High-Techno Club

A new nightclub in London, twentyfour: london, is designed to appeal to the high-tech "wouldn't it be great if holodecks were real" side of the population: it has walls that can change and morph into whatever you want them to be, via projection technology. A canyon? You got it. A beautiful beach at midnight? You got that too. Want to ogle models strutting the catwalk? No problem. You can even bring in your own videos and pictures, so it really is "whatever you want." Other features the high-tech nightclub offer include drinks that notify the bartender when they're empty and interactive experiences like a virtual koi pond.

Weigh To Go

The Ricardo Beverly Hills Solutions Travel Luggage Collection has recently won the Product Innovation Award, an award that recognizes excellence in design, development, and function. This luggage collection features a built-in digital scale to weigh itself and its contents. This new luggage collection directly addresses one of the major problems faced by today's travelers: costly airline overweight luggage penalties and the related inconvenience of unnecessary delays. Travelers can pack their bags and know that they have not exceeded the standard airline weight limitation. All together now: Why didn't I think of that?

Deter Gents

Now, this is a nifty must-have item for all travelers.

Laundry Paper is perfect for washing swimwear, socks and more while traveling and the best thing about it is that you can go through airport security without a hassle.

I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to do is laundry while I am on vacation but there have been times I needed something washed quickly and this would have been perfect. Just don't get this confused with your Listerine tabs, unless of course you need to have your mouth washed out with soap!

People In Glass Houses...

Here's a novel idea for people who enjoy the outdoors, but aren't overly enthusiastic with the idea of pitching a tent and singing koombaya around a bonfire. Travelodge has just announced its new mobile hotel rooms called "Travelpods," which are perfect for music festivals and sporting competitions. Each pod comes sealed in a polycarbonate glass box and includes all the amenities of a standard hotel room like televisions and air conditioning. This galmourous outdoor accommodation measures 6 meters by 2.4 and includes a double bed, bedside lights, carpeted floors, dressing table and blinds. Kinda reminds me of trailers, minus the wheels and driver!

On The Go Carts

Today everyone wants to be more green and not only is it hip to recycle - its even hipper to buy things that have been. There is a German company called Bordbar that is recycling old airline drink carts into well... more drink carts or whatever else you want to use them for! In Bordbar's online store you can design and customize your cart with the prints, boxes, shelves and drawers you want. Prices start around $1,225 for the units, which could be used in the kitchen, the office, or anywhere you need a little compact storage. Another bonus: These carts have survived years of turbulence, so their durability is time-tested. See being green is just as Plane as black and white.

Less Is More - More or Less

Yotels are a chain of hotels that combine the virtues of business class flat-beds with those of Japanese capsule hotels. Dreamt up by Simon Woodroffe, the founder of Yo! Sushi, these hotels promise to give the weary long-haul traveller a decent place to sleep while in transit. The first hotel opened in Gatwick. The next is due to open in Heathrow. Eventually they plan to open these hotels all across London. Will they work away from an airport? I guess only time will Yotel.

Oh Good Grief, Tourism

When I hear the word tourism, I think of beaches, comfortable hotels, and lots of relaxation. But now, darker forms of tourism are gaining popularity in an increasingly news-strung world. It’s called Dark Tourism - and two of its genres are Thanatourism and Grief Tourism, which denotes the urge to travel to the dark places of the world like the Killing Fields, Ground Zero or Auschwitz. And you thought the guilt trips your mom gives you were weird.

Time To Jet

Between barefoot security checks and the infamous shampoo ban, air travel is in sorry shape. But so far, no airline has offered much more than free drinks to put the class back in business class. Silverjet is reworking business class, from buying out a terminal in London to serving meals on real plates. Even Newark is getting a little more swank. (The airport, not the town; they aren't miracle workers.) Instead of waiting in a check-in line, just drift past the counters and over to the Silver Lounge. Attendants will handle the bags and tickets while you sit in the lounge, knock back a few and wait for them to bring you your ticket. Think of it as a pre-flight refueling. And if you are scared to fly alone, there's a Silver(jet)lining, book before July 30th and you can take a friend for free!

Resort Where?

More news out of Las Vegas, a recent Businessweek article covered the groundbreaking of Echelon, a new $4.8 billion project on the Las Vegas Strip. Echelon will be located on the north end of the Strip. The Echelon will be a massive complex that is home to 30 restaurants, five hotels, four spas, two concert venues, a 300,000-square-foot shopping area, and a casino. The complex will include Delano and Mondrian boutique hotels and a 4,000 seat theater. This complex is also not going the condo-hotel route choosing to instead offer suites and hotels rather than condominium ownership. Echelon is schedule to open in 2010.