The contracts that airlines sign with hotels are based primarliy on the rates they receive in the cities they fly to, which are contracted on an individual basis. During the last couple of years hotel occupancies have, in general, been much lower than in past years. This has allowed flight crews to stay at better hotels than the airlines could typically afford. While airlines have always looked at the best value for their dollar, this pricepoint is substantially lower than any other rates offered by hotels to paying guests (even through third party websites) and I would never use it as criteria for hotel selection.