Confessions of a traveler: So what's with all the swanky hotels?

India is known for having some of the world’s best hotels and service, and we've had a very generous dose.  Having been to India 10+ times previously on business, I think it can be a tough place to move around.   As summarized by one of our guides “it’s really dirty, really crowded, the traffic and infrastructure are horrible, but if you can look past all that, you may really like it”.  For food and lodging, there is no middle range, and you seriously have to worry about sanitary conditions everywhere but the top end places that cater to foreigners.  It may sound lacking in adventure, but for this trip instead of the bargain-hunting-for-fabulous-places-on-a-reasonable-budget that make Champagne Johnny who he is, we confess we basically just selected the best hotel we could in each location, and had private drivers and guides throughout.  GDP per capita is way less than 4K/year compared to almost 48K/year for the US. Despite huge economic growth in the past 10+ years, 37% of the population still lives below the poverty line.  Part of this may be due to the enduring caste system which, though technically outlawed, is widely acknowledged as "the way India is . . ." (same goes for corruption), as if it will really never change. The excellent and well educated people you may hire (and most things labor intensive) are relatively inexpensive, but the hotels (including their food and drink) are extremely pricey by any global standard.  From here on, we're back on the clock finding the places that are  hopefully great, sometimes not, but always interesting and more affordable!