• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem

1

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

2

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
LifestyleFuture of Work

This Startup Wants Your Next Office to Be a Boutique Hotel in Bali

By
Brian Patrick Eha
Brian Patrick Eha
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Brian Patrick Eha
Brian Patrick Eha
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 3, 2016, 12:01 PM ET
Roam startup, digital nomads
Roam startup, digital nomadsPhoto courtesy of Roam
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Walter Cronkite lied to us.

In a 1967 episode of his CBS series The 21st Century, Cronkite took viewers on a tour of the home of 2001, presenting it as a teleworker’s paradise. Not only would a 30-hour work week and month-long vacations be the norm, he said, but the businessperson of the future would have a home office equipped with computer consoles and other devices that would allow him “to carry on normal business activities without ever going to an office away from home.”

Fast forward to 2016, and most of us are still schlepping in all weathers to a fluorescent-lit cubicle farm. Meanwhile, the biggest technology companies have spent millions of dollars to build sprawling, exclusive campuses so loaded with amenities that employees need never go home at all.

Related: Meet the Entrepreneur Who Sold His Tech Startup to GM for $1 Billion

A new startup, Roam, which today announced $3.4 million in seed funding, wants to help people ditch their corporate offices and stressful commutes in favor of upscale “co-living” spaces in dream destinations around the globe. Picture a permanent working vacation and you aren’t far off. Rather than juggling multiple bookings and rates, as they normally would when hopscotching between cities, Roam users pay a flat rate of $500 a week (or $1,800 a month) to book time at any of the company’s properties. They can stay for as little as one week or for months at a time.

“It’s great because it’s not a vacation,” says Bruno Haid, Roam’s founder and chief executive. “It’s all people who want to work on something, whatever that is. They really want to live their life there, and they want to get up in the morning, they want to get their shit done, and they want to have other people they can lead an interesting life with.”

While companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway have given travelers new options for where to stay, Roam offers a more radical proposition: a footloose lifestyle for remote workers, globe-trotting creatives, freelance coders and other so-called digital nomads who don’t need to be tied down to a single location.

Related: What to Do When a Customer Hasn’t Paid You

The properties are suitably posh: a boutique hotel in Bali, a former Victorian boarding house in Miami’s Little Havana, the one-time residence of a 19th-century marquess in Madrid. All boast fast Wi-Fi with backup fiber lines, inviting workspaces, beautiful furnishings, private bathrooms for each guest, a communal kitchen stocked with food, and other amenities.

“You can join a lease whenever you want depending on availability, and you’re always a part of the alumni network,” says Haid, who grew up in a small alpine village in Austria. An application process ensures that tenants are a diverse bunch, and prevents Roam properties from being turned into frat houses.

The Bali and Miami spaces are already open. Madrid is next, followed by London and Buenos Aires. Roam plans to target vibrant cities with good infrastructure—think Berlin or Amsterdam—and exotic destinations off the beaten path.

The company has its roots in earlier co-living experiments such as 20Mission in San Francisco, which Haid co-founded. He says the infusion of capital announced today will be used to expand to new locations and to build out a social platform for Roam alumni. CRV is leading the round, and is joined by Collaborative Fund, NextView, Corigin and a few angel investors, including Soundcloud founder Eric Wahlforss and Sten Tamkivi, the CEO of Teleport, a startup which helps knowledge workers figure out where to live and get settled once they arrive.

Tamkivi sees Teleport and Roam as “the beginning of a tidal wave.” His bet is that, in the future, more and more workers will be willing to relocate in order to secure the best life for themselves. “What would it take for a 24-year-old graphic designer or a 30-year-old software developer to just cancel their existing rental agreement or give up their mortgage?” he wonders. “Rather than going backpacking and [staying in] hostels, Roam is a higher-end, predictable, dependable way to live that sort of lifestyle.”

Asked whether he aims to further disrupt the hotel industry, or even take on Airbnb, Haid demurs. “If I would have to disrupt someone,” he says, “it’s the detached, single-family suburban unit with a 30-year mortgage. It’s the cultural practice of the last 50 or 60 years.”

Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter will examine how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today's executives—and how they can best navigate those challenges. Subscribe here.

About the Author
By Brian Patrick Eha
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Lifestyle

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Lifestyle

The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
HealthFitness
The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
By Christina SnyderJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
cinerama
Arts & EntertainmentHollywood
Hollywood’s iconic Cinerama Dome to reopen under deal with Sony, Alamo Drafthouse
By The Associated PressJuly 22, 2026
6 hours ago
An Ebola healthcare worker is assisted putting on protective equipment in a treatment center.
HealthEbola
Nearly 1,000 people dead from Ebola outbreak in Congo amid health worker strike
By The Associated Press, Prosper Heri Ngorora and Constant Same BagalwaJuly 22, 2026
8 hours ago
clark
North AmericaMedia
Ryan Clark found out he was fired live, mid-broadcast, on NFL Live as ESPN undergoes first major layoffs in 3 years
By Joe Reedy and The Associated PressJuly 22, 2026
11 hours ago
ls
Commentarybooks
Confessions of an award-winning AI memoirist — the ‘slop’ debate isn’t really about good writing, and you know it
By Luke StoffelJuly 22, 2026
14 hours ago
Panera founder and Cava chairman Ron Shaich bets $100 million on Level99, bringing his restaurant industry playbook to entertainment
C-SuiteFood and drink
Panera founder and Cava chairman Ron Shaich bets $100 million on Level99, bringing his restaurant industry playbook to entertainment
By Catherina GioinoJuly 22, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
AI
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
8 hours ago
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
Success
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
By Emma BurleighJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.