If you had to guess how fellow hotel guests would score on the eco-friendly o-meter, would you expect them to be happily reusing towels and craving more in-room recycling bins? Or would you write them off as water-wasting jerks more likely to embrace the Lindsay Lohan and Courtney Love code of hotel etiquette rather than deigning to place once-used towels back on the rack for follow-up use? Now this is a sad commentary on my own pessimism, folks, but I certainly would have guessed the latter.

But according to a new study from hospitality industry market research firm A Closer Look that I read about on Green Lodging News, hotel guests are actually feeling a whole lot greener than I ever realized (there were only 701 respondents, so take that into consideration. Maybe everyone they surveyed lives in San Francisco…*). Among the study’s findings:

75 percent of respondents said a hotel’s green practices are important to them.

84 percent reported reusing towels when given the option by the hotel.

While only 6 percent of the survey group reported staying at a hotel with in-room recycling bins, 69 percent said they would use in-room bins if they were made available by the hotel.

One environmentally-friendly practice hotel guests don’t like? Bulk soap, shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the bathroom. Fifty-three percent of respondents said they preferred individually packaged amenities.**

39 percent of hotel guests in the survey said it is important or somewhat important that a hotel offer organic or eco-friendly food.

* The firm is based in Atlanta, so this is highly unlikely.

** I tend to agree. I know it sucks for the environment, but I get weird paranoia that someone has done something sketchy to the contents of the bulk dispensers. You know how crazy people can get in hotel rooms. If you don’t believe me, just watch Blue Crush.

Where do you go for a romantic, private birthday escape in Paris when you’re one of the world’s most recognizable celebrity couples? If you’re Jay-Z and Beyonce, you head to Le Meurice Hotel and book a room overlooking the Tuileries garden.

Earlier this month, the longtime couple reportedly celebrated Jay-Z’s 38th in style at the hotel with a visit to the on site Spa Caudalie and a tour of the city in a chauffeured Maybach limo before heading to dinner at L’Avenue and catching a show at the famous Crazy Horse Cabaret.

For your own luxe celebration at Le Meurice Hotel, book the hotel’s Romance in Paris, “La Vie en Rose” package, available through Dec. 31, 2007. While you hide from your imaginary paparazzi in a deluxe double room for 740 EU per night or do it up star-style in the Meurice Garden one-bedroom suite for 1,610 EU per night, you’ll enjoy overnight accommodations for two, an American breakfast each morning, Champagne, pink flowers, pink petits fours, bathrobes, late check-out and use of the fitness and spa facilities at Spa Caudalie.

Heading to China? Should you be planning to tote a Lonely Planet China guidebook along on the trip, now would be a good time to start fashioning a book cover for the volume, which has apparently been banned by the Chinese government for a map that makes Taiwan appear to be a separate country from China. Talk about a quick way to piss off the Chinese. We read about the ban over yonder at World Hum, but you can check out the original story in the Age.

As Gadling writer Catherine Bodry notes, we’ve all been that person. You know, the person who boards at the last minute, puts their seat back before take-off, refuses to lower the shade when the film starts, goes to the bathroom during beverage service and forces the flight attendants to clear the aisle in medias res.

To combat these common airline passenger faux pas, Delta, reports USA Today, is rolling out videos to curb our wayward in-flight manners.

Hey, if someone can convince fellow travelers to think before indiscriminately sticking their collective butts in my face during boarding, I’ll watch as many stupid airline etiquette videos as they can make.

It seems fancy schmancy Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica may have shuttered any hopes Lindsay Lohan has of returning to the hotel, where she reportedly stayed recently with then-boyfriend and fellow rehaber Riley Giles. If the reports are true (and that’s anybody’s guess), Lohan may just be win the distinction of being an even worse hotel guest than Courtney Love.

According to the rumor mill, the hotel will not be welcoming Lohan back anytime soon. The reasons? Apparently, hotel employees entered the celebrity’s suite to find ciggies peppering the carpet and “a bloody syringe” on the bedside table. (What’s that they say about dating people you meet in rehab? Oh, yeah. I think it goes a little something like, “DON’T DO IT.”) The only plausible explanation, other than rehab being a massive failure, is that Lohan’s father must have stopped by for some QT with his daughter.

