Dream Butlers, Tschuggen Grand Hotel

While you’re enjoying a relaxing footbath and massage at the Tschuggen Grand Hotel, your Dream Butler is hard at work preparing your room with a special turndown service that sets the mood for rest. The room’s temperature, humidity, and lighting will be dialed into the perfect settings for slumber, and a scented candle, pillow spray, and bedtime book will be laid out.

The hotel partnered with the Hofklinik, a leading sleep center in Lucerne, to create this sleep program, which includes an easily digestible meal and a selection of teas containing ingredients known to help with rest. 

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The Art + Science of Sleep, Equinox Hotel

New York may be the city that never sleeps, but guests at the Equinox Hotel won’t have that problem. Rooms are specifically engineered to promote slumber and are equipped with a “quiet, dark, cool” setting you can activate at the touch of a button for perfect sleeping conditions. 

Even the beds are optimized for sleep, and if you fall in love with them, the hotel’s proprietary sleep system, from the mattress to the duvet, can be purchased to take home.

Truly tired travelers should book the Art + Science of Sleep program, a two-night stay that includes time on a spa wave table that claims to provide the equivalent of three hours of sleep in 30 minutes, two cryotherapy treatments, hot and cold pool plunges, food and beverages that naturally increase melatonin production, and in-room sleep-enhancing rituals. 

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Langham Sleep Matters By Chuan, Langham Hotels

“Sleep plays a vital role in a memorable travel experience for our guests. Helping our guests enjoy a good night’s sleep allows them to experience a more enjoyable vacation or higher productivity on a business trip,” says Michele Grosso, Managing Director at The Langham, Boston. That’s why all Langham hotels worldwide offer the Sleep Matters program, a program Grosso says is “designed to enhance the wellness of our guests while also giving them tools they can take home and continue to practice long after their stay.”

Created in partnership with Chuan spas, guests will receive sleep-inducing amenities, including tips on enhancing sleep quality, breathing exercises, and a calming pre-bed playlist.

Guests can also choose their perfect pillow from the Langham’s pillow menu—a soothing lavender-scented one is the most popular. 

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Rest & Recovery Suite, Hotel Figueroa

For guests who book the Rest & Recovery Suite at Hotel Figueroa, the experience starts before arrival when you can pre-order a customized pillow from Pluto Pillow designed to suit your sleeping preferences. 

Once you arrive, you’ll pop in the complimentary Bollsen earplugs and drift off to sleep in an Eight Sleep mattress, a smart mattress that automatically adjusts the temperature on both sides of the bed (so you and your partner won’t spend your trip fighting over the thermostat.)

Greet the day gradually, as the suite’s Loftie Lamp wakes you up naturally with a “personal sunrise” instead of a blaring alarm. 

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Sleep Program, Six Senses Ibiza 

Want to be well-rested even when you’re not on vacation? Guests who are serious about sleep can sign up for the Sleep Program at Six Senses Ibiza, designed to help establish a sustainable sleep routine that can be practiced at home. 

Choose from a three-, five-, or seven-night program, depending on how much time (and budget) you have to devote to sleep. Participants will wear a biometric tracker and have their sleep data analyzed by the on-site Sleep Doctor, who will then offer customized advice for sleeping better. 

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Royal Sleep Experience, Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa

Normally a day spent champagne-tasting doesn’t result in the best quality of sleep later that night, so leave some extra time to recover on your vacation in the Champagne region of France by booking the Royal Champagne Hotel’s Royal Sleep Experience. 

At the hotel’s Le Bellevue restaurant, participants will dine from a special sleep-enhancing menu paired with a “Sleeping Beauty” mocktail. Back in their room, a sleep kit with melatonin-based supplement drops, sleep spray, satin sleeping mask, and guided meditation sessions awaits.

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Hästens Sleep Spa, CBR Boutique Hotel

Hästens makes some of the most expensive mattresses in the world, with custom models costing over $500,000. The beds are made entirely by hand, using layers of horsehair, cotton wool, and flax hand-placed springs designed to mold to and cradle the user. 

The brand is so proud of its mattresses that it opened CBR Boutique Hotel, a fifteen-room hotel showcasing Hästens’ mattresses, pillows, linens, and bathrobes. It’s the only hotel in the world where you can experience the Hästens sleep system, so be warned—you may leave wanting the mattress for yourself as a very expensive souvenir. 

