Hotels and car-sharing are a natural fit, as we've already seen in Zipcar's partnership with AKA. Whereas Zipcar's effort targets extended-stay residents, however, GreenCar Hawaii aims to give hotel guests of all kinds an alternative to traditional rental cars when they visit the Aloha State.

Rather than scrambling to arrange and pick up a rental car at the airport, customers of GreenCar Hawaii simply take a taxi to their hotel. Later, when they need a car, they can easily reserve one of the company's hybrid electric Ford Escape SUVs. Reservations can be made online, by phone or at the hotel kiosk, which then gives customers a voucher; that, in turn, is shown to the hotel valet, who brings a car right to the consumer, complete with a complimentary gas card. Pricing on GreenCar Hawaii's hybrid vehicles is USD 15 per hour, including mileage, free gas and roadside assistance. Alternatively, consumers can rent them for a full 24 hours for USD 115. Currently, GreenCar Hawaii is available at the Grand Hyatt Kauai.

There seems to be little doubt that car-sharing is taking hold around the globe — including the peer-to-peer versions we've recently seen — so using the concept to relieve hotel guests of the burden of a full-time rental car makes good sense. Who will bring similar benefits to transumers at the hotels in your part of the world...? (Related: In Paris, a citywide scheme to share electric cars — Parking operator launches car-sharing service — Zipcar and Zimride join forces on college campuses — Smart use of the Smart brand: car-sharing by Daimler.)

Website: www.greencarhawaii.com
Contact: info@greencarhawaii.com

Spotted by: John Rankin

Last September, we wrote about Planeshop, an innovative new airport retail concept developed by the pop-up retail pioneers who launched Vacant. Planeshop’s principle is simple: it lets different brands take turns running its permanent store. Now, 11 months later, Planeshop is opening in a former departure lounge at Glasgow Airport.

The first brand on rotation at Planeshop is Californian sports label K-Swiss, which will be using the space to sell and market its sneakers and clothing. The store’s exterior is entirely K-Swiss branded, billboard-style, while the interior features black-and-white graphics by a Glaswegian designer.

To put it mildly, opening an airport store can be challenging. For brands who want to test a market, launch a new product or reach consumers in vacation mode, Planeshop removes most of that friction. It will be announcing its next guest brand in a few weeks. And the company is thinking big — it aims to open Planeshops in airports around the world. (Related: Nationwide network of pop-up marketing spaces.)

Website: www.planeshop.net

With supply outstripping demand, competition is intense in the hotel industry, so hoteliers are always on the lookout for a distinctive new feature or promotional scheme to attract travellers to their accommodation rather than elsewhere. And it's not always just a case of making the rooms look nice. Here are five examples we spotted recently:

1. PLANET TRAVELER — The Planet Traveler hostel in Toronto will appeal to eco-conscious travellers with its dedication to energy efficiency. The heating and cooling systems are geothermal; solar panels heat water and offset the hostel's electricity needs; and waste hot water goes through a heat recapture system to pre-heat the water used in showers. Dorm rooms are USD 30; private rooms are USD 75.

2. COPENHAGEN TOWERS — Another hotel promoting its green credentials is the Crowne Plaza in Copenhagen. It uses groundwater heating and cooling systems and the building is almost entirely covered with solar panels. The hotel's latest innovation is to plug in to the energy created by its guests: the stationary bikes in the gym will produce electricity for the hotel. Anyone generating 10 watt-hours gets a free meal made from local produce.

3. WELCOME REWARDS — Loyal rewards schemes are common in the hotel business, but each scheme tends to be operated by, and therefore only applicable to, a single chain. Booking website Hotels.com offers an alternative: travellers who book accommodation through their site—be it at a giant chain or an independent B&B—will get a free night's stay for every ten nights they pay for. The freebie can be redeemed at any of the 120,000 participating hotels, subject to certain conditions.

4. STASH HOTEL REWARDS — Stash Hotel Rewards is another rewards scheme, but this time targeting the high-end and boutique hotel market in the US. The system is much the same as many other rewards schemes—earn points for free nights—but all participating hotels are independently run. The aim is to attract frequent travellers who usually stay at chains because of the loyalty schemes, but yearn for something more distinctive.

5. BOLTON HOTEL — Hotels are, of course, also used as venues for conventions and other business events. Aiming to keep attendees focused, the Bolton Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand has devised a "Brainfood" menu that purports to increase mental attention, engagement and concentration levels. The chefs will even help organisers customise a menu to suit the event itinerary.

Spotters: Renee Kung, RP, Ron Levin, St John Craner

Digital photography may have advanced considerably in recent years, but the fact remains that most group photos still lack the person holding the camera. Enter the fotopol, a camera mount for tourist spots that lets visitors get everyone in the picture.

Australian fotopol sells two models of its camera mounts. The fotopol stand (USD 2,350) is a permanently fixed, freestanding camera mount that's made from anodized aluminum with a galvanized steel base and stainless steel hardware; six colour options are available, as are etched and screen-printed designs. Local information and advertising can be displayed on the front panel as well. The fotopol balcony series, on the other hand, targets cruise ships and hotels with a permanent camera mount that gets attached either inside or outside the door frame of the balcony. Using the mount, passengers and guests can secure their camera, compose the shot, set the time delay and capture a memorable group photo. The balcony series comes in white; custom branding is available. Fotopol is also working on an interface that can make the balcony camera mount a rental option for passengers and visitors.

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. Time to start scratching this particular itch for visitors to your own tourist attraction or hospitality locale? Alternatively, for photography and other consumer brands, time to investigate the advertising and sponsorship possibilities?

Website: www.fotopol.biz
Contact: info@fotopol.biz

Spotted by: Keith Sutter

There are myriad sites out there already that help to connect travellers—those using the same airlines, for example, or wanting to share a cab—but typically such connections are fleeting, and they aren't made until the trip is under way. Globetrooper, on the other hand, lets world travellers find like-minded companions to share a jointly planned group trip.

Globetrooper is “a tool for adventurous travellers to create trips and invite people from all over the world to join them,” in the site's own words. Users of the free site can begin by browsing through the user-created trips already listed there, or they can create their own and invite friends, family and even strangers to join them. Trips listed on the site include ratings for difficulty, culture shock, remoteness and risk; they can also be shared via multiple social media. Examples currently listed include a two-month trek through the Mongolian Gobi Desert and a two-week circumnavigation of the Indian Railway network. Members who decide to join a particular trip are listed as “confirmed troopers,” while those still undecided can follow its planning progress. Numerous how-to tips are available on Globetrooper, as is a travel forum for users to exchange thoughts and share details.

We've already seen plenty of mass-mingling innovations that help people meet up in the real world, but the expansion into world travel takes that “meeting up” to a whole new level.

Website: www.globetrooper.com
Contact: www.globetrooper.com/general/contact

Spotted by: Ulrika