I just spent five opulent days -- all expenses paid -- in China, courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, Cathay Pacific, and Dragon Air. Because I blog. With traditional media outlets disappearing, luxury brands are retooling their PR strategies to target online writers. While the timing was a coincidence, the connection is real: the Ritz-Carlton's first online-only press trip departed the day after Conde Nast announced it was folding Gourmet. And new media outlets, like, oh, say, Thrillist, are sponsoring junkets of their own, putting more media types in the air but drawing more attention to the practice: a mini-scandal broke last week when it was reported that two freelance writers who attended the e-mail newsletter's recent JetMystery trip were contractually barred by their clients from accepting such freebies. As always, a media scandal begets media introspection.

Fortune has a slideshow up of the 33 best new business hotels. We've highlighted the ones we like:

• Thompson Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
• The Liberty in Boston.
• Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.

The good nation of Denmark is in a heated political tizzy over proposed plans to ship Edvard Eriksen's sculpture of the "The Little Mermaid" abroad. Inspired by the fairy tale of the same name and completed in the early 20th century, the work would serve as the centerpiece of the Danish Pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai. Says one opponent to the move, "If the sculpture [was] taken away for some time tourists coming to Copenhagen would be disappointed." Though the same probably couldn't be said for the eponymous American cultural landmark. Danish political groups have frequently used the sculpture to anchor their rallies, and unknown parties even covered its nakedness with burqua back in 2006.

Shanghai
Tables (Jing'An) - The Ritz-Carlton's weekend brunch and power-lunch hot spot.
Maya (Luwan) - Salsalicious contemporary Mexican dishes at this upscale eatery.

Las Vegas
Rok Vegas (Strip: Central) - 360-degree video screen and thunderous rock/hip-hop mashups for those who crave sensory overload.

Montreal
● Narcisse (Old Montreal) - One more glass of wine. Make that two.
● Restaurant Loranger (Old Montreal) - Nary a sock 'n sandal to be found in the crowd. Pure sophistication.

Shanghai
● Hengshan Moller Villa (Luwan) - 1930s Gothic mansion converted into an affordable, offbeat hotel.

New York
● Café Select (Soho) - Swiss SoHo cafe marries Swiss Alpine and Downtown design for Next Brunch Place status.

Las Vegas
● BLT Burger (Strip: Central) - High-end burgers and spiked milkshakes in a former lion habitat.
● Yellowtail Sushi (Strip: Central) - Sushi-fusion menu is set into orbit by Rockwell Group-designed space.

Here are all the reasons why Chinese authorities have not branded Belgian artist Wim Delvoye's latest exhibition for ShContemporary unfit for public eyes: sanitation, animal rights, ideological considerations, nudity, anti-communist implications. Instead they've banned Delvoye's intended exhibition -- an assortment of eight pigs tattooed with Louis Viutton logos and Walt Disney characters -- because these pigs did not constitute "art." Sigh. If only they'd been around to pass their unqualified judgment for this show.

Shanghai is now the proud host of the highest hotel in the world -- the newly minted Park Hyatt Shanghai. The Park Hyatt occupies the 79th to the 93rd floors of the Shanghai World Financial Center, allowing guests to snooze a quarter of a mile above ground.