Experts: Booking Hotels Through Third-Party Sites Can Mean Worse Rooms and Hidden Fees

Booking a hotel through a third-party website can result in customers receiving lower-quality room locations and facing undisclosed fees, several travel experts say, a problem they attribute to commission structures and opaque pricing tactics used by some intermediaries.

Travel commentator Paul Scott, founder of My Budget Break, told The Mirror that hotels paying up to 25% commission to third-party platforms can be incentivised to favour guests who book directly. "Booking through a third party website could lead to getting a worse room than if you had booked direct, but this isn't necessarily a deliberate act," Scott said, adding that direct-booking perks often include discounts, extras and the ability to select preferred rooms.

Scott cited examples such as Hilton's policy allowing Hilton Honors members to choose rooms when booking directly, a capability he said can leave third-party bookers with less desirable locations such as rooms closer to lifts or with inferior views. Industry watchers say that practice, intentionally or not, can concentrate the hotel’s better inventory on direct channels.

Concerns about hidden and incremental fees accompany the room-allocation issue. A 2023 study referenced by travel commentators found 68% of travellers encountered at least one hidden fee during the booking process, with an average unexpected cost increase of about 12% over advertised prices. Analysts have also highlighted "drip pricing," where fees are added progressively through the checkout process, increasing the likelihood that consumers complete a purchase. In a separate analysis of 500 hotel bookings across major platforms, 37% included previously undisclosed "convenience fees," often buried in terms and conditions, the reviewers reported.

Not all industry participants accept the conclusion that third-party bookings systematically produce worse rooms. Tim Hentschel, who runs HotelPlanner.com, told the Mirror that his tests have shown no difference in room allocation or service based on booking channel. "Speculation around customers landing the worst rooms when booking via third party websites instead of directly through the hotel website are wide of the mark," Hentschel said.

Travel advisers and hotel staff frequently recommend comparing options across channels to avoid surprises. Booking directly with a hotel can reveal member or direct-booking benefits that do not appear on aggregator pages, while third-party sites can still deliver competitive rates, package deals and flexible cancellation policies. The differing practices among hotel groups and intermediary platforms mean outcomes can vary by brand, property and market.

Consumer advocates say clearer, earlier disclosure of total prices and fees would help shoppers evaluate offers on an equal footing, but implementations vary across companies and jurisdictions. For now, travellers are advised to check the final total before completing a booking and to ask hotels directly about room selection and any direct-booking incentives that may not show on third-party listings.