Picture it. You’re stuck in London’s Gatwick Airport. Your flight has been canceled, and you have eight hours to kill. Wouldn’t it be nice to sneak off to a comfortable room with free wi-fi, a shower, a comfy bed and room service instead of whiling away the hours in the terminal? As of yesterday, travelers can do just that with Yotel’s 46 rooms. Located inside Gatwick’s South Terminal, the new mini-hotel concept offers pint-sized rooms (a sofa becomes a double bed, work tables fold down) with high-tech amenities like free wireless Internet access, flat screen TVs, 80 radio channels, a digital jukebox with 5,000 songs and multiple charging points for various electronic devices. Plus, check out the space-age interiors. V. cool.

Rooms can be booked in advance or on the spot for a minimum of four hours. Because of their small size, standard rooms are best for one traveler, though two can squeeze in, while premium cabins offer enough space for two. Standard room rates start at 25 GBP for four hours or 50 GBP for overnight stays. Premium room rates start at 40 GBP for four hours and increase to 80 GBP for overnight stays.

Yotel will be coming to London Heathrow Airport later this year.

British entrepreneur Simon Woodroffe launches 46-cabin Yotel inside Gatwick Airport

For bookings made by September 15, 2007, Holland America is offering Early Advantage discounts on 2008 cruises and cruise packages. Some of the deals include:

- 7-day Caribbean cruise starting at $1049 for verandah rooms.

- 15-day Circle Hawaii cruise starting at $1,799 for an outside stateroom

- 10-day Yukon CruiseTour starting at $1,489 for an outside stateroom.

- 16-day South America cruise starting at $2,099 for an inside stateroom

Located two blocks from the National Mall and one block from the White House, the Hotel Washington is one patriotic place to be on the Fourth of July. To celebrate the festivities and give guests prime views of the Capitol Hill fireworks, the hotel has created a Rockets’ Red Glare package. Guests who book the package will receive accommodations in a one-bedroom suite with unobstructed views of the fireworks. But that’s not all. The package also comes with a catered in-room party featuring cheese plates, shrimp cocktail, beer and wine.

If that sounds like too much of a commitment, the hotel’s Two Continents restaurant will be offering an all-day picnic luncheon for $14.95/person, as well as a seven-course on the hotel’s Sky Terrace for $125/person.

Yes, that’s one-way. But still. Zoom Airlines, a low-cost carrier that began operating in the U.S. today, is offering $99 fares for travel between JFK International Airport and London Gatwick from June 22 to July 13, 2007. And that includes taxes. After the promotion ends, fares increase to $199 each way. But that’s still a pretty good deal.

One perk of Zoom - no restrictions on tickets (like Saturday night stays). Meals and in-flight entertainment are included as complimentary services on New York to London flights.

New Low-Cost Flights Era Takes Off With £129 London - New York Fares

I’m not surprised at the results of JD Power and Associates’ recently published North American Airline Satisfaction Study. US Airways ranked six out of eight U.S. airlines for customer service and customer satisfaction. Only Air Canada and Northwest scored lower.

I took four flights on US Airways during the last six days, and every single plane I was on was delayed by over a half-hour. And none of these were flights at peak travel times. On top of that, the customer service desks in Charlotte had hour-long waits (which means you could easily miss the next possible flight to your destination while standing in line trying to get rebooked after missing a connection). I’m just so pleased that my next flight in a week or so is going to be on Northwest. Joy.

Rarely have I seen so many practical ways to save a few bucks at an all-inclusive resort, but Puerto Rico’s Las Casitas Village is offering not one, not two, but five different mini-deals for guests to take advantage of.

- Returning guests get 20 percent off stays of 3 or more nights

- Pay for your stay with an American Express card, and the resort will give you a $100 certificate for use at any LuxuryResort property

- AARP members receive special discounted room rates

- AAA members receive special discounted room rates

- Guests receive a $100 resort credit with 3-night stays, $200 on 4- and 5-night stays and $300 on stays of 6+ nights

If you’re interested in any of these deals, make sure to book through the hotel directly and mention the promotion at time of booking.

Carey of Houston is planning to add wireless Internet access to its Houston fleet. The service will be available, free of charge, to travelers who hire the car service’s sedans, limousines, mini-buses and executive vans.

They haven’t done it yet, but Starwood Hotels and Resorts are planning to cut trans fats from food, catering, room service, bar and lounge menus at U.S. properties in order to be free from the nasty junk by the end of 2007.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Moves Forward to Eliminate Artificial Trans-Fats from More Than 400 Hotels in North America

Always wanted to test out a hybrid vehicle? Next year, you’ll be able to do just that when you rent a car through Hertz or Budget.

Hertz, Budget to Offer Hybrid Cars

Traveling overseas for business? Don’t be a rube.

International Business Etiquette 101