The Mayflower Renaissance historic landmark and luxury hotel in Washington.
At the airport
You can't buy it yet at your local luggage store, but a Spanish inventor has developed a robotic suitcase that will follow you through an airport without being pulled or carried. You can control the Hop bag using Bluetooth signals from your smartphone. Should the bag gets lost, it will alert you by vibrating your phone. Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez won a design award for his prototype, but admits it's not ready for prime time. So far, it can't keep up to someone on a run.
In the room
Washington's Mayflower Renaissance is tapping into U.S. election fever with two weekend packages – one starting at $5,000 (U.S.) and a fiscally conservative option from $224. Those booking the expensive Pick Your Party stay can sleep in either the Republican or Democrat Ultimate Suite, each decorated with the appropriate party colour. Extras include a Champagne breakfast, moonlight limo tour and political swag bag. The cocktail menu features the Lobbyist and the Balanced Budget. The packages are available through the Inauguration in January.
On the ground
Forget about snacking on pizza or gelato on the streets of Rome's historic quarter. You have been warned. Under a new city ordnance, anyone who stops to eat or drink around many of the monuments beloved by tourists can be fined €25 to €500 ($32 to $638). The ban applies to the Piazza Navona's marble fountains, the stone walls around the Pantheon and Via dei Fori Imperiali, which leads to the Colosseum. Don't plan on setting up camp either, that's also forbidden.
Sources: Mayflower Renaissance, The Daily Telegraph, Mail Online