Now’s the time to book that long-planned trip to your favorite hotel. Hotels are cutting room prices way back to attract business and vacation travelers. According to USA Today, big luxury hotels in New York, London and Paris have slashed prices as much as 20% from what they were last year.

“Honey, I’m home” has a whole different meaning at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, in London’s Hyde Park district. While all other hotels in the world take great pains to rid themselves of pesky little bugs, this ecology-themed one has installed honey bee hives on its roof housing more than half a million little winged residents.  

There’s no chance the honey bees will need to venture below into the human hotel rooms, because they’ll be tended full time by four bee experts. The roof hives will be surrounded by an array of plants, including flowers, bushes and trees. During the spring and summer season, the honey bees will sip the natural nectar and help pollinate the plants for future growth. During cold weather, the hotel’s bee team will supply hive heating and nectar feeding stations.

Many people want to travel with their pets, but most airlines insist of putting the animals in cramped cages in baggage compartments. Long flights were very stressful for pets not accustomed to tight confinement. Additionally, where small pets were permitted to ride in passenger cabins, many non-pet people objected. Would you believe now there’s an airline that's pet-only? Pet Airways flies to five major cities, including New York and Los Angeles. The only humans aboard are the flight crew and flight attendants.

Along with favorite toys and travel bag, cats and dogs of all sizes can travel in comfort. Each one will have a roomy private compartment, and will be accompanied by trained animal care attendants. Food, water, aisle walks and toilet breaks will also be provided.

It won’t be cheap for Fido and Fluffy to fly in luxurious comfort. Ticket prices start at $149 each way. For more information, go to petairways.com

Mike O’Leary, CEO of Ryan Air, is known for his joking around. He was the first to suggest airlines put in pay toilets. Now he’s talking about offering cheaper fares to people willing to fly squatting on close-packed stools.

His theory, if he isn’t kidding, is that by using bar stools instead of regular airline seats, and he could jam another 50 percent more people onto each flight. O’Leary adds that if passengers accept the idea, and with a full aircraft, he can not only cut costs, but also reduce prices.

O’Leary, known for his often disturbing Irish wit, is suspected of joking on the bar stool idea, because he recently came up with the pay toilet in the air idea. He said passengers would use credit cards in slots to activate toilet doors, and be charged from one U.S. dollar on up to an English pound for each potty break. What's next? Airline straphanging?