This is the second discussion (of which I am aware) regarding luxury hotel brands offering perks/bennies to reservations booked directly through the brand's website. Some such perks previously were available only through amex' FHR or Virtuoso or other luxury agent affiliations.
This migration of benefits to direct website booking is, after all, inevitable. Benefits to the brand and certain guests are obvious. Yet the discussion often hangs up on the notion that agents provide better, higher service, and they often do. But not in every instance. If one's stay is uncomplicated and no unusual travel advice, itinerary assistance or other guidance is needed, then direct brand website booking may be just the, er, ticket.
Virtuoso even has recognized this inevitability and, perhaps, beneficially to them, introduced its own (very flawed) direct-ish booking platform.
The next step in this ping-pong perks game is for lux agents/coalitions to negotiate another level of benefits offered only to those booking through agents/Virtuoso to drive back patronage. And so on. Virtuoso already has a form of this working -- upgrade at BOOKING for a very limited number of venues, e.g., Le Bristol (up to the jr. suite level). More of that and you can be sure some patronage will return happily and stay happy, until the next round.