When we read about the new Hotel Check-In content area on USA Today, we knew we had to check it out. After all, TravelPost.com is all about hotels, so we knew we’d be in good company.

Called a “community” by the newspaper’s web site and moderated by travel reporter Barbara DeLollis, Hotel Check-In looks and functions much like a blog, but also offers user forums for site visitors to post and discuss their travel-related queries.

With only 16 posts under its belt, it’s hard to fairly assess the content, but it looks to be a solid source of information for the business traveler with a hotel junkie streak, the perfect kind of fodder for those who enjoy a good old debate on the merits of competing chains (e.g. see today’s post on Courtyard vs. Hyatt Place) alongside a daily dose of travel news and deals.

While the forums have potential, there are only a few posts to that content area right now and all of the threads were started by DeLollis.

The real upside for travelers, it seems, is the insider information DeLollis will be able to deliver based on her years of reporting and her knowledge of and access to the industry and its players. In many ways, the arrival of Hotel Check-In is a clear sign of the times announcing the ever-increasing shift of professional reporters into the blogosphere. In the travel space, it’s a development that can only benefit travelers by bringing them reliable, well-researched information they can use during their travels.

- Delta is dipping into some serious old school fashion with its Retro Uniform Week before unveiling new uniforms by designer Richard Tyler next week.

- The National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full bloom in Washington, DC this weekend. Here are 5 cool things to do in the nation’s capital.

- We hear there’s a serious 50 percent off sale on over at Starwood Hotels.

- If you’re looking for a watering hole in the Mile High City, check out Kathika’s list of Nightclubs and Nightlife in Denver.

- Wordsmiths, put your skillz to the test to help choose a name for a new NYC hotel, and you might just win a free night.

- Intelligent Travel’s Janelle learns how to get outside – and dirty – during her recent trip to Tel Aviv.

- Consumerist slams Spirit Airlines for its ticket fees.

- Nile Guide names the top travel Twitterers.

- We hear real lawns may become the next cruise ship amenities.

We went around the world without leaving the basement of Pete’s Tavern in San Francisco last night at the 2009 Lonely Planet Travel Blog Awards. Complete with a Scottish comedian (Ewan Spence), copious cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon (including attempts to give them away via Twitter), Lonely Planet shot glasses and lots and lots of bloggers, the event highlighted the best independent travel blogs of the year chosen through a combination of online votes and a panel of esteemed judges.

Across the board, the winning blogs were those with independent, unbiased takes on travel and destinations around the world. Many were the product of one or two hard-blogging travelers trying to see the world and share something of their experience at the same time. Overall winners for Best Lonely Planet Travel Blog Two Guys Around the World really epitomize what the awards are all about. We’re sure they’d be quite proud of the honor, if someone could track them down in the wilds of Cambodia to tell them about it.

Here’s a list of the winners in each category:

Best image blog: El Sueno de India

Best video blog: Two Guys Around the World

Best podcast: Indie Travel Podcast

Best French blog: Toothbrush Nomads

Best Spanish blog: Blog de Viajes

Best Italian blog: Il Reporter

Best Ex-pat blog: Notes from Spain

Best non-English blog: La Volta Dels 25

Best mirco-blogging (twitter): Soultravelers3

Best consumer blog: National Geographic Intelligent Travel

Best themed blog: Soultravelers3

Best group-authored blog: Spotted by Locals

Best destination blog: Go Visit Hawaii

Best travelogue: World in Slow Motion

Best Lonely Planet Travel Blog: Two Guys Around the World

- President Obama recently spent the night at the Beverly Hilton, which boasts quite a track record among the leaders of the free world. Every U.S. president since JFK has stayed in the hotel’s palatial Presidential Suite (pictured above).

- Singer and actress Jill Scott reveals to USA Today’s Kitty Yancey that the Riviera Maya in Mexico is her favorite place to vacation.

- Celebs to the tweener set are developing some grown-up hotel tastes, People reports. While we hear the Jonas Brothers and Jamie Lynn Spears are apparently all over the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Shia LaBeouf would rather bunk at Oahu’s Kahala Hotel and Resort.

- With some appropriately innapropriate (you’ve been warned) scribblings on their photos, Perez Hilton calls out Natalie Portman and Sean Penn for a rumored makeout session at L.A.’s Sunset Tower Hotel last week.

- While we can’t tell which Miami Beach hotel they chose, we were still jealous of Gossip Girls stars and real-life couple Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr’s Florida getaway.

- Pretty much everyone knows by now that American Idol winner David Cook is having a hard time stomaching the byproducts of fame, thanks to a post on his blog asking fans to stop trying to hunt him down in his hotel rooms. We’re betting he doesn’t have to worry about the harrassment for much longer. After all, there’ll be a new winner soon to take his place in the spotlight…

- Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson sure know how to make their fancy schmancy luggage stand out from the crowd.

- We hear that Paris Hilton will be living at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas during shooting of reality snoozer Paris Hilton’s My New BFF’s next season (why, god, why?!).

- Last but not least, Arkansas is attempting to boost tourism by calling attention to the celebrities who frequented the state half a century ago.

