hotels

There are a great number of travel Web sites on the Internet that let you search flights, hotel listings, and car rentals, but if you want a quick way to get that info while on the go, check out the new Kayak for iPhone app. Though Kayak has been around for some time, the latest version for iPhone includes a completely redesigned interface and faster search results making it much easier to get your travel plans in order quickly. Like the older version, Kayak works seamlessly with the Kayak.com Web site.

Instead of the older tilelike interface, Kayak has … Read more

There are a great number of travel Web sites on the Internet that let you search flights, hotel listings, and car rentals, but if you want a quick way to get that info while on the go, check out the new Kayak for iPhone app. Though Kayak has been around for some time, this latest version for iPhone includes a completely redesigned interface and faster search results making it much easier to get your travel plans in order quickly. Like the older version, Kayak works seamlessly with the Kayak.com Web site.

Instead of the older tilelike interface, Kayak has … Read more

LAS VEGAS--At the crack of dawn (my dawn, not the world's), I was confronted by huge numbers of exhibitors rolling boxes, tubes, and what might have been weapon parts, towards the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Each, no doubt, feels they have the killer gadget. The one that will put, you know, that other killer gadget into the crematorium.

And yet, as the tablets, phones and, so I am told, mice you can wear like a ring, are put in place, so many of the attendees still wonder "What will Apple do?"

The shadow of the black mock … Read more

The New York state legislature is set to vote this week on a bill that would ban apartment sublets that last less than a month, which if passed would have a significant impact on online vacation rental services like AirBnB, Roomorama, HomeAway, and even classifieds behemoth Craigslist.

In recent years, there's been a surge in popularity for short-term apartment rentals and housing exchange services that let users offer anything from luxury lofts to pull-out couches--especially in states like New York, whose eponymous island metropolis is known for housing prices so exorbitant that many tourists seek alternatives to hotels and … Read more

A start-up called Topguest is aiming to take the wild assortment of location-based "check-in" services out there and turn them into something a little more familiar: hotel and travel reward points. The company, which launched Thursday amid the craziness of Internet Week New York, is currently in a "preview" version that consists of a partnership with the trendy Andre Balazs-helmed Standard Hotels chain.

Here's how it works. Topguest users sign up and then connect any number of location-based social media services--Foursquare, Gowalla, Loopt, Brightkite, Yelp, and Google Latitude for now. Most of it is handled … Read more

I'm constantly browsing the new releases, most popular lists, and iPhone/iPad-focused Web sites for hidden gems. The other day, I took a chance on an iPad game that didn't seem like my cup of tea, but the user opinions were through the roof.

Hotel Mogul HD ($6.99, iPhone version here) looked to me like a casual game that would quickly become boring. Even after scrolling through the screenshots and reading the description, I still wasn't sold. The game revolves around a young entrepreneur named Lynette who owns a large and successful real estate company with … Read more

Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Those who happen to be stranded in Copenhagen by the ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano can check out the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers--if there are still available rooms, that is.

The 366-room Danish hotel, located five minutes from Copenhagen International Airport, is offering a radically cool eco initiative--possibly the first in the world--by letting guests pedal away on exercise bikes for a free meal. This not only provides a good workout, it helps reduce hotel guests' carbon footprint.

Two stationary bicycles are hooked up to generators, with an iPhone … Read more

Hotel Solitaire is a fun twist on the classic card game that gives users a variety of different games that can be unlocked only one at a time. The game's creative setup ensures hours of fun as users advance through the various levels.

The premise of Hotel Solitaire is that each game is contained in a hotel room, with five rooms on each of 20 floors. Users must complete all the games on a given floor in order to advance to the next one, gradually ascending to the top. Users also unlock games in the casino as they proceed, … Read more

Let's say you're staying at a nice hotel on vacation, and you'll have plenty of time to relax. As a reader of Crave, it's likely your relaxation has something to do with using gear. Hotels are starting to include gadgets (for free or for a nominal fee) as an incentive, and it's a great idea.

But we'd like to know which gadget offering would most entice you to choose one hotel over another next time you're on holiday. Vote in our poll. And if we missed anything, let us know in our TalkBack … Read more