Bradley University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems. Mr. Stanton joined the firm in 1994 when The Inverness Hotel became part of the Destination family. Mr. Stanton has been engaged in both the Technology and Finance disciplines throughout his tenure with Lowe Enterprises. Mr. Stanton participates on numerous industry and related organizations and is a frequent speaker at company and industry events.

With these new Governors, HTNG’s Board is now larger than at any other time in HTNG’s history and represents a broader range of hotel ownership, management and brand viewpoints. The members of HTNG’s board have oversight for nearly 19,000 properties with roughly three million guest rooms under their influence. HTNG’s website has bios and photos for each of the 21-member Board of Governors.