Courtesy of James Emmerson - Superstock

If you can’t wait for your Season Four fix of the popular British series Downton Abbey, consider touring the locations where the Masterpiece Theatre soap opera is filmed. Brit Movie Tours operates a variety of private tours to the Oxfordshire village used as the setting, as well as the houses, mansions and gardens seen in the series (transportation from London is included). You can even wander the tony rooms of the Crawley family home, including ?the bedroom where the Turkish diplomat Mr. Pamuk suffered a premature and suspicious demise.

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Courtesy of iStock

In 2016, 223 million passengers on international routes will travel to the U.S., making America the largest single market for international travel, according to the International Air Transport Association. Other predictions from the group:

The top five countries for international travel based on the number of passengers by 2016:

1. U.S.
2. U.K.
3. Germany
4. Spain
5. France

The five largest markets for domestic passengers by 2016:

1. U.S.
2. China
3. Brazil
4. India
5. Japan

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Courtesy of Westin New York Grand Central

If you think New York’s cramped LaGuardia Airport is a hassle now, wait until 2014: That’s when work could begin on the reconstruction of LGA’s Central Terminal Building, a seven-year, $3.6 billion project that will happen in stages so flights can keep operating. Plans call for a 1.3-million-square-foot terminal with 35 gates, with demolition of not only the current building but also the adjacent parking garage and departures level roadway. At Kennedy Airport, a May 2013 opening ?is scheduled for the expanded and improved Terminal 4, the new home of Delta’s international hub; the expansion means that JFK’s Terminal 3—the historic Pan Am Worldport building—will be demolished.

On the lodging scene, the former Helmsley Hotel on East 42nd Street is now the Westin New York Grand Central, while the former Setai Fifth Avenue is being converted into a Langham Place, the first Langham hotel in New York. Hyatt was due to open two properties in the first quarter—the Hyatt Place New York/Midtown South on West 36th Street off Fifth Avenue, and the Hyatt Union Square. A luxury SLS Hotel is scheduled to open later this year at 444 Park Ave. (at 30th Street), and Marriott is building a 68-story hotel at 54th and Broadway that will house both a Courtyard by Marriott and a Residence Inn.

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© Radius Images - Corbis

For decades, recessions and lackluster economies have not prevented Las Vegas from developing new hotels—until now. Though the city is taking an uncharacteristic breather from building new properties, that hasn’t stopped existing ones from reinventing themselves. A 181-room Nobu boutique hotel opened within one of the towers at Caesars Palace, while THEhotel is being remodeled and rebranded as the Delano Las Vegas, a sister to the Miami Beach Delano, to be completed by the end of this year. Other famous names have also gotten facelifts: The MGM Grand completed an overhaul to its rooms, as did the Bellagio and Four Seasons. The Palms redid its rooms and suites to the tune of $50 million in an effort to attract an “over 30” crowd. Meanwhile, the former Sahara Hotel will be remodeled and renamed the SLS Las Vegas, a boutique luxury resort from the same company that manages SLS hotels in Beverly Hills and South Beach. It is expected to open in 2014.

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Airlines have embraced social media, but do they truly understand how frequent flyers use it? SimpliFlying.com and Cranfield University in the U.K. teamed up to conduct a study on that very topic, surveying 200 people who fly five or more times a year. Some highlights of their findings:

• There are more airlines on Twitter than there are airlines with frequent-flyer programs (191 versus 179).
• Almost 90 percent of frequent flyers use Facebook regularly, while more than 65 percent “like” at least one airline on Facebook.
• Seventy-two percent of frequent flyers would join a social loyalty program.
• More than 65 percent would like to earn social loyalty points via check-ins or by contributing ideas to an airline’s Facebook page.
• More than 80 percent of frequent flyers would like to earn social loyalty points by recommending the airline to a friend or providing positive feedback.

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© Kevin Andrews - Denver International Airport

If you can remember when travelers once queued to use pay phones at the airport, then communication is going old-school at Denver International Airport—with a modern twist. DIA now offers travelers free global phone calls (limits on international) from more than 200 landline phones located throughout Jeppesen Terminal and three concourses. The phones, launched in a partnership between Clear Channel Airports and RMES Communications, are equipped with 17-inch LCD screens that display 15-second digital ads and offer digital coupons.

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Courtesy of Uvex

Are you one of the millions of Americans who have trouble sleeping? Then shun “blue light” before going to bed. The American Medical Association says exposure to excessive light at night—particularly the potent “blue light” emitted by smartphones, tablets, computers and energy-saving fluorescent bulbs—disrupts sleep or exacerbates sleep disorders. If you must peruse these devices at night, check out LowBlueLights.com, which sells products to mitigate blue light exposure, including a 15-inch filter for computer screens. The free computer program f.lux, downloadable at stereopsis.com/flux, reduces a computer screen’s blue light later in the day. Another possibility: Wear glasses with orange lenses to filter blue light, such as the inexpensive Skyper Safety Eyewear, available on Amazon.

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Courtesy of History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society

A regional rail network is coming to the Denver area, and one of the first pieces—now under construction— is a 22.8-mile line linking Denver International Airport to Union Station downtown. When it begins service in 2016, the East Rail Line to the airport will include intermediate stops at 38th and Blake, Colorado Boulevard, Central Park Boulevard, Peoria Street and 40th/Airport Boulevard. The plan also calls for an overhaul of Union Station, with new shops and restaurants as well as a 130-room hotel that is expected to open in 2014. Elsewhere on the lodging scene, Marriott recently opened the new SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown at Metro State University. And Hilton expects to open a dual-branded property downtown in April 2013, turning the former Xcel Energy building at 550 15th St. into a combined Hampton Inn & Suites and Homewood Suites. Out at the airport, the former Super 8 hotel at 7010 Tower Rd. is now the Red Lion Inn and Suites–Denver Airport. If you have some downtime downtown, check out the recently opened History Colorado Center, located near the main library and the Denver Art Museum. The exhibits offer a look at what life was like for the state’s early settlers.

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Courtesy of Steelcase - Marriott

If holding a business meeting in your hotel lobby or guestroom doesn’t inspire you, then Marriott may have the answer. The hotel company has teamed with Steelcase, a workspace design company, to create settings for small meetings that promote collaboration: studios of varying sizes that accommodate meetings from three to 75 attendees, and common areas, many with natural light and outside access. Called Workspring at Marriott, the spaces offer technology, wireless access, office supplies and food and beverages. The Redmond Marriott Town Center near Seattle is the first hotel to offer the small meetings suites, though the company is identifying other U.S. and worldwide markets.

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© Air-O-Swiss

Plane travel and hotel living can dehydrate you, preventing a good night’s rest. Air-O-Swiss makes a portable travel humidifier that outputs up to one gallon in a 24-hour period. Just attach your own 17-ounce/0.5-liter plastic water bottle. The $39.99 unit weighs 0.7 pounds and includes an AC adapter and 100/240-volt plugs.

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