How are hotels helping those who miss seeing and being seen by loved ones?

The Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Mass., liquidated ice-machine rooms, turned them into into free computer stations and added Skype and video cameras. That means guests needn't lug computers and cameras, and they can dial up significant others with Skype accounts and have free, face-to-face conversations. They also can open a Skype account, which is gratis.

Kimpton's Hotel Burnham in Chicago lets guests send free video "postcards" via a messaging system at the concierge desk. Guests love the simplicity of the ICTV system. "No downloading, no cords, just record-and-send," says Jennifer Navarro, spokeswoman for Chicago Kimpton Hotels.

"The hotel loves it as a marketing tool, because it encourages guests to send videos about their experience to their social networks." Video Media Broadcast Corp. Ltd., makers of ICTV, says it's selling to the hotel industry, including overseas resorts where the system helps guests stay connected in a fun way that isn't costly.