I’ve used third-party hotel booking sites (PL) a bunch of times to book my hotel stays. From what I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure I’ve snagged lower prices through these sites… well, up to a point. When I compare different third-party sites, I’ve noticed that the rates for hotels are almost the same, give or take a few bucks. But here’s the kicker – when I check the hotel’s own website, the prices are definitely higher compared to the booking sites. However, there’s a little trick I’ve picked up on: the site I frequent the most (PL) keeps me logged in, and when I think about extending my stay or booking another one, I see higher rates than if I log out and search for the same hotel and dates. It’s like, instead of giving a loyal customer like me some special discounts, a free night, or a thank-you bonus, it seems like they’re more interested in wooing new customers by offering lower rates. The rates I see when I’m logged out are way lower than when I’m logged in. So, could it be true that these third-party booking sites are more focused on attracting new customers (by tempting them with lower rates, I guess), but once you’ve booked a few times, the hotel rates start climbing up…? Has anyone else noticed this too?