"You know you're not supposed to leave the house without asking, " I said sternly.

WSJ: How Machiavelli Saved My Family by Suzanne Evans

Who wouldn't want their hotel to know, without even asking, what type of pillow to leave on the bed, which magazines to leave on the coffee table, what brand of juice to put in the mini-bar?

CNN: What your hotel knows about you

Also there was Jean-Claude Biver, chief executive of Hublot and the man credited by many with rescuing the Swiss watch industry, who said that, if asked, he would leave Hublot and run the bid without asking for a salary.

BBC: Selling the Olympics to the Swiss