With a few taps on your seat-side remote or TV screen, you can now order meals, drinks and duty free items when flying in business class on some Japan Airlines flights.

Japan Airlines on Monday rolled out its new Anytime You Wish service on its fleet of Boeing 777-300ER Sky Suite aircraft. Flight attendants still distribute menus and take orders for the first meal on long-haul international flights. But the new on-demand feature allows hungry fliers to order additional items later in the flight directly from their seat. (Read more: No Sushi for You: Japan Airlines to Serve KFC Meals)

The service debuted on the Tokyo to London route, with the airline planning to expand to U.S. and other European routes in the future.

Hotels are betting that today's travelers love putting their personal stamp on their guest room, just as they might their espresso drink at a Starbucks cafe.

The Hyatt Century City in Los Angeles, for instance, recently installed a flower cart beside the front desk. Once guests check in, they're offered a small vase and told they can pick a few flowers to bring up to their room, at no extra charge.

They can pick tulips, daisies, irises, chrysanthemums, sunflowers and other flowers, depending on the season, says hotel spokeswoman Adrienne Devore. Flowers are changed out twice a week and the vases are recycled. It's been so popular with guests that more Hyatt hotels likely will adopt it.

The flower-cart concept is only the latest twist on a trend that gained notoriety a few years ago with the "pillow menu" concept, a program embraced by some chain hotels to make customers feel like individuals without requiring hotels to make a significant investment.

Yet today, hotels are allowing travelers to determine everything from the daisies in their room to the shampoo brand in their shower. It's a way to appeal to increasingly important Gen Y and Millennial travelers, who tend to shy away from cookie-cutter experiences.

On a broader level, the Hyatt chain in February rolled out a service that lets people borrow items that they have forgotten at home, such as mobile device chargers, disposable razors, makeup remover wipes and yoga mats. The chain-wide program came after Hyatt spent 18 months studying the needs and expectations of female travelers.

At the four New York boutique hotels that belong to the Library Hotel Collection, customers can order, for free, a number of items to customize their room when booking on the website. Options include coffee makers, lighted makeup mirrors, a mini-refrigerator, down or memory foam pillows, hypoallergenic bedding and eye masks, says Adele Gutman, the company's sales vice president.

Last month, the group expanded the program by placing a card listing the options on guestroom beds. It was in response to TripAdvisor reviews that suggested guests didn't realize the items were available, Gutman says.

The two most popular requests? Memory foam mattress topper and a device developed by a doctor designed to block city sounds and to encourage sleep, she says.

Last fall, Hilton Worldwide's luxury Conrad chain with about 20 hotels rolled out new amenities as part of the industry trend toward offering guests name-brand toiletries instead of generic ones. But the chain didn't roll out just one. It rolled out three different brands so that guests can pick their own.

Today, Conrad customers can choose toiletries from Aromatherapy Associates, a line that contains essential oils; Shanghai Tang, a line from a Chinese fashion label; and Tara Smith Vegan Hair Care, a line from a celebrity hairstylist who makes vegan skin-care products.

Before arriving at the hotel, Conrad guests receive a list of the toiletry options but they can also make their choice when they check into their room or using the Conrad's "Conrad Concierge" mobile app. Aromatherapy Associates products are put in rooms when a guest doesn't make a choice.

Some Custom Options Cost Money

Of course, buying custom-made items usually costs extra and increasingly hotels are giving guests the option of customizing their room or stay for a price.

Several Omni hotels including the Omni Forth Worth are rolling out an online service that lets customers personalize their room and entire stay by placing orders before they arrive. For instance, a guest can order their favorite alcohol and mixers and a couple of $6 slices of Dr. Pepper chocolate cake delivered to their room before they arrive.

The Omni Fort Worth hotel will be promoting the new service with a "Celebrate" guest package aimed at people celebrating a birthday, bachelorette party or other special event, says Omni spokeswoman Anne Tramer. Prior to arrival, customers who buy the package will receive an e-mail showing options to purchase flowers upon arrival or special snacks such as "whiskey and wings" for a bachelor party or a "build your own sundae" for a child's birthday party.

