"In the late 1980s, Hilton was among the first luxury hotel brands to utilize the service, " says Mike Bare, co-owner and president of Bare International and one of the original founders of the MSPA. Three decades later, it's common practice among hotel brands around the world. (Proof: LRA recently opened a satellite office in busy Singapore.) And soon enough, its taciturn nature may be over.

CNN: Confessions of a hotel mystery shopper

The crisis management at TEPCO, the plant's owner, has laid bare an astounding lack of leadership.

ECONOMIST: Japan's disaster

Despite the owner's interest in art, the walls of the condo are bare.

WSJ: Sailing the Wide Miami Sky