India, Oct. 2 -- A month ago my friend, Khushnooma Kapadia, marketing supremo at Marriott Hotels, asked me to come to the JW Marriott Golfshire and speak to Marriott general managers about my experiences at hotels. Then, last week, Richa Sharma, who looks after communications for ITC Hotels (whom I have nicknamed Speedy because of her super-efficient ways) asked me to do much the same thing for ITC general managers at Delhi's Maurya Hotel.

I enjoyed both conversations, though I have no idea how bored the poor general managers were, having to listen to my telling them stuff they probably already knew.

But on the grounds that it pays to spread the pain, I am now going to recycle my so-called insights here. The hotel general managers have ...