Short cuts: a Star Wars plane and real mermaid

All Nippon Airways, Japan's largest airline, is to introduce a Star Wars-themed livery as part of a drive to raise its international profile. The airline has agreed a five-year deal with The Walt Disney Company (whose subsidiary Lucasfilm produces the Star Wars movies) and will paint its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to resemble the loveable droid R2-D2. The livery was unveiled to Star Wars fans at a convention in California this week and will appear on flights this autumn, ahead of the release of the latest Star Wars film The Force Awakens in December.

While the look of the short, squat robot does not translate easily to the long thin airliner, the tie-up is a natural fit for ANA, which has significantly expanded its international network and will launch direct flights between Tokyo and Houston in June. The airline has yet to decide how many aircraft will get the makeover, or on which routes they will operate.

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Soho House, the group of private members' clubs, hotels and restaurants, has launched its biggest property to date, in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul. It occupies four buildings, one of which was the former US embassy, and, as well as private areas for club members, includes an 87-room hotel open to the public, a spa, screening room and two rooftop pools.

Founded in London in 1995, the group has expanded rapidly since US billionaire Ron Burkle acquired a majority stake in 2012. It now operates 13 "Houses" worldwide as well as 26 restaurants.

Double rooms cost from €195. sohohouseistanbul.com

British Airways is to offer economy passengers the chance to pre-book enhanced meals onboard - part of a growing trend for airlines to blur the distinctions between classes.

From May 12, passengers on 10 long-haul routes from Heathrow will be able to pay between £15 and £18 for the special meals - with options including Loch Fyne smoked salmon and Herefordshire beef cheek - while other passengers will continue to be served the standard complimentary meals.

Other airlines already offer pre-bookable extras (Swiss, for example, lets passengers pre-order champagne for £40) as well as charging more for extra-legroom and increased ticket flexibility, benefits that were traditionally restricted to business class.

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What do you give the child with everything?

Cheval Blanc, the hotel brand of luxury group LVMH, is arranging for young guests at its Caribbean property to swim with a mermaid. The hotel, where rooms start at €590 per night, has hired a model to dress as a mermaid and "appear from her underwater home" as children swim past.chevalblanc.com

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