Travelocity's newly-launched brand campaign is urging travelers to get off their couches and "go and smell the roses." (Note: official hashtag: #gosmelltheroses).

Pushed though five new TV commercials, the spots will feature the now famous roaming gnome in a variety of situations, ranging from the running of the bulls to a ski gondola to a sandy beach, all with messages encouraging travelers to get up, go and experience.

We spoke with the company's Chief Marketing Officer, Brad Wilson, to get the inside scoop on the new campaign and what makes Travelocity different from the other leading OTAs in the marketplace.

Competition from sites like Hotwire, Priceline, Kayak and Orbitz is tough, Wilson admits, but he believes that this new campaign sets Travelocity apart in its multi-platform approach. In addition to multiple ads pushed through partnerships with nearly all major television channels and many online outlets, the campaign is being offered via mobile and social channels as well.

Welcome to this week's edition of "Hotel News We Noted," where we round up the week's best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

The hotel world has been buzzing this winter with new and planned openings, extreme amenities and packages galore. Here's our take on what you need to know this week:

Shangri-La Goes After Saudi Princess Who Skipped Out on $7.5 Million Hotel Bill
The Shangri-La hotel in Paris is going after the Saudi princess who left in the dead of the night and skipped out on her $7.5 million hotel bill, Business Insider reports. The princess spent six months on the 41st floor of the hotel, and her father, the King, has refused to pay her debts. The king has since confined the princess to a palace in Saudi Arabia after she left a trail of unpaid debts across Europe. Nothing quite says "princess" like palace confinement, hmm?

Hotel Openings: ME London
The first ME by Melia hotel in the UK and the fifth in the brand opened last week in one of the world's hottest cities for hotel growth – London. ME London is located in the heart of the West End, on the site formerly inhabited by the famous Gaiety Theatre. The 157-room property will feature a rooftop bar, Radio, offering panoramic views of the city, as well as the brand trademark penthouse, SuiteME – a two-level superlative experience offering a fire-pit warmed private terrace, a private lounge, separate dining room, three 3-D televisions, a pillow menu and much more. (Remember the crazy Cancun penthouse from the Real World Cancun?) NYC-based The ONE Group is the hotel's official F&B provider, with two of its iconic brands opening venues within the property – STK London and Cucina Asellina.

Luxury Hotels Coming Your Way: Four Seasons Madrid, An Aman In Venice and Multi-Billion Dollar Las Vegas
While much of our hotel news is often focused on newly opened or revamped properties, this week seemed to have much to offer in the way of "soon-to-come" luxury hotels. Four Seasons announced their first property in Spain, Four Seasons Madrid, in the next four years, Aman is coming to the Grand Canal with a new ultra-luxury property opening on this summer boasting 24 suite-style rooms, and a Malaysian investment firm has paid $350 million for a multi-billion dollar hotel complex to come in the former Echelon site in Las Vegas, USA Today reported.

Many travelers might not know that today, March 8, is International Women's Day. The holiday honors female achievement around the world and is celebrated in countries from Afghanistan to Australia.

But it's not too late to celebrate. These worldwide hotels will honor great women with a series of special promotions and perks.

Dorchester Collection Principie di Savoia
This luxury hotel will celebrate International Women's Day with a "Women in Wine Road Trip" event at the hotel. Here, the sommelier will compare vintage and recent wines with two wine selections from American, French and Italian wines while inspiring lively discussions on hot topics, trends and being a woman in an industry dominated by men. Female guests staying at the sommeliers' hotels during this time will also receive a 10 percent discount on select spa treatments and a complimentary glass of champagne during lunch.

Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa
This Utah ranch will host a reception today inviting in-house female guests along with women leaders from the local community to celebrate International Women's Day. Selections of regional wines and local beers will be served, including Sorrel River Ranch's own Nano Brewery Beers. Signature garden-inspired tapas from Chef Richard Potts will also be served at the event, along with a selection of local Utah Cheeses and Honey. The hotel is also offering a 25 percent discount to anyone who books spa treatments for women on March 8.

