Originally Posted by
linglingfool
The commission is the only way to support the program in the first place, so eliminating the third party would almost certainly mean ending the program. Even if they were to support third-party sites for some reason, it doesn't really save any hassle, since you'd still have to fill out forms and submit documentation detailing your 4-night stay.
The hassle it would save is that if you see the hotel you want has 4 nights available on hotels.com, you could book right away and know that you're good to go. Going through the agency you have to wait for them to get back to you to confirm.
The documentation isn't the issue. The issue is the delay in being told that your reservation is good to go.