Whether that argument holds in court or not, Expedia certainly has managed to lock up a surprisingly large share of the online travel agency game. Under the umbrella of Expedia Group sit some of the largest names in online travel, including Hotels.com, Vrbo, Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Trivago. According to the lawsuit, 80% of all US-based bookings that happen via an online travel agency happen on an Expedia-owned platform.
To be clear, I’m not calling requesting a price match or anything. I’m calling just to book. I’m sure a lot depends on where and when you’re going, but I’ve gotten anything from room upgrades to discounts to free meals just by being nice to the person on the phone. I certainly never call expecting anything, and I’m definitely not batting 100, but there a bunch of amenities that nicer places can offer their premium customers that they’re willing to offer other customers who just happen to be nice to them.
I have basically never seen a third-party site offer me a better deal on just a hotel I’m interested in. Maybe if I had bundled car or something, or maybe I’m just going to the wrong hotels. If you’re regularly getting that level of savings I totally see why it would be worth it.