Having been a silent guest here on Flyertalk for a long time, learning.

I dramatically got matched to Diamond Elite level of BW recently, and am planning a trip to Thailand in October. I targeted the stay in BKK to Best Western Plus Grand Howard Hotel, and after the research of some booking sites, found the rates on the official site were obvious higher than others. Got questions bellow:

1. Is it worth risking BRG with elong.com (Chinese version)? Difference is $40(without promo code)!!!!
2. Any diamond elite benefits offered (like upgrades) if bookings are made on third parties?

Thank you.