Tourism Australia has done it again, offering up their "Best Job In The World" campaign for yet another year. The organization has teamed up with industry and State and Territory tourism partners to offer six jobs with a yearly salary package of $100,000 Australian dollars, including living costs.

The campaign will target travellers between 18 and 30 years of age in Australia and overseas, with particular focus on international markets eligible for Australian working holiday visas, including the UK and Ireland, the US and Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

The six "Best Jobs in the World" each come with an attractive six-month salary package worth A$100,000 including living costs. The positions are:

* Chief Funster (New South Wales)
* Outback Adventurer (Northern Territory)
* Park Ranger (Queensland)
* Wildlife Caretaker (South Australia)
* Lifestyle Photographer (Melbourne)
* Taste Master (Western Australia)

Tourism Australia Managing Director Andrew McEvoy said the competition was expected to appeal to youth travelers' sense of fun and adventure. "The youth market contributes more than a quarter of all Australia's international arrivals. These are visitors who tend to stay longer, disperse widely and often come back again, with their families, later in their lives. For many young people, Australia's working holiday visa programs provide the economic means to fund travel plans, and this is at the heart of our new campaign," he said in a release.

Entering is pretty simple – just upload a 30-second video resume before April 10. Best of luck!

Starting April 25, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will permit small knives and most sporting good equipment on planes in carry-on luggage, a new security conference held today revealed.

Bloomberg reported that the change is to conform with international rules, citing that travelers will be able to carry on knives with "retractable blades shorter than 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) and narrower than 1/2 inch at the widest point," and that "the agency is moving away from uniform procedures that apply to every passenger and toward efforts to perform background checks on passengers before they arrive at an airport."

Larger knives and items such as box cutters and razor blades must still be checked.

Sport equipment is also on the updated list of items allowed in carry-on luggage, including hockey sticks, ski poles and up to two golf clubs. Many baseball and softball bats will still be prohibited, but lightweight plastic, wiffle and novelty bats will be excluded from the ban.

The organization has not relaxed its ban on liquids over 100ml, however, and isn't likely to do so anytime soon.

This is, of course, mildly disconcerting to the already nervous traveler – what golfer travels with just two clubs? Who carries hockey sticks on a plane? Do they fit in the overhead compartment? Couldn't you do just as much damage with a five iron as you could with a baseball bat?

"These are popular items we see regularly," agency spokesman David Castelveter said. "They don't present a risk to transportation security."

What do you think? Will you now be bringing your putter and pocketknife on the plane?

[Image Credit: redjar]

If you're traveling internationally, you may need to make sure that more than just your passport is up to date. Visitors to foreign nations may need to register for an International Driver's Permit or IDP if they intend to operate a vehicle overseas.

We worked with Mike Kelly, CEO of On Call International – a leading provider of travel, security and medical assistance, to get some tips for travelers.

What is an IDP? Why do I need one?
An international driving permit allows one to operate a vehicle in more than 150 countries worldwide. In many of these countries, a U.S. driver's license is not recognized.

Who requires an IDP?
A list of countries where International Driver's Permits are required/accepted is available here.

Where do I get an International Driver's Permit?
The US Department of State recommends going to either the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the National Auto Club (NAC) to obtain your IDP. Depending on wait times, you can usually have your IDP in hand within 30 minutes. If you are unable to go to a local office, AAA and NAC offer mail-in options.

How long is it good for?
Kelly notes that IDPs may not be issued more than six months in advance of desired usage date and are valid for one year. If you are already overseas, there is the option of mailing a completed application to the AAA/IDP address. It will take 4-6 weeks for return mail unless additional postage for express mail service is included with the application.

