Hotels and Lodging

Good news for tourists in Shanghai — as of May 1, checkout times in hotels, guest houses and hostels are negotiable. Previously, hotels across China’s mainland set noon as the checkout time.

The new regulation requires that Shanghai hotels confirm the checkout time with guests in writing before they check in. Hotels do not have to offer a flexible checkout time, but they are required to inform guests of the time of checkout when they arrive and to display checkout options near the reception desk.

Bless You! Bless You! Bless You! How wonderful you are!

In late December, ITN mailed out a survey to 1,000 subscribers selected at random. It was a many-questioned survey asking about your travels in the year 2008, and the results will be presented to potential advertisers. We received 869 replies!

Almost 87%! In survey circles, that is considered better than outstanding.

By Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, a Boeing 747 plane has been converted into a hostel, refitted with private rooms and dorm rooms. The Cockpit Suite sleeps two and has a toilet with shower. The other, smaller private rooms and dorm rooms share bathrooms in the hostel style.

Room rates are SEK350 (near $45) dorm; SEK1,200 ($154) twin-bed room; SEK1,350 ($173) private room sleeping one to three people, and SEK5,328 ($683) Cockpit Suite. Short-stay, day-room rates are available. A free transfer bus is available.

Book before March 31, 2009, and get a free night’s stay (subject to availability) at one of the world’s best hotels before or after an overnight train or boat journey with Orient-Express Trains & Cruises (Orient-Express Hotels, New York, NY; 212/302-5055, www.orient-express.com). Travel in Scotland, France, Myanmar or. . .

• On 6-day/5-night Venice Simplon Orient-Express, London-Venice, stay at Venice’s Hotel Cipriani. From $5,780.

Located at Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, the “luxury pod hotel” citizenM (Janplezierweg 2, 1118 BB Schiphol Airport, Netherlands) has no porters or room service. On the bottom floor is a self-check-in kiosk, a shared “living room” space (with computers) and a “canteenM” with food and beverages for sale.

Unusual Hotels of the World showcases on its website www.uhotw.com 149 “avant-garde” lodgings around the world, organized by location, price and “wow factor.”

Example — the Old Jail in Mount Gambier, South Australia, built in 1866 as a prison and now a hostel; from AU$22 (near US$15.50) per person for a dormitory bed. Another — the Woodpecker Hotel, a tree house in a large oak in Stockholm, 40 feet above a public park and accessible by rope ladder; $250-$350 per night.

In Uganda, to encourage investment and to increase access to national parks, the government is allowing more hoteliers to build new lodges nearby. Those places that may gain accommodations are Queen Elizabeth Park, Murchison Falls, Kidepo Valley, Lake Mburo and Semuliki National Parks.

KeyToss is a free, Web-based portal application that allows smartphone users to easily search the Internet for information (news, weather, stock quotes, etc.) 

Dating from the 15th century and a convent for 150 years, historic Gillis House (phone 0131 623 8933) in Edinburgh, Scotland, is now a guest house.

Set in the Bruntsfield area, it offers three-star bed-and-breakfast accommodation with 19 bedrooms, all with bathrooms en suite. £40 (near $60) for one person or £60-£70 for two.

In 1834 the building was extended to include St. Margaret’s Chapel, and there is a large garden full of apple trees.

Hotel rooms with amenities for mobility-impaired travelers can be found online using new tools added to the websites Expedia.com and Hotels.com.

On each website, after the initial search for date and city choices is performed, a drop-down menu is available (on top right of page on Expedia and on right side of page on Hotels.com) showing options such as Braille signage, roll-in shower or accessible bathroom. Choices are then narrowed to hotels with those features, which can be requested on the booking form.