And earlier this week, the Sheraton Waikiki in Hawaii opened "Gift," a store across from the resort's front desk that sells amenities such as Hawaii collectibles, fresh local fruits, local snacks and bottles of wine. The store's open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Unlike a regular retail shop, Gift sells a limited number of items in three price categories — $25, $55 and $75, excluding tax. The buyer — whether the parents of newlyweds or a meeting planner treating a key client, for example — can include a personalized message with the gift when a staffer delivers it to the recipient's room.

"Gift was created to provide guests with a more personalized way of receiving an amenity gift based on what their preferences are," the hotel says in a statement.

Cutting lines at airports used to be only for the rich, famous or very frequent fliers. But then airlines started granting fast-track access to anybody with the right credit card or who was willing to shell out a few extra dollars.

Now, with the masses clogging up special security and boarding lanes, true VIPs are saying: Get me away from this chaos. And the airlines are listening.

Just as they've made first class more enjoyable with new seats, tastier meals and bigger TVs, airlines are focusing on easing the misery of airports for their highest-paying customers and giving them a truly elite experience.

At a growing number of airports, special agents will meet these celebrities, high-powered executives and wealthy vacationers at the curb and will privately escort them from check-in to security to boarding.

(Read More: Top Airline Swag Bags You Wish You Had)

American Airlines built a private check-in lobby in Los Angeles for VIPs who are greeted by name, given preprinted boarding passes and then whisked by elevator to the front of the security line.

Once past security, the VIPs aren't left to fend for themselves in crowded terminals. Instead, Delta's new Sky Club in New York includes a hidden lounge-within-a-lounge with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. And in Atlanta, Delta will drive some VIPs from one plane to another in a Porsche. There is no need to ever enter the terminal.

The special treatment continues at boarding.

Most passengers jockey to get on the plane first to find a spot for their carry-on luggage. But celebrities like to be the last in their seats to avoid passengers asking for autographs as they trek through first class on the way to rear of the plane. Airlines make sure that last-second boarding is as smooth as possible.

"We even do things like reserve overhead bin space for them," says Ranjan Goswami, who oversees West Coast sales for Delta Air Lines.

American is going one step further and reconfiguring jet bridges to allow boarding through the second door on some planes. That means coach passengers will no longer traipse through first class on its transcontinental flights.

In many ways, airlines are adding these extreme VIP services to fix a problem they have created for themselves. Frequent fliers find dedicated security lines packed as airlines try to squeeze out every dollar from passengers. Boarding has become a free-for-all as passengers fight for overhead bin space, a situation created when the airlines started charging $25 extra to check suitcases.

There is a lot of money on the line. At big airlines like American, 70 percent of the revenue comes from 20 percent of its customers.

A one-way transcontinental business class seat purchased at the last minute can cost more than $2,500. By contrast, a non-refundable ticket in coach booked at least 21 days in advance might cost $159.

"L.A.-New York is the pearl of domestic flying," says airline analyst Bob Harrell. "Airlines are fighting tooth and nail to get more than their share of passengers, particularly in the front of the plane."

American's VIP check-in was originally designed to shield celebrities from Los Angeles paparazzi. But there was another benefit: Fliers found themselves avoiding the hassle of the airport. The concept has since been expanded to Miami and is coming this year to Chicago, Dallas and New York.

But it's not just for celebrities. Anybody can pay for the service and a chance to feel like a star—at least for a few hours.

American's program, called Five Star Service, costs between $125 and $275 for the first passenger, depending on the airport. Each additional adult is $75; children are $50 extra. Delta's VIP Select, available only through the airline's corporate sales department or travel agents in the know, costs $125 for the first person, $75 for the second and $125 for each additional person, regardless of age. These fees are in addition to the price of a ticket.

But that doesn't mean the masses take advantage of such services; many travelers balk at paying $25 to check a suitcase.

United Airlines has a program but limits it to VIPs. Spokesman Rahsaan Johnson refused to detail it, saying "the individuals who enjoy the service we are providing understand what it is."

