Mark and Michael Ionescu want Baltimore?s visitors to explore the city with confidence.
The brothers, who grew up in Harford County, developed Landmark City Guide, GPS-based software used in touch-screen kiosks that help people access information on restaurants, events and shopping in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.
The kiosks, which print directions for free, are located at three downtown hotels ? the Tremont Plaza, the Sheraton Inner Harbor and the Holiday Inn Express ? as well as the Maryland Science Center and the Baltimore National Aquarium.
“We?re trying to get people more familiar with the city,” said Michael Ionescu, standing next to the kiosk at the aquarium. “You can take 10 seconds and find out where you need to go.”
Mark, 30, and Michael, 25, founded Ionescu Technologies in 2005 and joined Baltimore?s Emerging Technology Centers, a nonprofit business incubator program focused on growing early-stage technology companies. The brothers share the titles of president and CEO of the company.
The idea for the interactive guide came out of years of traveling and looking for a better way to navigate unfamiliar territory, Mark Ionescu said.
“In the past, if you were traveling, you would goto a rest stop and would have to look through whatever maps were there,” he said. “Getting lost was pretty easy.”
The brothers took time to build relationships with Baltimore businesses while developing the software. Ionescu Technologies, with an office on East 33rd Street, purchases the kiosks from a manufacturer.
The company charges businesses for being in the guide and having specific information such as menus, prices and hours. The guide isn?t limited to paying businesses and includes information on numerous restaurants, bars, clubs, events, attractions and shopping locations.
With five kiosks operating in Baltimore, Mark and Michael Ionescu said they expect kiosks to soon be placed at other area hotels. They plan to market the product in other cities.
The National Aquarium started using its kiosk in the middle of November. The aquarium, with 1.6 million visitors a year, is one of the leading tourist attractions in Maryland.
“We always try to provide the best visitor experience, and we get a lot of questions from visitors about places to eat nearby,” said Suzanne Rothrock, director of strategic marketing for the Baltimore National Aquarium. “We think this helps them take advantage of the city.”
MARK IONESCU
First job: I was an electronics salesman.
Education: Writing seminars degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Daily e-mails received: 30 to 40.
Daily voicemails received: Three or four.
Favorite gadget: Cell phone.
Career objective: To satisfy the two groups we?re working for ? the people who visit Baltimore and the businesses in the city.
Essential Web sites: lifehacker.com.
Hometown: Harford County.
Birth date: Nov. 17, 1977.
Original aspiration: I always wanted to be a writer.
MICHAEL IONESCU
First job: I worked at a movie theater.
Education: Writing seminars degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Daily e-mails received: 20 to 30.
Daily voicemails received: Three or four.
Favorite gadget: Cell phone.
Career objective: To create something so people don?t feel leery about traveling outside their comfort zone.
Essential Web sites: engadget.com.
Hometown: Harford County.
Birth date: Oct. 14, 1982.
Original aspiration: I wanted to work for myself.