- Get out the candles. You can stay free on your birthday when you book three or more nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort and the Walt Disney World Swan Resort.

- For thrifty foodies, we hear that Milan is the place to be (and eat).

- Just about everyone has a travel sale or deal to offer this week. Check out the Hotels.com spring sale to save 30 percent on hotel rooms, Southwest Airlines for fares starting at $49 each way, JetBlue for free tickets when you fly west from Boston two or more times this spring, AirTran for flights starting at $39 each way and American Airlines or Continental Airlines for sale fares on business class tickets to Europe this summer. Also, Travelocity has waived booking fees.

- The Economist muses on the curious marriage of birdwatching and business travel.

- There’s a ruckus brewing in Switzerland over the uncomfortable-sounding nude hiking trend.

- Travelers can now download paperless boarding passes for Delta flights out of Atlanta.

- The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia has filed for bankruptcy, but will continue to operate thanks to a $50 million boost from Marriott.

- Sweden’s Ice Hotel is reportedly getting into the space travel business.

- We hear that the Rabbit Hill Inn (pictured) in Vermont is offering one getaway each month to guests who have been laid off for six months or more.

- No wonder Hawaiian tourism officials are so peeved at SNL. The island destination is reportedly struggling to attract tourists. The latest bad news? Hawaii hotels are battling the biggest drop in hotel rates in 16 years.

- One man finds out that a lifetime travel pass from American Airlines really only means about 20 years.

- A Yale student hit US Airways with a $1 million lawsuit over a missing Xbox 360 game console. Hey, a kid’s gotta have his games.

- Thanks to a worsening economy, Delta plans to reduce international capacity by an additional 10 percent on top of a 6-8 percent system-wide downsizing taking place this year.

- Heading to South America? Get a lesson in how not to drink psychedelic ayahuasca tea from a Gadling writer.

- Campgrounds are officially open now that spring has sprung in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

- Perhaps realizing that teens just about anywhere will be teens when given the chance, France is thinking about raising its legal drinking age to 18.

- NileGuide gives us the lowdown on the best travel sandals. We’ll second their plea that you not wear them with socks.

- Hilary Clinton chose the King David Hotel (pictured) during her visit to Israel.

- Now’s the time to get in on the next Geo-Tourism Challenge from National Geographic and Ashoka Changemakers.

- Somalia might not be the best place to go on a cruise right now. Just sayin’.

- Remember that humiliating video of a woman losing it at the airport? Cathay Pacific feels bad and has apologized for leaking the video to the Internets, thereby drawing yet more attention to the incident.

- Looking for a bargain destination this year? SmarterTravel lists its picks for The Top Five Bargain Destinations for Spring 2009.

- Some idiot in Seattle is distracting incoming planes with a laser pointer.

- Brr. It’s cold. Good thing the Travel Gear Blog has a roundup of the best down sleeping bags.

- Gadling reports that Ryanair will not install coin-operated toilets on its planes, after all. Instead, passengers will need a credit card to do their business.

- Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively reportedly made an appearance at NYC’s Hotel on Rivington this week.

- And last but not least, Daylight Savings begins this weekend.

[Photo: yosefsilver.com via Flickr]

Here at TravelPost.com, we’re big fans of listening to what everyday travelers have to say about hotels. But that doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to opinions from travel industry experts – after all, other than the most frequent world travelers, they’re the people most likely to live and breathe travel day-in, day-out – not to mention the people on top of the latest lodging options, travel trends and recent developments in major cities.

So we had fun perusing the destination picks from top travel industry players in a recent survey by our friends at NileGuide, a site that allows travelers to find recommendations from local experts in destinations around the world and create custom trip guides. Along with folks like Lonely Planet’s Todd Sotkiewicz and Five Star Alliance Cal Simmons, our own Ross Weber was even one of the experts chosen to weigh in.

Here are the places the experts chose:

Top country to visit: United States

Top city: New York

Top journey: Driving Highway 1, California Coast

Top region: The Big Island, Hawaii

Top icon: Golden Gate Bridge

Top hotel: The Four Seasons Maui (pictured) vs. The Peninsula Hong Kong

You can find the complete the results here and here.

- Ryanair might starting charging for access to its toilets.

- United cabins are going cashless .

- Alaska Airlines is now testing in-flight wireless Internet access.

- Yet another reason to join Twitter, if you haven’t already: free rooms at the Fairmont.

- (Legal) Travel to Cuba may once again be possible for American citizens.

- It’s never a bad time to check out the good eatin’ in New Orleans.

- Amusement parks are cheaper than every this year.

[Photo: patxi64 via Flickr]

- Delta reports that it is adding wi-fi at a pace of five planes per week.

- Ryanair now allows passengers to make really expensive in-flight cell phone calls.

- You might need a vacation if you’ve done one of these things recently.

- One California hotel is offering free rooms to the unemployed.

- If you think airport security lacks humor, you obviously haven’t heard the one about the about the Swiss pilot who dropped trou at a checkpoint recently.

- Yes, apparently you can actually score a (decent) hotel room in New York City for under $100.

- Need a job? There are still a few days left to apply for the Best Job in the World, a six-month stint as a paid caretaker of an Australian island (pictured).