The latest exploits of Britney Spears kind of remind me of Thelma & Louise, only with one woman and better hotels. This week alone, the tabloid trainwreck has been spotted checking into the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel, the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel and the Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel, where she reportedly bunked in for the evening only to venture out around 2am with an unidentified man driving a white Lamborghini. All this for a girl who lives in the Hollywood Hills. Gossip-mongers at TMZ.com have posted plenty of comments pegging Brit’s hotel hopping as an ongoing, highly contrived photo op, but I’m betting she’s just in it for the room service.

In Vegas tonight? Page Six reports that Nicky Hilton will be celebrating her first quarter century tonight at the Luxor Hotel and Casino’s over-the-top club LAX. Oh, what a world it would be if we could all get paid megabucks to show up for our own birthday parties.

In other celebrity travel news this week, the lovely Kate Beckinsale got snapped leaving the Ritz-Carlton New York only to get frisked at the airport later. Singer Faith Hill checked out of a Ritz Carlton somewhere, Cameron Diaz and Bradley Cooper reportedly dined at Morgans Hotel and Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielson reportedly plans to open a hotel and restaurant named Rick’s in the raging metropolis of Rockford, Illinois. Blond bombshell Gwen Stefani smiled for the lenses when she left the 5-star Claridge’s Hotel in London last week with son Kingston in tow.

Rapper 50 Cent, whose head seems to be growing ever-bigger by the second, has wowed the staff at Croatia’s Antunovic Hotel with requests for Skippy peanut butter (which I am sure is readily available in Croatia), Norwegian salmon, six flavors of soy milk, exotic scents for his jacuzzi and unlimited quantities of Hennessy and Dom Perignon for his room. As an aside, we have to wonder how celebrities can drink so darned much Champagne. Don’t they also get headaches from the French bubbly? Or is that something that only happens to those of us drinking $15 Korbel? But before you wrinkle your nose at 50’s bevy of requirements, you should know that he also requested that everything brought into his room come from 100 percent recyclable materials. He even bans paper products from backstage catering at his concerts, reports new site Javno. Aww, we love an environmental gangsta.

Looking ahead, in just two weeks the Hotel Palomar Dallas will welcome a star-studded list of guests for Dallas International Fashion Week 2007. Be prepared to spot celebrity designers like Alvin Valley, Nicole Miller and Jamie Pressly (yes, she still has a clothing line) who’ll be in town for the four-day event.

Providence is welcoming a new upscale hotel to its small, but action-packed downtown area. With views of the Rhode Island State House outside its guestroom windows, the 272-room Renaissance Providence Hotel occupies a historic, 78-year-old building originally intended to be a Masonic temple. The opening marks the completion of nearly three years of construction on the Neo-classical building. The completely non-smoking hotel puts guests a short walk (seriously, it’s really short) from the Amtrak station (perfect for folks coming in via train from Boston or New York), Providence Place Mall and the downtown canal walk area that hosts the wildly popular Waterfire events. For a Friday night stay in November, rates ranged from $239/night for a room with two queen beds to $279/night for a Club Level room with a king bed.

Not that we’re all that surprised, seeing as we are well aware of how awesome SideStep is, but it’s always reaffirming to get a pat on the back from the likes of Travel + Leisure magazine. In its recent feature on the Top 25 Travel Web Sites, SideStep was at the top of the list. Here’s what the mag had to say about TravelPost.com’s parent company:

Comparing top aggregators Sidestep and Kayak, we found that eight-year-old Sidestep’s flight tool has a slight edge: A handy matrix at the top of the results page gives an overview of the lowest prices pulled from 600 airlines across 200 sites. And refining the search by departure time or airport is a breeze.

Woot! Other sites I was glad to see on the list? Foodie site Chowhound, Xe.com, The Bathroom Diaries and many more!

We can all embrace the D.I.Y. ethic from time to time, but there are certainly plenty of situations what many of us would like to pawn off on someone else, especially if the price happened to be right. Meet Sunday, a new-ish service that offers busy travelers services of the sort you’d normally have to hire a personal assistant to complete. Things like:

- Someone to spend time researching options for using miles to pay for an upcoming flight

- Updates on flight delays and cancellations wherever you are

- Help finding a hotel room in New York for under $250/night

- A person to investigate why frequent flyer miles you should have earned mysteriously failed to appear in your account

- Someone who’ll book your reservations at the French Laundry

- Directions to the nearest pharmacy when you’re in an unfamiliar town

It’s kind of like having your own personal Jeeves. Sunday tackles requests of all kinds - related to travel or otherwise. For $29/month, Sunday will handle up to 30 requests (you pay $2 per request after 30). For $49/month, Sunday will make up to $50 requests a month on your behalf ($1.50 per additional request), including international calls and 24-7 access to Sunday’s email and telephone support.

Usually, it seems Bono can do no wrong. He’s an international rock star, peace advocate, avowed Christian and buddy to both corporate big wigs and government officials. But Bono’s star power isn’t helping his plans to expand Dublin’s Clarence Hotel, which he owns with U2 guitarist The Edge. If Bono had his way, the boutique hotel would grow from its current 43 rooms and four suites to encompass several neighboring buildings. Local preservationists say the plans jeopardize the Georgian architecture surrounding the hotel and make-way for an ultra-modern eyesore. Apparently, the plans designed by British architect Lord Foster call for a dramatic glass dome to be built atop an atrium that runs from the basement to the rooftop of the hotel.

