Originally Posted by
invisible
True. But again if you stay at Western Chain hotels. I never do - my budget for one night stay at a hotel when travelling in SEA (except Hong Kong and Taiwan) is US $50 for two people, breakfast and all taxes included.
Sure. But many of the international chains frequently offer rooms for less than USD 50 in various Asian countries.
Sometimes OTA bookings are cheaper, sometimes direct bookings are cheaper. Cashback is available with chain hotel bookings, too. With them, too, you can frequently combine sales price, member discount, bonus point or night promo, extra points for elites, and cashback.
Making an apples-to-apples comparison is difficult. Because when I go with the chain, elite benefits can be much more substantial than with OTAs such as hotels.com or Expedia. It's also complicated to correctly value the points you get with a chain or with an OTA such booking.com.
Lastly, if an OTA offers a rate lower than the chain, the chain may match that rate via an BRG claim.
To me, there is no clear winner here. It depends on travel dates and the desired property as well as several other factors such as the value of elite benefits.