Originally Posted by
blitzen
That is totally OT as otherwise we will start why even go for status / why stay when you can get status via cc or match ....... and if you book through hotel.com you normally don't get anything beside the hotel.com benefit .... so if you are Hilton Gold you are not getting breakfast or upgrades or points if you book through a third party > so that makes it a fairly long and convoluted discussion for another thread
Completely understand and agree with your statement except for OP's case. He/she obviously isn't a status chaser nor a frequent hotel guest. OP stated he/she was no longer going to be loyal to IHG because of the lack of reciprocal loyalty he/she received. Going off the fact that OP didn't mention ever having any status with IHG I think it's safe to say he/she was only booking rooms a couple times a year. In OP's case, I think hotel.com makes perfect sense. Keep in mind that many perks we get for having status are also offered within the regular rates at local hotels. For example breakfast; almost every Japanese hotel chain will offer free breakfast to guests, where nearly all western chains will only give you this benefit for having status.