While the powers that be battle it out with Bono and The Edge, the Clarence is still open for business. If you were to visit this Dublin hotel - a favorite among celebrities - you would find simple, yet chic rooms outfitted in Shaker furnishings and Egyptian cotton linens. If you’re visiting Dublin and staying elsewhere, stop by the Tea Room for the prixe fix lunch and dinner selections that change daily or head to the hotel’s Octagon Bar for signature cocktails like Night at the Clarence (berry vodka, sweet and sour, topped with champagne) or the Clarence Signature Martini (Vodka, Blue bols, pear liqueur, citrus juice, gomme syrup, topped with champagne).

Bono’s Hotel Plan Angers Dublin Traditionalists

Oh whatever would the blogosphere do without Britney? We’d certainly have to work a lot harder to find click-worthy content. Some time after Britney Spears arrived at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills Hotel on Monday, a member of the paparazzi and a hotel security guard reportedly got into a brawl that sent the guard to the hospital. Afterwards, hotel security and management were in a frenzy trying to keep other paps from snapping photographs and capturing the whole thing on video. According to the management, the hotel puts a premium on privacy for guests. Sadly for Spears, who checked out of the hotel today, it seems that even when it isn’t her fault, it’s still her fault.

Fight Breaks Out at Britney Spears’ Hotel

Here’s a new concept in airline marketing: The Sky360 by Delta, a temporary lounge and event space that showcases Delta’s “unique in-flight experience” and amenities. The joke potential here is all too obvious (how much do you wish you were sipping a cocktail in a cramped coach class seat while eating a half-dead sandwich right now?). But the airline aims to wow travelers nonetheless with screenings of in-flight entertainment options like Sex & the City, the Sopranos and recent film Knocked Up (None of which, incidentally, could I really see any airline offering as entertainment in the main cabin. It always seems like in-flight movies these days are the tamest, most kid-friendly features possible, which always kind of bums me out). By day, visitors can sample free coffee and Coca-Cola beverages. At night, the lounge will be serving cocktails designed by Randy Gerber (I’d go at night). You can also dine on Delta’s new in-flight food offerings. I wonder if they give you the little plastic utensil packet, too.

While the opportunity to eat airline food while not actually on a plane sounds oh so enticing, I think the real reasons to stop by the Sky360 are the free wireless Internet access available throughout the 3,500-square-foot space and the charging station, which offers complimentary charging for a bevy of mobile devices. Now those are perks real travelers can appreciate.

The Sky360 will be open today through Nov. 11, 2007, and is located at 101 West 57th St (@6th Ave.).

Delta Brings Award-Winning In-Flight Experience From the Skies to the New ‘SKY360 by Delta’ in New York City

This Saturday, the Flamingo Conference Resort and Spa in Santa Rosa, Calif., hosts the 5th Annual Rock Paper Scissors Championships presented by Sonoma County’s Roshambo Winery. It’s $20 to compete, $10 to watch and the winner takes home the $2,500 purse. If you want to enter, you must do so in advance. Remember, this is a serious competition, after all. Only expect to see lots of costumes, wigs and the like. The spectators are known for dressing up (perhaps to distract the competitors?).

Can’t make it to the event this weekend? Well then maybe you’d like to hightail it to Toronto next weekend for the 2007 World Rock, Paper, Scissors Championships. Held on Oct. 13th, the event offers a first prize of $10,000 to the wilily one who can outsmart all the competitors. Tickets for the World Champs are $40 to compete, $12 to watch. While the event is held at the Steam Whistle Brewing Roundhouse, the official hotel for the championship event is the Comfort Suites City Centre in downtown Toronto.

Whether you fancy yourself a real traveling gumshoe or freely admit you need a little sleuthing done on your behalf, Peter Greenberg’s Travel Detective Bible, which hit bookstores today, is a read you won’t want to miss. As travel editor for the Today show, America Online and CNBC, Greenberg has plenty of opportunity to explore both the routine aspects of travel and the nooks and crannies that most occasional travelers miss. After all, the guy travels over 400,000 miles a year. Copied from his web site, here’s a summary of what you’ll find between the covers:

* How to make reservations that actually protect your rights.

* How to find out the real country-by-country requirements for flying internationally.

* How to pack and what never to pack.

* How to avoid draconian overweight bag fees.

* How to avoid being a tourist and travel to safe places that fearful travelers avoid.

* What rights aren’t revealed but may be covered by your credit card.

* How to finess the upgrade –anywhere, and almost anytime

* Important (and not often disclosed) safety and legal tips about traveling with children

The book is available in paperback from Rodale, $17.95.

Want to meet Peter in person? Check out his book tour schedule.

Proving that the general population has a growing and insatiable appetite for travel information, tips and advice, Sherman’s Travel magazine is moving from a subscription-only basis to the newsstand. This month, the magazine will be popping up at Borders and Barnes & Noble bookstores around the country. You’ll also find copies available in select airport lounges from Continental, Delta and United Airlines. It’s quite a feat for a publication launched by an online company (these things usually happen the other way around). For the uninitiated, the magazine strives to strike a middle ground between the uber budget-minded traveler and the luxury traveler. It’s for travelers who think about how much money they’re spending when they travel, but don’t necessarily eschew high-end hotels or adventures when they’re priced right.

But what we really want to know is when we’ll be able to pick up a copy at the airport newsstand? I know, I know, patience.