For celebrities, London’s 5-star Dorchester Hotel is one of the most popular places to bunk in. In New York, A-list celebrities can be found staying in any number of hotels, but in London, the Dorchester seems to have a monopoly on Hollywood. Case in point: J. Lo and husband Marc Anthony chose the hotel during their recent stop in London, where the rumored mommy-to-be stepped out in this interesting outfit.

If you can’t swing the Dorchester’s room rates (which, when I checked today, start at about $650/night for a 300-square-foot room and go up dramatically from there), you can see what all the fuss is about with a dinner at The Grill, which puts a modern twist on classic British fare from head chef Aiden Byrne. Another option, but one with a slightly higher price tag? In November, highly-anticipated Alain Ducasse restaurant opens up in the hotel.

Celebrity Watch: Jennifer Lopez in London

Have a burning travel question you’d like to ask the experts? There’s probably no one more expert than Arthur Frommer, founder of Frommer’s Travel Guides and Budget Travel magazine. Post your questions in the comments of the New York Times column linked below. Frommer will supposedly respond with his answers in the next few days.

Ask the Travel Guy: Arthur Frommer Will Now Take Your Questions

Zipcar has partnered up with the New York tourism agency to promote travel in upstate New York. To that end, Zipcar is offering members $30 in free driving and discounted rates starting at $60/day (Monday through Thursday) until Oct. 31, 2007. Enter promo code ILNY30 to score the deal.

Zipcar I Love NY

Yes, the Fashion Elite Clear Bag System (system haha) is just a glorified plastic cosmetic bag, but I kinda like it. When I was flying this past Monday, I felt a wave of shame as I sheepishly deposited my plastic bag in the tray at security because my broke-arse zippy was sporting a tear, lip gloss smear and random particles of unidentified substances from flights past crusted on its walls. I know I’ve been living in California too long, because I cringe when I think about using a new baggie every single time I fly. I hate waste. I’ve also been victim to the spill monster - I’ve lost a camera and a cell phone just this year to in-purse leakage of product. I know, that’s bad.

So really, when it comes right down to it, something like this “system” from 311 Travel Products is probably made for people just like me. The jars and dispensers themselves are intriguing enough on their own. I’ve bought many of the drugstore equivalent, and some have worked just fine, but others have left me with clogged pumps and leaky tops.

These bags range from $24.95 to $44.95 and extra containers are available.

Continental Airlines is offering 500 OnePass bonus miles for signing up to receive its email newsletter. If you’re like me, these sorts of offers are a no-brainer - I have a specific email account that I use exclusively for newsletters and almost-junk mail. Log-in to your OnePass account or create a new one if you’re not already a member, then use the promo code TB6314 to register.

Alaska Airlines has announced plans to bring in-flight wireless Internet access to its fleet next year. YES. Oh wait, I never fly Alaska. CRAP. But anyway, the airline is partnering with a company called Row 44 to use its satellite-based broadband technology on one Boeing 737 to start out. And that plane will - we hope - be followed by the rest of the airline’s planes later next year. I don’t even need to tell you what this means. When fully functional, the service will allow passengers to work the entire time they travel. YES. Wait, do I really want to be able to do that? Of course, it might mean I would actually have time to update my MySpace page, invite everyone I know to join me on LinkedIn and delete the 1,000 extraneous emails in my inbox.

I randomly received a newsletter from Shop4Miles.com yesterday, and though I was perturbed at being semi-spammed, I clearly am intrigued by this new site’s premise. Once you register, you can earn miles for Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian or United Airlines - but you do have to choose one airline when you sign up. Enter the promo code Shop4Miles when you sign up for an automatic 200 bonus miles with your mileage program of choice. But the coolest part about the site is not that you can earn miles for purchases (even if you make them with a mileage earning credit card), but that you can comparison shop across different retail sites for the best price and the best mileage deal. For example, I looked at the stats for the Canon SD1000 PowerShot 7 Megapixel Digital Camera and found prices ranging from $214.88 (through J&R) to $249.99 (through Zones) and mileage points ranging from 430 to 500 depending on the vendor. The shipping costs associated with the purchase are also included when available. For example, I could see that shipping was free on Buy.com, so even though the price for the camera exceeded J&R’s offer by $4, I could have purchased the camera through Buy.com for less than through J&R due to the $6.95 difference in shipping costs. And I would have made 8 more miles going with the higher price available through Buy.com. Not a bad way to shop, I must say. This site will definitely get some of my business - especially when the holidays roll around.

Those travelers who enjoy Southwest’s open-seating scheme will be pleased to learn that the company has officially decided to stick with the system after testing other methods on selected routes this year. But the airline is making one change that will likely make frequent Southwest passengers jump for joy. Instead of jockeying for a place in one of the A, B or C queues (you usually have to stand in and protect your spot for at least 45 minutes before boarding begins), passengers will now receive numbers along with letters printed on their boarding passes. The numbers are not seat assignments, but instead designate the order in which passengers are to board the plane. You can prep for your flight by checking out the airline’s “Boarding School” tutorial linked below.

Expect to see the new boarding procedure in effect by November.

Southwest Airlines Boarding School Tutorial

Yesterday Avis announced the addition of a new handheld booking tool that will allow customers to rent cars not just online, but also using any device with an Internet connection. Meaning your phone or PDA or whatever amalgam of the two you now carry. To access the service, navigate to Avis.com on your handheld.

Another Technology Time-Saving First From Avis: Book Your Rental Online Via Your Handheld Browser

I think I’m a little too anal of a packer to enjoy this, but it’s an interesting marketing gimmick nonetheless. On Sept. 28th, the Cleveland/Akron-Canton Airport will hold a Pack Your Bags party starting at 5:30pm with open bar, hors d’oeuvres from the 356th Fighter Group Restaurant and live music from Latin rock band de Sol. You can even catch a free ride to the party from downtown Cleveland on a party bus rented for the occasion. But the real reason to go to the party are the free airline tickets from AirTran. Two tickets to be exact. One pair of travelers will be randomly chosen to head out that evening for a two-day trip (Friday night through Sunday) to one of six possible destination cities (Denver, Boston, NYC, Vegas, Orlando or Tampa). Overnight accommodations at a hotel are also included for the winners.