Luckily for the rest of us, the posh hotel is still fair game. The hotel’s luxurious spa has many celeb fans - Madonna and daughter Lordes among them.

Here’s a little tip for anyone heading to Vail or Beaver Creek this winter: buy lift tickets for three or more days on the slopes online at least seven days before you plan to arrive. Available through the Peaks Loyalty Program, discounted lift ticket packages vary in price depending on when you go, but for example’s sake, consider that you can get a pass for 3 consecutive days on the hill right now for $129, and a regular adult all-day ticket at the ticket booth will run you $87. That’s $87 per day if you pay full price vs. $43 per day with the discount.

When Deb Lovci told us her how much she loved the Garmin Forerunner 3o5, we decided we had to know more. For outdoor enthusiasts, this little wrist gadget is one serious training tool. A high-sensitivity GPS receiver, wireless heart rate monitor and multi-sport functionality make it an ideal accessory for athletes who want to track workouts of different kinds over time. After a workout, whether that means hitting the slopes, running outside or biking along mountain trails, users can transfer data from the device to a computer. Optional software helps you track and compile the data - a great way to analyze your progress. Using GPS satellite technology, the Forerunner 305 records its wearer’s calorie burning, speed, distance and pace and even beeps if you deviate from your programmed pace. Last but not least, it helps you mark your route, so you can backtrack to your starting point if you get lost. Cost: $299

When we wanted the inside scoop on Park City, we went to Deb Lovci, who started earning her local cred when she moved to the skiers’ paradise from Colorado back in 1988. Today the avid skier shows advanced snow-goers the ins and outs of the backcountry as a guide with Ski Utah Interconnect Adventure Tours. When she’s not treating area visitors to the fab powder the region is known for, she serves up gourmet breakfasts and cozy accommodations as the innkeeper of the Old Town Guest House Bed & Breakfast. Here are Deb’s picks for some of the best things to see and do on your next visit to Park City, Utah.

One plank or two?

Definitely two, but I’m a tele skier, so two planks, but no heel pieces. With my guiding in the backcountry, I can get to somebody really quickly with my tele gear.

What did your guests have for breakfast this morning?

Pumpkin French toast with pure maple syrup.

Favorite run:

That’s a tough one. There are so many good ones. I’m also a runner, so if I’m on my feet, a loop around Old Town. I love to get out and do a Nordic ski, so the 5K loop at White Pine Touring. It’s just so nice and peaceful to do a little run around it. And the best run? Anything they haven’t groomed.

What’s the geekiest piece of gear you own?

The Garmin Forerunner 305. It’s a GPS heart rate monitor. It tells me how far, how fast, pace, time.

What’s the one piece of gear you can’t live without?

A lid. I just love hats. Pretty much from the first snowfall to spring, I have a hat on.

Best cheap eats in town:

El Chubasco. We call it Chubby’s. They have this awesome salsa bar. You can go in and pig out for well under $10.

Most romantic spot in town:

That’s easy. In front of the fireplace at Old Town Guest House. It’s 100 years old, wood burning. The building was built in 1901. The whole room is set around the fireplace. You can see the snow falling, and it doesn’t get any more romantic than that.

What should every Park City visitor take home?

Something from Rocky Mountain Chocolate. They have special gift packs. My personal fave would be their fudge. It’s one of those great local products that’s made right here.

Whenever a friend visits, you always make sure they see:

The Utah Olympic Park. It’s all free. You go and watch the bobsledders, it’s amazing. They do the big jumping there, and they have a great museum that shows the history of skiing. It’s magical.

A day on the mountain wouldn’t be complete without:

Our famous Utah powder. It really is the greatest snow on earth.

Yes, you’ll look like an escapee from a New Wave 1980s music video wearing them, but the Myvu personal media viewer solves some key travel problems. Like watching porn on an airplane. With the hands-free design, noise-canceling in-ear earbuds and rechargeable battery with up to four hours of viewing time, owners of this little device can turn on, tune in and drop out into their own little world of visual stimulation, one that exists outside the confines of palm-sized screens and annoying row mates with too much time on their hands. The universal edition pictured here works with most portable media players, DVD players and camcorders. Cost: $199.95

We have but one comment on this stellar news: Hell Yes.

Jet Blue to Offer In-Flight Email, Messaging