It would then, for example, be possible to use a kiosk in a hotel lobby to check out of the hotel, look up the status of your flight, and then check in for it.

ECONOMIST: REPORTS

Guests were forced to check out of the Volcano House Hotel and Restaurant at the Volcanoes National Park on the Hawaii's Big Island.

CNN: Shutdown touches many lives across U.S.

Double check with your hotel what the state of affairs is before you trundle out to the market at 0400 local time, as the rules could change.

BBC: Tsukiji Market: Tokyo's famous seafood market

For a lavish country-club-style atmosphere set in an urban forest of oaks and pines, plus athletic extras like a running track, three large outdoor pools, a 125, 000sqft fitness centre, tennis courts and a climbing wall, check out the 289-room Houstonian Hotel Club and Spa near the Galleria on the west side of town.

BBC: Business trip: Houston

If your tolerance for Brooklyn preciousness is low, limit yourself to dinner and resist the urge to check out the hotel rooms upstairs: they are lovely in a reclaimed-wood-and-exposed-brick kind of way, but the twee factor is pretty intense.

NEWYORKER: Reynards