Letting boys be boys, Hong Kong's Fleming Hotel has launched 'His Space': four rooms dedicated solely to men. Priced at HKD 1,400 (USD 180) a night, the rooms come complete with all manner of boys' toys: games for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, an iPod docking station, a mini golf putting green and a variety of DVDs and men's magazines. Male guests can also take advantage of a 50% discount on selected imported beers as well as free local calls, broadband internet and cable television. To top it off, American breakfast, gym access and late checkout are also included in the deal.

Women needn't be jealous: the men's rooms were introduced after the success of 'Her Space', five rooms with enhanced security and female-focused amenities, which the Fleming Hotel introduced in 2007 (following the longer-standing trend of women-only hotel floors). Rooms for men, floors for women, party suites for teens... What's next?

Website: www.thefleming.com
Contact: sales@thefleming.com

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

Vending machines are already being used to sell shoes, prescription drugs and bicycle parts, and now we can add bathing suits to that list. Thanks to a new initiative from clothing company Quiksilver and hotelier André Balazs, guests at The Standard Hotels will soon be able to shop for swimwear while they're already at the pool.

A specially designed, co-branded line of men's boardshorts and one women's bikini will soon be available not just online and in The Standard Hotels' gift shops but also in what just may be the world's first bathing suit vending machines, located poolside at the hotel's New York, Los Angeles, Hollywood and Miami locations. The first such vending machine will open in Los Angeles on August 8, according to a Luxist post. The Standard/Quiksilver women's black bikini is priced at USD 84; mens' boardshorts—available in four styles, each corresponding to one of the hotel's four locations—are USD 75 and come with a waterproof travel bag. Each pair of boardshorts also includes "a carefully curated list of addresses corresponding to unique groups of destinations near each of the 4 hotels," as the company puts it, "curated and scribbled out by legendary skateboarder and Quiksilver Creative Director Natas Kaupas." The theme for the Miami style suit is "Comida is Cuban"; for the LA pair, it's "Art is Undercover"; for the Hollywood suit it's "Music Musts"; and for the New York style, it's "Summer in the City."

Next, we wouldn't be surprised to see hoteliers teaming up with Solar Energy Vending to give such poolside machines the added eco-allure of being off the grid. After all, where there are pools, there tends to be sun; serve up bathing suits and drinks from a solar-powered machine, and your own place in the sun will be all but assured! ;-)

Website: www.shopthestandard.com
Contact: theshop@standardhotel.com

Spotted by: Luxist via Raymond Kollau

Consumers spend some USD 65 billion on gift cards each year in the United States alone, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report; extrapolated globally, that adds up to a lot of plastic. While some retailers have begun recycling the PVC-based cards after they're used, the fact remains that most still end up in landfills. Enter the ecocard, a new line of eco-friendly alternatives.

Suitable also for use as hotel key cards, ecocard's range includes four different cards with increasing levels of "greenness." First is the PETg card, made from non-PVC, food-grade plastic that can be widely recycled. Next on the green scale comes a recycled PVC card that's made from old, traditional gift cards along with waste from factories; flecks of colour give away its mixed heritage. Even more green is the Ingeo ecocard, made from a plant-based material that disappears when composted. (Retailers including L.L Bean, Apple iTunes, REI, Target and Toys “R” US are reportedly among the companies that have already begun offering cards made from Ingeo.) Finally, ecocard's flagship Bloomcard—the greenest on its eco-scale—is made from recycled paper and laden with wildflower seeds, so that it can be planted after use and "reborn as poppies, daisies and buttercups." The UK-based company also offers sustainable badge holders and card packaging. And for every order, it pledges to plant one tree.

Perhaps just as important as the material underlying each ecocard is the fact that its composition and origins are proudly proclaimed on the back of the card, making the line not only eco-minded but also eco-iconic, as our sister site would say. Retailers, hoteliers, credit companies and all others using plastic cards: this one's for you! ;-) (Related: Service pays cash for unwanted gift cards.)

Website: www.eco-card.co.uk
Contact: hello@eco-card.co.uk

Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage and Rob Hayles

Rental cars need to be transported between offices. And travellers love freebies. Combine the two, and you get free rental cars, organized by Transfercar.

The New Zealand startup works with major car rental companies including Europcar, Apollo and Ace. Each rental company has a host of 'relocation cars' that need to transported to different branches. These are listed on Transfercar's website, along with the dates they're available, and interested customers can book online after registering with Transfercar. Drivers can also request to be notified by text message when cars are available for routes they'd like to travel. Most vehicles include basic insurance as well as ferry tickets between the North and South island, so no hidden fees. Rental companies often throw in a full tank of gas, too.

Although some rental companies already offer transfer cars at little or no cost, they rarely publicize the fact, and Transfercar is the first venture we’ve spotted that aggregates vehicles from a range of agencies, making the process far easier for consumers. Everybody wins: travellers with flexible schedules can drive for free, and rental agencies reduce their transfer costs. One to set up elsewhere? (Related: Car swapping for the holidays — Hertz subsidiary cuts frills and prices.)

Website: www.transfercar.co.nz
Contact: www.transfercar.co.nz/contact

Spotted by: P.J. Heta

Airline travellers already have EUclaim and Miss Refund for help claiming compensation for flight delays and tax refunds on unused trips. Now giving them a chance to sell the tickets they can't use is Re-ticket.com, a site also out of the Netherlands.

About 40 percent of all airline tickets are transferable, Re-ticket says, generally requiring simply that passengers pay a fee of about EUR 25 to get them reissued in a new name. Re-ticket.com is an online marketplace that helps facilitate that process, providing passengers, tour operators and transport companies with a way to sell their unused or leftover tickets for travel by plane, train, coach or ferry. Sellers begin by listing the details of their tickets for sale, including the price they'd like to be paid and a time limit for the auction period. Buyers, meanwhile, can search for tickets by departure and destination cities, dates and price. They can then bid on the ones that interest them; after the auction is closed, the buyer placing the highest bid wins, transferring their payment to Re-ticket.com. The seller, in turn, receives the buyer's name and makes the required name change with the airline company or travel agent, sending the ticket to the buyer once that's done. Within two weeks after the departure date, Re-ticket.com transfers payment to the seller. Much like Miss Refund, Re-ticket.com also helps passengers get refunds on airport taxes when they don't make a trip.

Business opportunities exist wherever consumers feel pain in their daily lives, and the travel industry is still fraught with such sticky spots. Smooth the way for travellers, and you'll enjoy some smooth sailing yourself! ;-)

Website: www.re-ticket.com
Contact: info@re-ticket.com

Spotted by: Machteld Vlietstra