Now that customised pillows, cotton counts, and bathroom cabinet candy have become de rigeur, hotels are coming up with increasingly outre gimmicks in a bid to stand out from the boutique crowd.

For starters, throughout June, The Great Eastern Hotel has performance artist and drag queen Adrienne offering weekend room service and counselling (drama with your dessert?), NYC's The Benjamin has a designated 'sleep concierge' to advise on maximising your rest, Vancouver's Waterfront Hotel has a resident dog you can walk and Brightlife on the Isle of Man runs courses on how to communicate psychically with your pets. Don't...

Rigid dining schedules are under attack, too. Too often the biggest surprise concerning breakfast, as you know, is that it's served at a frighteningly uncivilised hour. (Rise before nine? I'd rather eat my own eyes.) Barcelona's Casa Camper has an all-day nibble 'tentempie' buffet and Three Sisters in Tallinn serves a breakfast until 6pm (hotels take note - this one's a winner). And no, we're not talking plastic-wrapped biscuits and vending machine lattes, but full table service for a beautifully cooked menu of eggs benno et al.

Seeing as vibrating beds have been long since consigned to a highly forgettable memory, we're hoping for further commonsense innovations to unfold.