Finally, we have a confirmed opening date (March 22) for our "Birth of a Hotel" feature property, Capella Washington, and, surprisingly, it isn't the personal assistants or the rooftop pool at the hotel that are generating the most buzz – it's the hotel's food. The Grill Room and The Rye Bar will open on March 22 alongside the hotel and area foodies are already salivating over the locally influenced cuisine.

Highlights of the new restaurant and bar program will include a tartare prepared tableside, cocktails made in aged oak barrels, a specialty ice program and house-made sauces for the meats.

Highlighting both food trends (farm-to-table, hand-crafted cocktails, and locally-sourced ingredients) and a focus on high-touch, high-quality service, the hotel's new restaurant is aiming to be Washington, DC's new go-to destination for discerning food lovers.

We got an inside look at the space – and the chance to help choose the correct mixture for the special rye-based sauce that will complement all of the hotel's meats. Below, you'll find a gallery of our visit.

Gallery: Inside The Grill Room

[Image Credit: McLean Robbins and Capella Washington]

Thanks to a new kiosk distribution system, online company 3Floz is bringing their line of designer toiletries in TSA-approved sizes to an airport near you. Appearing in 25 major airports starting in the third quarter of this year, travelers will now be able to get their fix of more than 50 different grooming, beauty and personal care items in sizes that meet the TSA carry-on requirement.

While the product selection for the airport vending machines has not yet been finalized, it will be a mix of core, must-have, often forgotten items such as sunscreen, hairspray and toothpaste, and novelty products like 3Floz's popular curated travel kits and other giftable items.

Similar to in-mall kiosks for items like Proactiv, a popular skincare brand, this new vending system will allow travelers to purchase items quickly and on-the-go with a credit card or cash.

This is an exciting development for the beauty-conscious traveler, and one we predict will be successful. What do you think? Would you use the kiosks, or just pack your own goods pre departure?

[Image Credit: 3Floz.com]

Spring break is just around the corner, and if you haven't already planned a trip, our friends at Expedia have mined their price stats to come up with some of the most budget-friendly locations around. From family-friendly to party-hearty, these trips won't break the bank.

Tampa, Florida
Home of the New York Yankees' spring training camp, this sunny destination has much to offer both families and singles. A four-day, round-trip flight from New York into Tampa starts at $180.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
If you're looking to brush up on your Spanish, check out Puerto Rico's capital city, San Juan. A five-day, round-trip flight starts at $279 and with average lows hovering around 73° in April, San Juan is sure to please. This popular destination has made one of the most coveted travel spots this year, and new hotels make this an exciting spot for luxury and budget seekers alike.

San Diego, California
This sunny city is an increasingly popular Spring Break destination. For stays between March 8-16, there are a number of package deals available (flight + hotel) for less than $800/person on Expedia. For $772/person, you can stay at the beautiful Dana on Mission Bay between March 9-16 with travel from New York.

Orlando, Florida
Whether you're headed to Disney World or just seeking fun in the sun, it's possible to find flights AND hotels for under $300 total when traveling from New York City.

[Image Credit: Flickr via yazmapaz & ace heart]

Welcome to this week's edition of "Hotel News We Noted," where we round up the week's best, most interesting and just downright odd news of note in the hospitality world. Have a tip? Send us a note or leave a comment below.

The hotel world has been buzzing this winter with new and planned openings, extreme amenities and packages galore. Here's our take on what you need to know this week:

Quirky Hotels We'd Love To Visit: 134-Year-Old UK Fortress, Spitbank Fort, Now a Luxury Hotel
A mile off the Hampshire coast in the United Kingdom, the 134-year-old Spitbank Fort used to defend the English shores. Now it's a nine-room luxury hotel featuring three bars, three restaurants, a rooftop champagne bar, wine cellar, library, rooftop hot pool, sauna and sun decks. There's a private boat or helicopter option for arrival and rent-out options for "ultimate" weekends away. A night starts at $565. Check out the photos - we're pretty sure this sounds like a place we'd love to visit.