Luxury hotels by the hour
Why pay for an overnight hotel stay when you need a room during the day for only a few hours or even just a few minutes? A handful of companies now sell hotel rooms for short blocks of time. One example is HotelsbyDay.com, with a presence in more than 60 cities including New York, Chicago and Minneapolis, as well as in London and Paris. The brand works with more than 600 hotels in the three- to five-star categories, and rooms are available to book for a minimum of four hours between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Pricing varies by destination, but Chief Executive Officer Yannis Moati said that the national average is $90 for four hours. Dayuse.com, available for 4,000 hotels in 22 countries, also partners with three- to five-star properties, with a three-hour minimum. And with the new app Recharge, users can book rooms by the minute at luxury properties in New York City and San Francisco.
New York Times
Smart bags, bad batteries
Airlines including American, Alaska, Delta, United and Southwest no longer allow passengers to fly with smart bags that contain nonremovable lithium batteries. The policy change applies to checked and carry-on bags that require lithium batteries to power high-tech features such as a USB charging station and a location tracker. "Customers who travel with a smart bag must be able to remove the battery in case the bag has to be checked at any point in the customer's journey," American Airlines said in a prepared statement. "If the battery cannot be removed, the bag will not be allowed." Lithium metal and lithium ion/polymer batteries are susceptible to emitting smoke, catching fire and even exploding.
Washington Post
Dillydally with Dali
The budding artist in your clan will be transformed by a visit to the 66,450-square-foot Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Fla., housing the world's most comprehensive collection of Dali works. Enjoy the priceless collection of masterpieces, paintings, photographs, watercolors and books sure to inspire the whole family. Younger children will enjoy the Dillydally with Dali program offered daily, which includes puzzles, games, story hour and creative expression. Be there on the first Saturday of the month for Breakfast With Dali, a morning that includes a junior-focused tour, followed by a buffet breakfast. Children under 5 are admitted free (thedali.org; visitstpeteclearwater.com).
Dallas Morning News
NatGeo snubs Minnesota
Does National Geographic need to bone up on, you know, geography? Our beloved St. Paul and Duluth are nowhere to be found on National Geographic Traveler's new list of the top 30 small cities in the United States. Actually, we're not sure what NatGeo means by "small city," as Honolulu, New Orleans and Pittsburgh made the list — all sitting around a third of a mil in population — and elsewhere NatGeo refers to the project instead as the "Most Surprising Cities to Visit." Anyway, Midwestern burgs that did make the cut include Kansas City, Mo. (ahem, population 481,420), as well as Madison, Wis.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Omaha; and Rapid City, S.D. The college towns Madison and Ann Arbor also received nods under the "Greenest" category, and Rapid City was listed as trending in the "Most Instagrammed" category. Better luck next time, Rochester!
Simon Peter Groebner