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The post Dream Trips: 7 Hotels With the Best Sleep Amenities appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The airport will still sell water in sustainably packaged alternatives, including recyclable aluminum or glass bottle containers. The ban applies to water sold at all restaurants, concessions, lounges, and vending machines but will not prohibit passengers from bringing their own plastic bottles into the airport. (Remember, the bottle must be empty to bring it through security.) 

Only non-carbonated, unflavored, or electrolyte-enhanced water is subject to the new policy—sparkling water, juices, sodas, and other beverages may still be sold in plastic bottles. 

“The climate crisis is a great challenge facing our city, and phasing out single-use plastic water bottles at Los Angeles World Airports facilities is an important step to reducing our environmental footprint and protecting the health and livelihood of all Angelenos,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in a statement.

Los Angeles isn’t the first airport to ban plastic water bottles—San Francisco Airport no longer allows sales of any beverages (including soda, teas, and juices) in plastic or aseptic paper packaging.
No matter where you’re flying, packing a refillable water bottle is a smart way to save money. Check out our list of the best filtered water bottles for your next trip.

The post LAX Just Banned This Common Travel Necessity appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The fall and winter pass allows unlimited flights to wherever Frontier flies and is valid from September 2, 2023 through February 29, 2024. According to Frontier, the deal is available “while supplies last.”

So what’s the catch? Flyers must pay one cent in airfare per flight, along with any applicable taxes and fees. Bags (even carry-ons) are not included in the fares, so you’ll have to pay additional if you want to bring on more than a personal item. Seat selection and priority boarding will also cost extra. Passholders will not earn miles for flights booked using the pass.

The All-You-Can-Fly pass is not good for people who like to plan their trips in advance—it can only be redeemed to book flights the day before departure for domestic travel and 10 days or less before international flight departures. 

Flights are subject to blackout dates, which include the most popular travel days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

Interested in the pass? Check Frontier’s route map to see where the airline flies from your home airport before committing. 

If you buy the pass, make sure you set a reminder to cancel at the end of the period, as the pass will automatically renew otherwise. 

The post Frontier Just Discounted Its Unlimited Flight Pass to $299 appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If a flight is delayed due to weather at your departure or arrival airport, trying to get on a new flight likely won’t work, especially if a ground stop has been issued (meaning no flights are allowed to take off or land.) 

However, if a flight is delayed due to a mechanical issue with an aircraft, crew shortage, or delay of incoming aircraft, you may want to try to swap to a different flight if you can. 

The compensation rules around delayed flights hinge on the reason for the delay. If a flight is delayed or canceled due to a “controllable issue,” an airline is generally required to compensate passengers by providing meal vouchers, hotel accommodations, or even refunds. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), “A controllable flight cancellation or delay is essentially a delay or cancellation caused by the airline. Examples include maintenance or crew problems; cabin cleaning; baggage loading; and fueling.”

Delays due to bad weather or unexpected mechanical issues are generally considered to be out of an airline’s control and, therefore, do not require reimbursement. 

To see what your airline is required to provide in the event of a controllable cancellation or delay, visit the DOT’s Airline Cancellation and Delays Dashboard.

How to Find Out the Reason for a Flight Delay

If you’re already at the airport when the delay is announced, a gate agent will usually be able to tell you why your flight is running late. Here are some other good ways to find out the reason for a flight delay.

Check Airport Alerts

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has a webpage that shows “active airport events” like ground delays, ground stops, and delays in real-time.

This site will also show how long delays are likely to last along with other helpful information, including:

• The timeframe a ground stop/delay is issued for
• The probability a ground stop/delay would be extended
• What departure airports the ground stop/delay is relevant for
• The average length of delay

Track the Inbound Flight

If your flight is scheduled to take off at 3 pm and the aircraft is still on the ground in another city at 2:30 pm, it’s unlikely your flight will depart on time. Find out where your plane is by checking your flight on FlightAware. This site has an option for “track inbound plane” that will show you where your aircraft is coming from and the status of that flight. 

Check With the Airline

Although most airlines won’t show an explanation for a delayed flight on their website, some will offer the reason for the delay in their app. Calling the airline’s customer service number can also help you find out why your flight is delayed.

The post Why Is My Flight Delayed? How to Find Out the Reason for Your Delayed Flight appeared first on SmarterTravel.