Eric Weiner on the limitations of luxury hotels

"Like embassies, five-star hotels go to great lengths to isolate, and insulate, themselves from the host country. It is possible to spend many days at a five-star hotel engaged in all sorts of productive activities — holding meetings, eating meals, exercising, getting married, watching movies — without ever stepping foot in the actual country where you allegedly find yourself. This is no accident, of course. The hotel owners want you to stay put and spend money."
--Eric Weiner, "Travel That Counts — or My Passport Is Better-Stamped Than Yours", World Hum, May 26, 2009