American and Delta also offer assistance on arrival, but the same fees have to be paid again. Agents assist with baggage and, at some airports, help passengers cut lines at immigration.

It's as close as a passenger can come to a private jet, without shelling out $30,000.

"It's just nice to have somebody there to almost hold your hand through the process," says Stacy Small, president of Elite Travel International, who often books such assistance for her clients.

Mark Howitson, a lawyer from San Carlos, Calif., and former Facebook executive, is one of them.

When traveling with his wife and three children, he always pays extra for the assistance, if available. Not only do they skip to the front of every line and get help if there are delays but airline staff will find his kids the best seats in the terminal to watch planes take off.

"It just makes the whole thing so much less stressful," Howitson, 40, says. "This is a cheaper alternative to flying in a private plane."

Fine champagne, gourmet meals and lie-flat seats aren't the only luxuries of flying international business or first class. Most airlines also provide amenity bags packed with deluxe skin care products and other items designed to both pamper and remind a traveler of their premium travel experience.

(Read more: Airline Battles: How US Airlines Target High-End Customers)

The third annual TravelPlus Airline Amenity Bag Awards were held Tuesday night in Hamburg, Germany, bestowing top honors to various airlines across several categories. And while business and first class bags were a main focus, several economy class offerings were also recognized, as well as those specifically designed for children.

Airlines are continually investing in high-end amenity bags for their premium passengers. And there's even an aftermarket for them on eBay.

Drastic airfare reductions at United Continental in the face of new competition out Newark Liberty International Airport from upstart Virgin America is good for consumers, but the kind of thinking that's driven big carriers into bankruptcy, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson told CNBC.

Low-cost Virgin America on Tuesday officially started service at Newark, N.J., with six daily, nonstop flights to California—three to Los Angeles and three to San Francisco.

(Read More: Jump! Richard Branson Wants to Skydive From Space)

The majority of travelers bring food with them on board flights versus buying items directly from the airline, a new survey found. But please. Leave that stinky fast food in the terminal.

The online survey conducted by YouGov polled 1,000 travelers about their eating habits, when flying from U.S. airports. Nearly one in three (31 percent) brought food onto the plane with them—16 percent of that group purchased items in the airport and 15 percent brought food from home. Only 7 percent of respondents bought food on the plane. The survey results were released late last week.

And while 17 percent listed strong smelling food brought on board by other fliers as their top complaint, the largest gripe was that free hot meals aren't available on flights more than four hours. (Read more: No Sushi for You: Japan Airlines to Serve KFC Meals)

Holiday Inn Express, one of the fastest-growing chains in the U.S., is hoping that reviving its once-popular Stay Smart campaign will prove a smart move in the ever-competitive mid-price hotel market.

Holiday Inn Express today will attempt to bring its brand back to its glory days by re-launching the TV advertising campaign that was a hit from 1998 to 2008.

The commercials showed people successfully completing extraordinary tasks that they weren't trained for, then explaining it with the punch line: "But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express hotel last night."

Fed up with flying, complaints from travelers have soared according to a new study. The annual Airline Quality Rankings by Wichita State University and Purdue University show carriers bumping more passengers from oversold flights and delivering service that often leaves customers frustrated.

"Overall, airline travel is still a hassle for most people," said Dean Headley of Wichita State University. "If it's an uneventful experience that's about the best you can hope for."

Headley believes lackluster, sometimes poor service by airlines is leaving many of the more than 700 million people who fly each year with diminished expectations. "Basically, people flying are saying to themselves, just get me there and I'll be happy with that," said Headley.

(Read More: Airline Battles: How US Carriers Target High-End Customers)

If there's one U.S. industry that's found a home in China, it's the lodging business.

Building ramped up leading to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Shanghai World Expo, one-time incentives for growth in marquee destinations. Now the expansion is especially visible in so-called second- and third-tier cities most Americans have never heard of. But with more Chinese joining the middle class and staying overnight for business or pleasure — the sector is hot, maybe too hot, experts say.

Proliferation of Super 8 hotels in China? You bet.