Beverly Hills Hotel boycott: Inside sultan of Brunei's world

The man at the center of the Beverly Hills Hotel boycott is the sultan of Brunei. He's under fire for imposing Sharia law in his nation.

Brunei is about the size of Delaware, yet it's No. 5 on the Forbes list of the world's richest countries.

And, as John Blackstone reported, the sultan lives in stark contrast to his stated beliefs.

Michael Auslin, Asian Studies scholar at American Enterprise Institute, said, "He has, according to reports, at least 150 homes. He owns almost 20 aircraft. He has something like seven to nine thousand cars, hundreds of thousands of suits, and millions of dollars in artwork."

"It's hypocritical because he's talking about living humbly by the tenants of Islam and yet he is of course, one of the most fabulously, probably the most fabulously wealthy person on Earth, and certainly, the most materialistic person on earth," Auslin said.

Jillian Lauren wrote a memoir called "Some Girls, My Life in a Harem" about her relationship with the sultan's brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, who preferred even his toilet bowl brushes to be gold-plated.

"It was almost like living in a crazy surreal movie. ... The fixtures were made of gold, the carpets glowed because they were woven through with real gold," Lauren said.

Lawsuits filed against the sultan's brother allege he recruited women for sex parties. Under Sharia law, adultery can be punished by stoning.

"I was an eyewitness to drinking, dancing, a lot of crazy luxury and decadence. And I even had one intimate encounter with the sultan himself," Lauren said.

"We don't really have words in English that can describe how these people live," Auslin said. "I mean, they live in a golden bubble."

Since the protests started, many events at the Beverly Hills Hotel have been canceled. But for the sultan, in his 1,788 room palace, that may not be a concern.