- Hip hotels are catching on around the US, not just in the big cities on the East and West coasts. Places like Columbus, Ohio along with Houston and Bartlesville, Oklahoma now offer more stylish digs, USA To day reports. Even some moderate-price mainstream chains
are joining the trend toward a more customized travel experience. My faves in the Washington, DC area -- The Georgetown Inn in Georgetown and the Relais & Chateau Morrison House in Alexandria, VA. Conveniently located, great service, fine food and particularly comfortable for a solo womantraveler. - Good news that Marriott International is replacing 628,000 beds across eight brands this year with more luxurious mattresses, more pillows and softer sheets. We've come to expect no less since the Westin Hotels trademark "Heavenly Bed" made plush comfort a core expectation.
- If your thumbs have been hurting lately, you might have the new PDA disease "BlackBerry thumb." Researchers at UCLA and Cornell University are among those to suggest to WebMD that thumb tenditis may be a new arthritic malady along with technology-induced repetitive motion injuries like the wrist's carpel tunnel syndrome.
- Here are 12 quick tips to improve your flight experience -- from a former flight attendant and MSNBC travel columnist. I particularly like his advice about accessorizing with a lot of gadgets.
