A recent viral post from a Marriott employee on Reddit issued a dire warning to travelers: Stop using Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). The poster claimed there is zero benefit to using sites like Expedia or Booking.com, alleging they hide fees, offer worse service, and mark you as a second-class citizen the moment you check in. They argued that elite status is ignored for third-party guests and that getting help is nearly impossible.
While that sentiment is a favorite talking point within the industry, for the actual traveler, it’s just plain wrong. Here is why the “Always Book Direct” mantra is more about the hotel’s bottom line than your travel experience.
The “Hidden Fee” Argument is Outdated
The claim that OTAs hide fees is a relic of the past. Thanks to a combination of federal regulations and intense competition, OTAs now offer some of the most transparent pricing in the industry.
In reality, the fee problem has shifted to the hotels themselves. While OTAs show you the total cost upfront, hotels have become masters of the junk fee. Destination fees, resort fees, facility fees, marketing fees, and mandatory amenities are often buried late in the direct booking process or, worse, sprung on you at checkout. Booking direct doesn’t protect you from surprise charges; it often puts you right in the line of fire for fees the hotel invented.
Transparency is a Feature, Not a Flaw
Hotels hate OTAs for the same reason travelers love them: comparison. The primary value of a third-party site is the ability to see the market at a glance. OTAs allow you to:
- Compare multiple brands side-by-side without 20 open tabs.
- Audit member rates against the actual market price.
- See unfiltered reviews from people who aren’t incentivized by a loyalty program.
Hotels push direct booking to keep you in their ecosystem and prevent you from seeing a better deal next door. For the consumer, pricing opacity is the enemy.
Elite Status is Losing Its Shine
The industry loves to threaten third-party bookers with the loss of elite benefits. But let’s be honest: those benefits are being gutted every year.
We’ve reached a point where loyalty is a one-way street. Free breakfast has been replaced by meager credits that don’t cover a latte. Upgrades are increasingly rare as hotels hold rooms back to sell at the last minute. Some properties are even nickel-and-diming guests over a basic bottle of water.
If a hotel treats you poorly because you found a better price elsewhere, that isn’t a booking error, it’s a toxic service culture. For many, a $50 savings today is worth far more than the possibility of a late checkout tomorrow.
You Aren’t Earning Points; You’re Buying Them
Hotel loyalty points aren’t a gift. They are baked into the cost of the room. When you book direct to earn points, you are often paying a premium for a currency that the hotel can devalue at any moment.
OTAs flip the script:
- Lower upfront costs instead of “future” credit.
- Immediate savings instead of digital points.
- A clearer ROI for the infrequent traveler.
For the person who isn’t living in a suitcase 200 nights a year, chasing status is a losing game.
The free agent traveler usually ends up with more money in their pocket.
Bad Support is a Universal Language
Is OTA customer service frustrating? Absolutely. But booking direct isn’t a magic wand for competence. Anyone who has tried to dispute a no-show charge, an overbooked room, or a billing error directly with a hotel knows the headache of the manager is away runaround. At least with an OTA, you have a documented, timestamped paper trail and a third party that has the leverage to escalate a dispute outside of the hotel’s internal bureaucracy.
The Bottom Line
Hotels don’t want you to book direct because it’s better for you; they want you to book direct because it’s better for them. It saves them commission fees and keeps you locked into their ecosystem.
The smartest travelers don’t follow blanket rules. They use every tool available. Sometimes the hotel wins; often, the OTA does. But the idea that there is zero benefit to third-party sites isn’t travel advice—it’s corporate propaganda.
Don’t be a loyalist to a brand that isn’t loyal to you. Shop the field.